Open Channels New York Inc

TO FOSTER, PROMOTE AND ADVANCE GREATER KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE PERFORMING AND LITERARY ARTS, INCLUDING DRAMATIC, DANCE, VIDEO, AND OTHER VISUAL PRESENTATIONS.

NOW IN ITS 35TH YEAR, DIXON PLACE REMAINS DEDICATED TO THE CREATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND PRESENTATION OF NEW WORKS OF THEATER AND PERFORMANCE, INSPIRING, AND ENCOURAGING ARTISTS TO TAKE RISKS, PUSH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIMITS, AND ACCELERATE THEIR WORK TO THE NEXT LEVEL. DPS PRIMARY GOALS ARE TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES THAT ALLOW CREATORS TO CHALLENGE THEMSELVES ARTISTICALLY, DEVELOP HIGH QUALITY NEW WORK, STRENGTHEN THEIR AUDIENCE BASE, AND FURTHER THEIR CAREERS. WITH PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE DEVELOPMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMING ARTISTS, DP REMAINS ONE OF THE ONLY ORGANIZATIONS EXCLUSIVELY DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING ARTISTS FROM READINGS AND WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS ALL THE WAY TO FULLY REALIZED PRODUCTIONS, MAKING THE ORGANIZATION DISTINCTIVE IN THE NYC LANDSCAPE OF PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTERS. AFTER A YEAR OF EXCLUSIVELY VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING, DIXON PLACE ENTERED 2021 WITH HIGH HOPES. WITH THE PROSPECT OF REOPENING FOR IN-PERSON AUDIENCES (LIMITED OR OTHERWISE) APPARENTLY STILL FAR ON THE HORIZON, DP ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP RESOLVED TO MOVE INTO UNCHARTED TERRITORYLIVE STREAMINGAND COMMISSIONED FOUR PRODUCTIONS TO BE PRESENTED VIA HIGH-QUALITY LIVE STREAMS IN THE SPRING. FOLLOWING A WELCOME SHIFT IN GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES IN MAY 2021, THREE OUT OF FOUR OF THESE SPRING COMMISSIONS WERE PRESENTED TO BOTH LIMITED IN-PERSON AND LIVE-STREAM AUDIENCES. THE SECOND HALF OF 2021 SAW ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES RETURN TO DIXON PLACE AND WE HAVE BEEN EXCITEDLY (ALBEIT CAUTIOUSLY) MOVING FORWARD WITH IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING FOR VACCINATED-ONLY, MASKED, FULL-CAPACITY AUDIENCES. IN TOTAL, DIXON PLACE PRESENTED APPROXIMATELY 150 PERFORMANCE, MUSIC, AND LITERARY EVENTS FROM JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER 2021, IN-PERSON AND ONLINE, SERVING OVER 250 ARTISTS OR GROUPS AND OVER 3200 MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. THE BREAKDOWN OF PROGRAMS AND ARTISTS SERVED ARE AS FOLLOWS:COMMISSIONING & PRODUCTION PROGRAMSESTABLISHED IN 1994, DPS COMMISSIONING & PRODUCTION PROGRAMS ARE THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR PROGRAMMING, PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT THAT EMPOWERS ARTISTS TO DEVELOP AND PRESENT COURAGEOUS NEW WORK. EACH PRODUCTION RECEIVES ACCESS TO DP FACILITIES FOR MEETINGS AND AUDITIONS; ARTISTIC FEES OF $6,000$14,000 PER PRODUCTION FOR WRITERS, DIRECTORS, DESIGNERS, CHOREOGRAPHERS, DRAMATURGES, AND PERFORMERS; A PRODUCTION MANAGER AND TECHNICAL STAFF; MARKETING, PUBLICITY, ADMINISTRATIVE, AND ARTISTIC SUPPORT; AND A PERFORMANCE RUN. PRIOR TO 2021, DPS COMMISSIONED PRODUCTIONS RECEIVED 60+ HOURS OF REHEARSAL TIME; UNDER OUR NEW COMMISSIONING MODEL, HOWEVER, ARTISTS IN 2021 HAD EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE MAINSTAGE, MEANING THAT ARTISTS COULD CREATE MORE EXTENSIVE INSTALLATIONS OF SCENIC ELEMENTS AND NOT BE REQUIRED TO BREAK DOWN EVERY DAY TO MAKE SPACE FOR OUR PLETHORA OF NIGHTLY PROGRAMMING.IN 2021, DP PRESENTED, COMMISSIONED, AND/OR CO-PRODUCED THE FOLLOWING PERFORMANCES:MINE, BY SHAYNA STRYPE, AN ECOFEMINIST TRAGICOMEDY INVESTIGATING OUR RELATIONSHIP TO OUR STUFF, OUR EARTH, AND OURSELVESUNICORN AFTERLIFE, BY JUSTIN PERKINS, A GRIMY, SYNTHESIZER DREAM BALLET ABOUT FANTASY, GREED, GENDER, AND THE POWER OF BELIEFNEW MONY, BY MARIA CAMIA, A SCI-FI, SPIRITUAL, AND MYTHOLOGICAL PUPPET PLAY WITH LIVE PROJECTIONBILLS 44TH, BY ANDY MANJUCK AND DOROTHY JAMES, A COMEDIC SHOW THAT BRINGS TWO PUPPETEERS TOGETHER TO CREATE ONE (VERY WORRIED) PROTAGONISTTHE SONGS OF STARPATH, BY MAGGIE MOORE AND ELIZABETH ZIFF, A MUSICAL STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, FRINGE FAME, AND THE CREATIVE PATHDEATH IN THE FAMILY, WRITTEN BY KENDRA AUGUSTIN, DIRECTED BY BENJAMIN ERNEST ABRAHAM, AND CO-PRODUCED WITH IN FULL COLOR, A SERIES OF FIVE DARKLY (COMEDIC) WHIMSICAL TWO-HANDER VIGNETTES ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF DEATH, GRIEF, AND TRAUMAINTERGLACIAL, BY LAURA PETERSON CHOREOGRAPHY, A NEW MULTIDISCIPLINARY DANCE WORK THAT EXPLORES THE URGENT TOPIC OF CLIMATE CHANGEWORKS-IN PROGRESS PROGRAM (WIP)THE WORKS-IN-PROGRESS PROGRAM HAS BEEN A SIGNATURE ACTIVITY SINCE DIXON PLACES INCEPTION, PRESENTING NEW, DEVELOPING WORKS OF THEATER AND OTHER PERFORMANCE GENRES FOR ONE NIGHT. WIP SERIES ARE CURATED BY DP STAFF THROUGH AN OPEN SUBMISSION PROCESS ALONGSIDE NUMEROUS ONGOING PROGRAMS (MONTHLY, BIMONTHLY, OR QUARTERLY) CURATED BY DIVERSE PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DISCIPLINES. THE APPROACH OF HAVING MULTIFARIOUS CURATORS ENSURES MORE DEPTH AND DIVERSITY THAN ANY SINGLE CURATOR CAN OFFER, ALLOWING DP TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT REACH, ATTRACTING ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES FROM THE ENTIRE NYC AREA.THE FOLLOWING WIP SERIES TOOK PLACE IN 2021: BLACK ARTISTS MATTER, A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PROGRAM CELEBRATING THE WORK OF EARLY AND MID-CAREER BLACK ARTISTS; EXPERIMENTS & DISORDERS, A LONG-RUNNING LITERARY SERIES FEATURING THE MOST ADVENTUROUS, CROSS-GENRE ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING WRITERS; GUERILLA LIT, A LITERARY SERIES DEDICATED TO BUILDING LITERARY COMMUNITY; DANCE BLOC, VIRTUAL SHOWCASES PRESENTING NEW DANCE WORKS THAT WERE PERFORMED/RECORDED OUTDOORS, IN LIVING ROOMS, OR WHEREVER ELSE SPACE COULD BE FOUND; TEXT/CONTEXT, A LITERARY SHOWCASE FEATURING TWO WRITERS WHO EXPLORE THE LIMINAL SPACES BETWEEN POETRY, PROSE, AND HYBRID TEXTS; STYLEPOINTE, AN ANNUAL EVENT COINCIDING WITH NYCS FASHION WEEK WHERE CHOREOGRAPHERS AND FASHION DESIGNERS COLLABORATE; PUPPET BLOK, DPS ANNUAL PROGRAM OF PUPPET THEATER FEATURING 16 NEW WORKS OVER 4 NIGHTS; AND CROSSING BOUNDARIES, NEW WORKS BY CHOREOGRAPHERS WHO CROSS CULTURAL, GEOGRAPHIC AND DISCIPLINARY BOUNDARIES.