The Press Release:
In a groundbreaking move to champion the arts and empower theatrical artists, Jeff Whiting, CEO of Open Jar Studios announced today the creation of The Stage Door Foundation, which emerges as the new not-for-profit organization to provide support to artists as they develop theatrical projects, allowing individuals to focus on the creative process.
The mission of The Stage Door Foundation is to secure and provide support to theatrical artists by providing access to professional mentorship, subsidized investments, and a supportive network infrastructure that can ignite the innovation of art.
The Stage Door Foundation has laid out a distinct direction to achieve their mission in three main ways:
SUBSIDIZED SPACE RENTAL: The Foundation provides affordable, accessible rehearsal space to writers, directors, choreographers, and other creative artists at highly subsidized rates. Grants are provided to rehearsal spaces so they can, in turn, offer studio rentals to qualifying artists at rates between $5-10/hour, allowing artists to focus on their creative work.
THE SHOW ACCELERATOR: Each year the Foundation provides an up-front investment to a select number of creative projects. This funding can be utilized for studio rental, printing costs, professional fees, and other production resources needed during key developmental phases: writing, development, reading, workshops, pre-production, fundraising, world premieres, and beyond.
In addition to the funding they receive, the selected teams will receive ongoing guidance from industry leaders and mentors who provide support at key development milestones.
“Many gifted writers are left on their own to navigate the complex developmental process,” says Whiting. “As a result, many wonderful shows do not find the exposure they need or the commercial success they deserve. The Accelerator program is designed to allow writers and creators the opportunity to focus on their creative work and to lean on the support of industry leaders to help them navigate the commercial side of the industry.”
In effect, the Foundation is working to build a brand new pipeline for the next generation of theatre makers by forming strategic partnerships with industry professionals, regional theatres, resource companies, and other arts organizations around the country.
GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS: The Foundation provides programming and funding to developing artists (both onstage and backstage artists) for education at all levels, including grants, scholarships, and ongoing professional training & networking.
“In my position at Open Jar, I often get a front row seat to witness the strong talent in our community,” said Whiting, “and I’ve become very aware of the gap in the support needed to help the next generation of art find its way down the development pipeline. My hope is that the foundation will begin to bridge that gap and have a direct impact in supporting the creative voices which need to be heard in our Broadway community.”
The vision of The Stage Door Foundation is to shape a world where art can be dreamed, developed, and realized without obstacles. At the intersection of tradition and innovation, our vision is to cultivate a performing arts ecosystem that celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and the untold stories waiting to be unveiled.
The Foundation’s inaugural initiatives will be announced shortly. To receive updates and learn how individuals and companies may be involved in the foundation’s work, visit www.stagedoor.org (linked below)
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Piercing Ken Thoughts: While this sounds super cool, I can admit that I don’t have much more to add to the context of it all. I think its fantastic that someone in the position that the CEO Whiting is in is using this status to greater expand upon the needs of the creatives of the city, state and beyond. Truth be told I don’t get to the theatre all that much these days and the most I was exposed to it was during the COVID Safety work that I did for a number of houses in the theatre district. I’ve always felt that I should add more Broadway stuff to the mix here on Piercing Ken because I do love the theatre and it would be a nice feature for the outlet. Other than that I have nothing further to add to the mix and hope that you found this bit of theatre industry news of interest. Chime in down below with your thoughts as its always great to hear from you folks when you opt to chime in. See you again soon.
Official: https://www.openjarstudios.com
Official: http://www.stagedoor.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/openjarstudiosnyc