Virtual Salon #25: The Return to Outdoor Stages and The Tools to Get It Done
Image Description:
Bold graphic text with information about the event above an out of focus photograph of bright green grass below a bright blue sky full of fluffy white clouds.
As the weather improves and the temperatures begin to rise we are all anticipating the return of live performances, specifically to outdoor stages in NYC’s five boroughs. This salon seeks to inform on the logistical tools necessary to make that happen from acquiring the appropriate permissions, configuring limited resources, working around weather, and, most importantly, successfully enacting Covid safety protocol to create fun, low-risk spaces for both audience and artists. Our panelists are: producer and choreographer Mara Driscoll, Associate Producer at the Cell Theatre Jonah Levy, and from Open Culture works: producer and curator Monique Martin, production director Will Knapp, and lighting designer Roderick Murray.
Thursday, April 22nd, 8-10pm EST via Zoom and Facebook Live
Register in advance for this salon:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpcOCvqjgrEtVh2b-cNdPsUHHewNCqggbo
Wingspace is committed to inclusivity and we are dedicated to increasing accessibility for all our events. If you have questions or concerns centered around access or accommodations we strongly welcome you to please reach out to us via DM or email: salons@wingspace.com
Mara Driscoll founded Boulder Arts Outdoors in July of 2020. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, BAO created a safe platform for live performance with two packed drive-in performance series that presented 25 acts and 79 local artists. Inaugural BAO performances featured Latin American folk music, contemporary dance, Indigenous music and dance, classical ballet, djembe drumming, samba dance and music, bluegrass, chamber music, and more. In 2021, BAO will carry its mission forward with a six week summer series to be presented at Boulder's Glen Huntington bandshell. Beyond BAO, Mara has produced performances for Dancers of the Met and 3rd Law Dance/Theater. She is also a professional dancer and choreographer and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet since 2016. Although this is a challenging time for the performing arts, Mara sees it as a time of great possibility as artists are pushed to adapt and reimagine traditional paradigms.
Roderick Murray, lighting designer and production manager for dance, opera, and music has worked internationally and in NY since 1988. He also performed with Circus Amok in the streets of New York City from 1991-2000, and has been a part of dozens of outdoor NY performance festivals. Webpage here.
Will Knapp, has been an independent production director for almost 40 years, and has worked with illustrious performing artists and organizations, including Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
Monique Martin is an independent producer, curator and programming director of multidisciplinary events across the five boroughs of NYC with 20 years of experience. She most recently led the programming for Harlem Stage, and previously, SummerStage and the River to River Festival/LMCC.
Jonah Levy was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. During a decade and a half working in tourism for his family business Levys' Unique New York, he engaged heavily in the underground and legitimate arts and events world by working with venues such as the Silent Barn, Clocktower Gallery and House of Yes. He also curated and produced experiential elements at events such as You Are So Lucky, Dark Before Dawn, The Illuminati Ball and Destination Moon, a solar-powered music festival. In 2017 he co-founded Shadow Traffic, an art collective that provides a platform for immersive installations in the interstitial areas of the urban landscape, including the Lost Horizon Night Market. Shadow Traffic continues to produce four free events a year. He has been the Associate Producer at the Cell Theatre since October of 2019.