Artists I admire: TreePress

On Friday, I had the chance to meet with Laura Fisher and Jespal Rajdev, who with their co-founder Adrienne Ferguson, started an online marketplace called TreePress. I've known about TreePress since about this time last year, when the idea was in its initial stages. I've been watching the progression of the marketplace's offerings with interest, but my conversation with Laura and Jes really solidified in my mind that the entire concept behind their online presence is truly innovative and has the potential to shift the way theatrical collaborators find one other, particularly playwrights and producers and educators.

I would encourage you to visit the site and see for yourself, and watch how it develops over the next six months. That development and the articulation of their vision over time will do a far better job than I can at explaining exactly what will happen and how its happening.  However, I do want to say that I'm #grateful to Laura and Jes for explaining the idea of RELEVANCE to me as a way to measure a play's worth, rather than simply relying on the play's quality, one of only several factors that might go into a play's selection for production. It's very easy for me or anyone else to dismiss a play based on my own impressions of what "quality" is, but there are lots of other reasons that a producer, school, or theatre might choose to do a play: cast size, distribution of lines, subject matter, message to the audience, etc. All of these factors play a role.  "Of course they do," you might be saying to yourself, but I'm not sure that all of those reasons are necessary legible or conscious in the decision-making process about a play's quality. So I'm committing to thinking about a play's RELEVANCE rather than only about a play's quality, as that might help to create an overall clearer picture of why certain plays get produced and not others. There's power in making a gut reaction more legible. That's one of things I feel like TreePress is preparing to do really well.

For helping me to think differently and more openly about plays and their relevance, for sharing their ideas with me and asking me about mine, and for innovating in a field that desperately needs it (new play development), the founders of TreePress are the artists I admire for this week.

Day 4: Visual food for thought

On our fourth day in London, we spent some time in the morning reflecting on impressions of our time in London so far. We discussed unexpected discoveries about London that had occurred in the first three days, as well as how we now defined the word "international." Some of the expected discoveries included observations about food, different ways of saying things, and the friendliness of Londoners.

In the afternoon we traveled to the Tate Modern, and students had the opportunity to view various exhibits, including the museum's collection of Mark Rothko paintings, a special exhibit on pop art, and an exhibit examining the relationship between visual and community engagement. The Tate Modern is an impressive building with some amazing art work. Certainly a must-see on any trip to London.

In the evening we saw a production of You for Me for You by Mia Chung at the Royal Court. Chung is a playwright from the US and a current fellow at New Dramatists. The Royal Court focuses on developing and staging new plays by writers from all over the world, so many playwrights working in the US have had a UK or world premiere at the Royal Court.

A marquee outside the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square.

Chung's play is about two sisters living in North Korea. The younger sister wants to escape from North Korea while the older sister is reluctant to leave because of her past history and her illness. The play uses abstraction and non-realism to explore what it's like to emigrate to the US, and this particular production was bolstered by outstanding direction and an incredible design. The six actors also performed the play with a lot of integrity and attention to detail. It was also fun for us to hear references to NYU, Washington Square, and New York City throughout the play. Afterwards, I learned a lot about society and culture in South Korea from some of my students, and I really appreciated that opportunity. The authenticity of the play had an impact for them, which I think it important.

These two experiences had strong visual components. The museum for obvious reason, but the play on the page does not necessarily indicate a such a realized visual world. It's exciting to see what a director and designers can achieve when they are working together with the playwright's intentions and the actors in service of the play.

The program and script for You for Me for You by Mia Chung.