Roundabout Theatre Company Will Host Virtual Industry Event- Opening Stage Doors

From December 7-9, Roundabout Theatre Company, with support from The National Endowment for the Arts will host Opening Stage Doors, the first-of-its-kind virtual convening to share tools and innovations in job training, mentorship, and job placement, with the goal of helping remove traditional barriers to off-stage performing-arts jobs.

The three-day convening will be held virtually from 12 to 6pm EST each day.

Registration to the event is free and open to interested arts professionals including workforce administrators; organizational leadership; educational partners; union and non-union technicians; workforce funders; and past, present or future program participants.

Advance sign-up is required here: https://hopin.com/events/opening-stage-doors

Organized by a national team of arts leaders who oversee workforce programs, Opening Stage Doors will assemble practitioners, administrators, and funders from around the country to share supportive practices and lessons learned. Participants will hear from experts and one another about how to introduce young people to administrative and technical backstage professions, effectively manage or reimagine programs for new and more seasoned arts workers, and ensure historically marginalized members of our community (including people of color, veterans, and people with disabilities) are part of a scaffolded and supportive training process that leads to employment.

Keynote speakers and daily sessions will focus on both practical actions needed immediately to provide safe and educational work experiences and deeply rooted systemic issues within the field that need to be addressed to create long-term change.

Session topics include: Understanding Compensation and Benefits, Effective Mentorship Models, and Navigating the Politics of a Nonprofit. A full list of sessions can be found at https://hopin.com/events/opening-stage-doors

Attendees are invited to join the Virtual Expo, where organizations can post information about their workforce programs.

To participate in the Workforce Expo, please email OpeningStageDoors@roundabouttheatre.org.

Julia Levy, Executive Director of Roundabout, said, "As we look to both effect immediate change and create a more equitable theatre industry, we hope these three days of conversation and sharing will help participants gain practical skills and discuss a deeper change to the way we work."

The Planning Committee for this event includes Shaminda Amarakoon, David Geffen School of Drama at Yale; Jennifer DiBella, Roundabout Theatre Company; Alejandra Duque Cifuentes, Dance/NYC; Jennifer Halpern, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees; Amy Harris, Roundabout Theatre; Sharifa Johka, Blk Realities; Olivia Jones, Consultant; Mitch Mattson, Roundabout Theatre Company; Talleri McRae, National Disability Theatre; Leslie Recinos, Roundabout Theatre; Alexander Santiago-Jirau, New York Theatre Workshop; Camille Schenkkan, Center Theatre Group; Willa Taylor, Goodman Theatre; Nikki Toombs, Aurora Theatre; Patricia White, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

For questions about this event, please contact OpeningStageDoors@roundabouttheatre.org

Roundabout Theatre Company celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present, and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatergoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences; and archiving over five decades of production history. roundabouttheatre.org

Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals and new works on its five stages: Broadway's American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54 and Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and Off-Broadway's Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre.

Established in 1996, Education at Roundabout annually serves over 30,000 people throughout New York City's five boroughs and beyond. Roundabout offers nationally recognized programs that use the power of theatre to inspire, engage, and promote social equity through three core areas: Career Training, Community Partnerships, and Teaching and Learning. The deep impact and breadth of our work is a result of programs and curricula curated specifically to build lasting relationships with students, teachers, early- career professionals, audiences, and our local communities.

This Project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Special Thanks to Maggie Kaplen.

Roundabout's Theatrical Workforce Development Program is made possible through the generosity of Denise R. Sobel, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Altman Foundation, Solon E. Summerfield Foundation, the State of New York through its Workforce Development Initiative, and NYC's Human Resources Administration and Center for Economic Opportunity's joint support through the Work Progress Program.

Major funding to establish the Made in New York Stagecraft Bootcamp is provided by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and NYC Department of Small Business Services.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Council, under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.