StageSource Sets 2017 Biennial Conference, ARTS ACTIVISM: WHERE DO YOU FIT IN?

On Saturday June 17th, artists of various disciplines and abilities, as well as arts enthusiasts, will convene at Northeastern University for the biennial StageSource Conference.

This year, given the promised assault on our community by our new administration, as we face the possible abolishment of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the focus of the conference will be on creating -- and subsequently fulfilling -- our Statement of Purpose.

What is the role of the artist as citizen? How do we intersect with the community? Education? Science? The environment? How do the arts intersect with politics? What do we offer? Where can we do better? Workshops throughout the day will emphasize active participation and collaboration between attendees over standard conference panels.

This year's keynote session will be conducted by Tory Bullock, local writer, performer, actor and social artist. Mr. Bullock, a member of the non-profit Urban Improv, uses improv to empower Boston school children with the tools to make positive choices and flourish within their environments. As a video activist, Mr. Bullock incites dialogue regarding issues of racial, social and political importance via YouTube and Instagram.

Other highlights of the conference include:

A panel with theater artists who work in the activist space

A conference wide session with Matthew Wilson, Executive Director of MASSCreative, to talk about arts advocacy

"Fill Your Toolkit" sessions for specific disciplines (marketing for new work, ethics for actors, playwrights pitching to directors, access initiatives for artists with disabilities, etc.)

Inclusion and equity discussions around gender parity, breaking the gender binary, race, breaking down barriers for Deaf and disabled artists, and more

Roundtable discussions focusing on the business of the arts

Statement of Purpose drafting work

True Story and Devised Theater workshops

The 2017 StageSource Conference will convene on Saturday June 17 9AM-5PM at Blackman Hall on the campus of Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston. Registration fees (which include lunch) are $40 for StageSource members and $65 for non-members. For additional information and to register, go to www.StageSource.org/2017Conference. Follow us before, during and after the conference on Instagram (@StageSource), Facebook (StageSource), the StageSource blog or on Twitter (@StageSourceBos) using the hashtag #SC17ArtsAct.

Founded in 1985, StageSource provides leadership and services to advance the art of theater in the Greater Boston and New England region. Our mission is to unite theater artists, theater companies, and related organizations in vision and goals that inspire and empower our community to realize its greatest artistic potential.