Transcendence Theatre Co. Launches Project Knowledge Health Assessment

Transcendence Theatre Company, a non-profit theatre dedicated to the integration of health and wellness into the arts has announced Project Knowledge, a two-month cross-country research tour in March and April 2010 to assess the health of artists and institutions in the United States. The tour includes discussions with an impressive list of over 25 major theatres, 10 Universities, and dozens of artistic directors, arts advocates, resident theatre pioneers, educators, and community members throughout the country.

Project Knowledge is the second phase in the Transcendence Theatre Company's five-phase mission. Phase one, a four-month experiment, The Transcendence Artist Project, was launched in Spring 2009 at The Gertrude Pearlman Theatre in Punta Banda, Mexico. The experiment united a company of artists with a team of holistic health, fitness, nutrition, creativity, communication, and mindset training specialists to optimize personal and collective development and to reexamine the process of how artists develop and train. Phase one concluded that healthy changes in the mindset and training of the individual artist has a vital impact on both the success of a theatre group and it's impact on the community it serves.

Upon returning from Mexico, the group found that the current theatrical model in America is facing great challenges. It became obvious that in order to employ the discoveries from phase one, the larger problems must first be addressed. Theatre continues to struggle through these uncertain times of decreased funding and shrinking audiences and the artist continues to confront the impossibilities of steady work, artistic growth, and reliable income. It's clear to the group that further exploration is needed to discuss the ways in which a new holistic model could support the techniques explored by the company in Mexico. Project Knowledge aims to address just this.

The company will travel the country in two RV's and hold critical dialogues and discussion groups with some of the most important voices in theatre today. These key figures, including Polly Carl of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Jill Dolan at Princeton University; and Ken Davenport, Broadway producer and entrepreneur, have signed on to participate in these proactive "Transcendence Talks." Topics range in subject and include among many, the challenges of modern theatre, the effects of ensemble collaboration within a community, and out of the box thinking with regard to theatrical business models and creativity. The group even plans to host a discussion with actors reminiscent of the Chorus Line talks in between meetings in New York City.

Along the way, the group will be surveying local community members in all 40 cities at gas stations, coffee houses, restaurants, and more. They will be asking what opinions, if any, they have of the theatre and will engage them in conversations regarding why they may or may not feel that the theatre is an integral part of their lives.

The formula for a new, healthy, indispensable, and involved theatre exists in between the lines of these dialogues and at the root of this endeavor. The group plans to use this research to create such a theatre and share that discovery with the world to promulgate a revitalized sense of need for art as a fundamental part of life.

Project Knowledge will be documented through a daily blog at www.ttctour.com.

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