Rorschach Theatre Announces KLECKSOGRAPHY 2020

KLECKSOGRAPHY is an annual event that brings together more than fifty artists to make something unimaginable. Inspired by the ink-blot test for which Rorschach Theatre was named, all participating artists will create work inspired by a local visual art project and on Sunday, August 9 that vision explodes into a number of wildly different works: a handful of short plays and short films that will showcase the talents of the best of DC's emerging artists.

In our new reality, KLECKSOGRAPHY 2020 will focus on a future for theatre by embracing the limitations. Created and curated by Rorschach Theatre, KLECKSOGRAPHY will bring together over 50 local artists to create 10 new short plays and 6 short films -- all while socially distant. This made-for-livestream process embraces the metaphor of the inkblot test by having the plays and films inspired by a unified visual prompt. The process will provide digital networking opportunities by pairing theatre leadership with artists new to their companies.

This year's partner companies are 1st Stage, 4615 Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Arena Stage, Building Better People Productions, Graphic Audio, Imagination Stage, Longacre Lea, Mosaic Theater, Pointless Theatre, Rep Stage, Round House Theatre, Spooky Action Theatre, TBD Immersive, Theater J, We Happy Few, and The Welders.

The visual inspiration for 2020 will be announced July 31st at the Artists' Kickoff. Past "inkblots" include Norman Zammit's The Hard White Edge and Leo Villareal's Multiverse, both on display at The National Gallery of Art.

In fall 2017, Rorschach's Klecksography program was redesigned based on both the results of a DC theatre survey and the urgency of creating a pipeline for diverse artistic voices. More than 40 local artistic directors and producers responded to Rorschach's survey in addition to dozens of freelance artists. Based on those results, the program evolved to invite other companies into the process in order to focus on networking and connection. Play-creation teams have been assembled from an open call for actors, directors, playwrights and filmmakers in order to minimize typical barriers for underrepresented artists. By providing producers with a high-impact, low-investment way to vet new artists, they aim to close the gap between artists trying to connect with new companies and companies looking for new perspectives.

This event is sponsored in part by DestinationDC.

Since Rorschach's founding in 1999, it has always been the company's mission to make uncommon uses of an environment. Early productions came to life in an old livery stable, a forgotten junior high school and the green house of an old Hechingers. Building new words in Zoom and YouTube is a fresh adventure. The company is excited to rise to the uncommon challenges of making intimate, immersive art at a social distance.

KLECKSOGRAPHY 2020 will premiere on YouTube on August 9, 2020 at 7pm EST and the video will remain online & accessible to the public until August 16, 2020. Follow the link to bookmark the event in advance: https://bit.ly/klex202

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