Dear Colleagues,
Established in 2009, the American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) is an ASTR initiative that supports theatre makers in archiving records of their work for the benefit of artists, scholars, patrons, and the public. To date, ATAP-assisted companies include ArtsWest, Atlantic Theater Company, the Baltimore Theatre Project, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, HERE, Jobsite Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, Rude Mechs, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Teatro Vivo, and ZACH Theatre. We invite your support as we continue our mission to preserve the legacy of the American theatre.
Last year ATAP became a permanent ASTR committee, and we piloted a program at the Baltimore conference that we will continue this year:
· On the Thursday, November 5 we will hold a pre-conference ATAP Training Workshop for Portland-area archivists and documentarians at the Portland Marriott Waterfront. Workshop participants will join the ATAP Northwest regional team and work with area theatre companies in the years to come. ATAP will also host the local plenary panel discussion on Portland’s performance legacy from 6:15-7:30 p.m.
· At the Awards Luncheon on Saturday, November 7, the second annual ATAP Initiation Program Grant will be awarded to a Portland-area theatre company. The Grant will pay for the stipends and supplies associated with the ATAP Initiation Program, which places an archivist-documentarian team with a theatre company to assess records of historical value and formally establish archives. The Program takes place over the course of one month and comprises an orientation, assessment, and follow-up workshop. Applications by Portland-area theatres to be considered for this year’s award are due October 19 and can be submitted here.
Although there will be a concentration of activity at the conference, the work of ATAP is year-round. Our free guide, Preserving Theatrical Legacy: An Archiving Manual for Theatre Companies, has been consulted by dozens of performing arts companies here and abroad. ATAP currently has active teams in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, New York, North Carolina, Northwest (Seattle), and Philadelphia, with additional activity in Florida, the Gulf Coast, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, and New Mexico. In the coming years, we intend to establish new teams and reinforce existing teams as the annual ASTR-TLA conference travels the country.
ASTR’s FY2016 administrative budget for ATAP is $5700, the majority of which must be raised through donations. If you would like to support ASTR’s outreach through ATAP, please consider making a contribution on ASTR’s website (designating ATAP in the comment box) or sending a check to: ASTR, 1000 Westgate Drive, Ste 252, St. Paul, MN 55114. ASTR is a registered non-profit organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible (Tax ID #11-6110103). Be sure to check with your or your spouse’s employer for matching-donation programs to double your gift.
The following are ways ATAP will use donated funds in the coming year:
- $50 will fund a week of administrative assistance routing requests from artists and theatre organizations to ATAP committee members and regional teams.
- $75 will fund a one-day registration for an ATAP workshop participant to attend the annual ASTR-TLA conference.
- $250 will fund our trademark and website hosting for six months; the ATAP website is the primary point of contact for archivists, artists, scholars, and theatre artists who wish to learn more about ATAP.
- $500 will fund a travel honorarium for the ATAP graduate assistant to attend the ASTR-TLA conference.
- $1000 will fund the ATAP Initiation Program for one theatre company.
Please show your support by helping us spread the word about ATAP and by making a contribution today.
Sincerely,
ATAP Steering Committee
Charlotte Canning, Eric Colleary, Helice Koffler,
Colleen Reilly, Doug Reside, Adam Versényi, Christa Williford