ATAP New York’s Preserving Performance Workshop Now Online

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
ATAP New York's Claudia Wilsch Case, Tanya Elder, and Noreen Whysel organized an incredibly helpful workshop on Preserving Performance for the Preludes 2016 conference at CUNY. Joined by Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble (actor David Elyha and tech director Richard Keyser), The Living Theater (artistic director Brad Burgess) and HERE Arts Center (producing director Kim Whitener), this workshop aims to introduce basic strategies for theatre companies interested in preserving their records and why it's never too late to start. Watch the recording online here, and check out other video resources ATAP offers here....
Read More

ATAP Delivers 2016 Report to ASTR Members

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
The following report was delivered by ATAP co-chair Eric Colleary to the membership of the American Society for Theatre Research at its annual meeting in Minneapolis on November 5, 2016: The American Theatre Archive Project is a collaboration of archivists, librarians, scholars, dramaturgs, and theatre enthusiasts dedicated to helping theatre artists develop and sustain their own archives. The Project is organized by a six-member steering committee who support the efforts of regional teams who work with theatre companies in their local areas. Since its founding in 2009 ATAP has assisted dozens of companies including Atlantic Theater Company (NYC), the Baltimore Theatre Project, New York Theatre Workshop, the Rude Mechs (Austin), and Seattle Shakespeare Company. 2016 has been a busy year for ATAP. We designed and launched a new website, now available at AmericanTheatreArchiveProject.org, which is allowing us to share more news and resources of value to theatre artists and our supporters. These resources include free archivist consultations for companies and artists and our...
Read More

ATAP Heading to Minneapolis for Annual Conference

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
Members of the American Theatre Archive Project are heading to Minneapolis the first week of November for the 40th annual American Society for Theatre Research conference. As one of the major events in the ATAP calendar, executive committee members will have the opportunity to reconnect in person, meet with colleagues in partner organizations like the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America and the Theatre Library Association, and announce the winner of 2016 Initiation Program grant at the ASTR awards luncheon. ATAP is also co-sponsoring What’s Past is Prologue: Theatre Archives Now, a pre-conference workshop for theatre artists, scholars, dramaturgs, archivists, information professionals, and students with an interest in preserving and sustaining the artifacts of performance history. This workshop, a collaboration with the University of Minnesota Libraries and ASTR, is free and open to the public. More information can be found on the conference page. Many thanks to Kathryn Hujda, Cecily Marcus, Ben Krywosz, Nora Blackman, Colleen Reilly, and Christa Williford for their efforts in coordinating this year's...
Read More

LMDA Makes Donation to Support Theatre Archives

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
The American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) extends its sincere thanks to President Ken Cerniglia and the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) for their generous donation of $500 toward our efforts to promote, preserve, and support the work of theatre archives. Founded in 1985, LMDA is the volunteer membership organization for the professions of literary management and dramaturgy with members throughout North America and abroad. Find out more about the important work of LMDA on their website: http://www.lmda.org/ "The missions of LMDA and ATAP are intertwined," said ATAP co-chair Eric Colleary. "We are deeply grateful to LMDA for their support in preserving theatre history." ATAP is primarily a volunteer-run organization with a lean budget that depends heavily on donations such as these. Every contribution made to ATAP allows us to offer more services and resources to theatre companies and archives across the country. If you or your organization are interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to ATAP, contact us or visit our donation...
Read More

Applications for 2016 ATAP Initiation Program Grant Closed

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
The Executive Committee of the American Theatre Archive Project would like to thank all of the theatre companies nationwide who applied for the 2016 Initiation Program Grant. Applications will be reviewed over the next month, and the recipient of the 2016 grant will be announced at the annual conference of the American Society of Theatre Research in Minneapolis on November 5 and here on our website. The month-long ATAP Initiation Program places an archivist-documentarian team with a theatre company to assess records of historical value and formally establish archives. ATAP-assisted companies include ArtsWest (Seattle), Atlantic Theater Company (NYC), the Baltimore Theatre Project, Book-It Repertory Theatre (Seattle), Cherry Lane Theatre (NYC), HERE (NYC), Jobsite Theatre (Tampa), New York Theatre Workshop, Rude Mechs (Austin), Seattle Shakespeare Company, Teatro Vivo (Austin), and ZACH Theatre (Austin). Applications for the 2017 Initiation Program Grant will be open next summer, contingent on available funding. ...
Read More

ATAP Accepting Applications for 2016-2017 Initiation Program

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
Grant Deadline: September 16, 2016 The American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) - a network of archivists, dramaturgs, and scholars dedicated to preserving the legacy of the American theatre – invites applications from theatre companies for its 2016-2017 Initiation Program. The ATAP Initiation Program places an archivist-documentarian team with a theatre company to do a preliminary assessment of records of historical value and to develop a plan for establishing company archives. The ATAP Initiation Program accepts applications from any theatre company ready to begin the process of formally saving, organizing, and preserving their records. Depending on the number of theatre staff and the scale of the records, the Initiation Program generally takes place over the course of one month and includes an orientation to archiving, the development of an archives mission statement that reflects the theatre’s values, a preliminary assessment of existing records and storage spaces, as well as an interview with staff about archival practices and needs, and an interactive workshop on basic archival principles and...
Read More

ATAP Training Session in Portland a Success

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
Portland: On Thursday, November 5, the American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) Northwest Regional Team co-leader Natalia Fernández, along with Steering Committee Co-Chairs Colleen Reilly and Christa Williford, led a training workshop as part of the pre-conference program for Debating the Stakes in Theatre Performance and Scholarship, the annual conference of the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR)-Theatre Library Association (TLA). The workshop was attended by a dynamic group of archivists, librarians, scholars, graduate students, and theatre volunteers. The ATAP Archival Team Training was developed primarily to train archivists, documentarians, and theatre makers how to implement the ATAP Initiation program for a local theatre. It introduces ATAP’s mission and team structure, describes the ATAP Initiation Program and process, and engages common and extraordinary questions about archival activities. The November training focused primarily on the three stages of the ATAP process: the Pitch, the Assessment, and the Workshop. Portland area participants attended the workshop in preparation for conducting the ATAP Initiation program with...
Read More

ATAP Second Annual Appeal

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
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...
Read More

ATAP Newsletter, September 2015

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
*ATAP NEWSLETTER* www.americantheatrearchiveproject.org *September 2015* This newsletter includes highlights of training events, recent developments, and team activity for the American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP). Next Team Training Session *Portland, OR* Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront 1401 SW Naito Pkwy Portland, OR 97201 November 5, 2015 9am-1pm Details here: http://americantheatrearchiveproject.org/news/atap-coming-portland-november-5   ATAP Initiation Program Grant for a Portland (OR) Theatre Company ATAP is pleased to announce the second annual ATAP Initiation Program Grant, a grant-in-kind to be awarded to a Portland-area theatre company during the organization’s annual conference at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront November 5-8, 2015. Please help by forwarding this link to Portland-area theatre artists you think might have an interest in this opportunity. The deadline for applications is October 19. http://americantheatrearchiveproject.org/news/atap-initiation-program-grant-portland   ATAP Annual Appeal ATAP is getting ready to launch its second annual appeal, so watch your inboxes for that message and please consider making a contribution to help further ATAP’s goals. Every donation, no matter how small, can be put to good use.   National (and International!) Activity ATAP has also been thrilled to see the very latest (Summer 2015) issue...
Read More

ATAP Initiation Program Grant for a Portland (OR) Area Theatre Company

by Eric Colleary Comment Closed
The American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) is pleased to announce its second annual ATAP Initiation Program Grant, a grant-in-kind to be awarded to a Portland-area theatre company during the organization’s annual conference at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront November 5-8, 2015. 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. In 2012, ATAP launched an Initiation Program, which places an archivist-documentarian team with a theatre company to assess records of historical value and formally establish archives. The ATAP Initiation Program takes place over the course of one month and comprises the elements below. Session times vary depending on number theatre staff, records, etc. Orientation: Preserving Your Theatre’s Legacy – 90-120 minutes during week 1. This interactive orientation provides an overview of the work ahead and generates a provisional archives mission statement that reflects the theatre’s values. It’s the “theory” before the practice begins. Assessment – up to 6...
Read More