By Kathy Chouteau
East Bay Center for the Performing Arts is calling out to its alumni for submissions of five performance pieces to be commissioned by the Richmond center. The deadline to provide general info is Fri., Aug. 25.
The special commissioning initiative, which offers $10,000 for the successful pitches, is open to the center’s Young Artist Diploma alumni, ages 18-30, who are interested in heading up an artistic project there.
The performance piece—which can be theater, music, dance or multidisciplinary—“must address the intersectional impacts of COVID and the shutdown on our local community and how we can heal,” said the center’s Executive Director Ruthie Dineen in a correspondence.
The five artists whose performance pieces are selected will receive a $10,000 commission fee to realize their vision, per Dineen, while the center will financially support the work’s production and planning. Up to $5,000 will be made available for each piece’s production costs, ultimately helping determine its length and those involved.
Dineen said that interested alumni can email the following info by Fri., Aug. 25 to Pablo Puente at [email protected]: Your name; year of graduation from the center; available dates and times for an interview the week of August 28 (interview can be virtual); and a short one-page statement describing your project, who will participate and projected performance dates (January through August 2024).
She said interviews will be held for those interested and the center will select the artists by Aug. 31, 2023. The San Francisco Foundation’s Bay Area Creative Corps Program has made the special commissioning initiative possible.
Questions? Again, contact Puente at [email protected]. The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts is located at 339 11th S. in Richmond. Learn more here.
