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Copyright © 2004 Network of Ensemble Theaters |
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ABOUT THE NET |
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Statement of Purpose
| Our Core Values
| Our Manifesto
| Contact Us Statement of Purpose The Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) is a national coalition of ensembles. NET's purpose for the next three years (through summer 2006) is two-fold: • To build the coalition so that NET better reflects the intellectual, aesthetic and cultural diversity of the field of ensemble theater making • To assist NET members' artistic experiments. Core Values NET is committed to inclusivity with regard to place, race, ethnicity, class, aesthetics, gender, age, sexual orientation and emerging ensembles. In this regard, NET accepts the responsibility to be mindful of the challenges in working respectfully and effectively within a culturally diverse membership and society. NET understands that it is artistic and community ownership of creative processes and artistic products that distinguishes ensemble theater from other forms of organizing artistic assets. NET celebrates a full range of these collaborative relationships, including those amongst artists and, more broadly, those between artists and non-artists, ensembles and communities, theatrical performances and their audiences, and a host of other possible combinations. NET understands that the most effective way to define the idea of ensemble is through practice and example. NET values making its own creative and organizational processes transparent to members and interested public, taking advantage of public dialogue, communication media, and open artistic practices. NET holds valuable the artistic projects and organizational strategies of those who have gone before. NET understands that all ensemble projects and strategies, past and present, combine to constitute a body of knowledge. NET holds the development of this body of knowledge as a core value, especially important in NET's commitment to transmitting the legacy of ensemble practice and culture to future generations of artists. NET is committed to the advancement of the ensemble form as a distinct methodology for organizing artistic assets that results in a richly diverse array of theatrical expression. Manifesto The Network of Ensemble Theaters was created by and for artists. We exist to support those who have dedicated their life’s work to creating theater through the ensemble process. Some ensembles create original work; others work interpretively or with adaptations. Some ensembles are rooted in the community, whether that community is geographic, intellectual, aesthetic, or ethnic. Other ensembles consciously stand apart from community in order to critique and provoke. All of us create theater that is meaningful to each member and to our diverse audiences. We prize most highly the benefits that arise from artists working together over extended periods of time. The most unique aspect of our work is that the primary decision-making power rests in the hands of the artists. Ensemble theater is the antithesis of the corporate model that dominates the theatrical landscape in America today. Our resources are dedicated to supporting artists and the artistic process. NET is sparked by the vital and enduring international heritage of collective theater making. Our work is committed to the unique event of the living stage, where the imagination of artist and audience is linked in social communion and mutual creativity. By joining together in a Network of Ensemble Theaters we strive to give strength to each other; to share our resources; to create a forum for controversy and debate; to document and articulate the heritage and body of work of ensemble practice; and to maximize our ability to bring about change in the world beyond ourselves through the transformative power of collaborative theater. Contact Us NET is currently under the guidance of the Irondale Ensemble Project. For general information on the NET:
E-mail:
EnsemblesNET@aol.com |