Rothbart’s Egg is two-tiered enterprise that provides an incubation facility for up and coming artists. It is a combination juice bar, art gallery, and performance venue whose goal is to provide artists with little or no previous experience the opportunity to showcase their talents, network with more established artists, and get their foot in the door.
The Egg is strategically located in downtown Chicago in the near-campus area of Columbia College and The Art Institute of Chicago. In the daytime this high-traffic location draws the business of local health-conscious college students, providing a comfy place to study and chat, or a friendly place to grab a quick drink to-go. When darkness falls, The Egg’s menu expands to include alcoholic beverages, and the space transforms into a trendy art venue that draws artists, gallery owners, talent agents, and art patrons. This target market is brought in through personal invitation and broad public advertising. Showcased artists are selected by invitation or application submission.
On Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, $3 gets visitors in for The Egg’s rotating schedule of performance acts including comedy, improv, music, dance, and acting by fledgling local performers. Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings provide more developed artists with performance space for rent. The first Friday of every month hosts an exhibition opening for a three-week group show of local young visual artists. Visual art can be viewed anytime during The Egg’s open hours Monday through Saturday.
In addition to supplying young artists with space to show their artwork, Rothbart’s Egg will provide additional services for minimal fees. Such services include video and photo documentation of works, editing, and the preparation of press kits and other promotional materials.
Rothbart's Egg will also provide two year-long internship opportunities for technical theater and photo and video documentation in the gallery/performance setting. Participants in this program will assume responsibility for setting up, running, and designing technical elements of performances and exhibitions, and also for documenting and editing performances and artwork.
Proprietors Amanda Paulson, Ellen Deutsch and Kinsey McCartor each bring diverse experience and tools to this venture that will increase profits and decrease costs. In addition to two decades of study in the fields of dance and choreography, Ms. Deutsch and Ms. McCartor both have extensive knowledge of performance videography and editing. Ms. Deutsch has additional experience in stage management and technical theater, and Ms. McCartor holds a bartending certificate and several years in the food-service industry. Ms. Paulson has fifteen years of visual art training, and five years experience working in art galleries. Like Ms. McCartor, Ms. Paulson also has eight years of experience in food service, sales, and management industries. All three received their BFAs from the University of Illinois in 2008.
In any given metropolitan area you will find dozens of smoothie shops, art galleries, cafés, and performance venues littering the streets, but only at Rothbart’s Egg will you find an enterprise combining all of these with the additional goal of helping young artists leave the nest.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Appropriation Assignment
Here is my homework assignment for this week: appropriating funds from a sponsor.
My audience for this assignment is a scientific research laboratory which I'm approaching to sponsor one of my company’s concert dance performances.
~~~~~
Geeksdanz is in the process of putting together a brand-new performance for our 2010-2011 season, and we would be honored if you and your company would agree to sponsor it. The concert consists of a new evening-length work that takes its inspiration completely and directly from the fields of molecular and physical science. Our hope with this work is that it will highlight and expose the “dance-like” aspects of these fields to an arts audience who may be unfamiliar with them. By observing science in this unusual context audiences may find themselves able to understand and identify with such fields more easily, and therefore more inclined to take a greater interest in them.
In our effort to source as much of the piece to science as possible, we consider sponsorship from laboratories such as yours a very important factor. It is the choreographer’s belief that the viewer should be able to trace everything in this new work back to science at some point, and we feel that budget is no different. In return for your investment, Geeksdanz would like to offer you a unique experience: a professional dance performance within the walls of the Laboratory itself. The entire company will come to your facilities and show a selection of science-based dance pieces from our existing repertoire, as well as a sneak peek at our new work. Your employees will have the chance to experience dance in an intimate setting, quite unlike any theater performance. They will also have ample opportunity to meet the members of this unique new company, to ask them questions and hear their stories. We at Geeksdanz are continually dedicated to blurring the line between “art” and “science,” and we sincerely hope you will agree to aid us in our current effort.
~~~~~
My audience for this assignment is a scientific research laboratory which I'm approaching to sponsor one of my company’s concert dance performances.
~~~~~
Geeksdanz is in the process of putting together a brand-new performance for our 2010-2011 season, and we would be honored if you and your company would agree to sponsor it. The concert consists of a new evening-length work that takes its inspiration completely and directly from the fields of molecular and physical science. Our hope with this work is that it will highlight and expose the “dance-like” aspects of these fields to an arts audience who may be unfamiliar with them. By observing science in this unusual context audiences may find themselves able to understand and identify with such fields more easily, and therefore more inclined to take a greater interest in them.
In our effort to source as much of the piece to science as possible, we consider sponsorship from laboratories such as yours a very important factor. It is the choreographer’s belief that the viewer should be able to trace everything in this new work back to science at some point, and we feel that budget is no different. In return for your investment, Geeksdanz would like to offer you a unique experience: a professional dance performance within the walls of the Laboratory itself. The entire company will come to your facilities and show a selection of science-based dance pieces from our existing repertoire, as well as a sneak peek at our new work. Your employees will have the chance to experience dance in an intimate setting, quite unlike any theater performance. They will also have ample opportunity to meet the members of this unique new company, to ask them questions and hear their stories. We at Geeksdanz are continually dedicated to blurring the line between “art” and “science,” and we sincerely hope you will agree to aid us in our current effort.
~~~~~
Friday, September 7, 2007
The Press Start Premiere!
Hey all!
Just a quick one...We now have a date for the first public screening of Press Start: Wednesday, October 3rd, at the Virginia Theater. Tentative time is 7pm, but that might change. Stay tuned!
Woot!
~Ellen
Just a quick one...We now have a date for the first public screening of Press Start: Wednesday, October 3rd, at the Virginia Theater. Tentative time is 7pm, but that might change. Stay tuned!
Woot!
~Ellen
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The Press Start Trailer!
Hey all!
The official trailer for the movie I choreographed was released last Friday, and I thought I'd put it up here for all of you to see. When you see the split-second clip of dancing, look for the girl in the purple power ranger outfit. That's me!
September 25, everybody! Whee!!!
The official trailer for the movie I choreographed was released last Friday, and I thought I'd put it up here for all of you to see. When you see the split-second clip of dancing, look for the girl in the purple power ranger outfit. That's me!
September 25, everybody! Whee!!!
Homework #1 and my email address
So apparently, we're supposed to post our homework on our blogs. Alright then, here it is. Oh, and for the second part of that assignment, my email address is deutsch2@uiuc.edu.
Entrepenurial Goals
1. The Free-Range Drama Farm
My sister Sarah is currently working on an idea for a new kind of drama school, called the Free-Range Drama Farm. In the farm, a small group of college juniors and seniors from all fields of theater are given a script, a budget and rehearsal space and left to run wild. Over the course of one semester, they put on a show from start to finish. A faculty of advisors/mentors exists for the students to turn to when they have questions, but everything, from dividing the budget to organizing rehearsal space, is left up to the students.
Short Term Goal: Sarah’s current goal is to create a Café Press store in which to sell Drama Farm merchandise, from T-shirts to bags to collectible buttons. Through this merchandising, she will not only generate revenue but will also begin spreading the word about the Farm, and hopefully creating public interest.
One-Month Goal: Her first goal in the merchandising campaign was to create a Drama Farm logo. In addition to the main logo, she has also sketched out a series of sub-logos, to be used in various applications related to the Farm, such as the collectible button set.
For more info, visit her website.
2. Zenguin Dance Company
For a while now I have had the idea for an improvisatory dance company which specializes in spontaneous dances in public places. The mission of the company would be to bring dance to the general public by having the average person on the street “discover” dance in unexpected places, whether in a subway station on their way to work or on the sidewalk beside them when they’re stuck in rush hour traffic.
Short Term Goal: In order to generate revenue, my company would teach introductory improvisation workshops at local dance studios. We would also host improvisation jams for young dancers in connection with the workshops.
One-Month Goal: My first goal in creating this company would obviously be to find other dancers who were interested in the project, to create a cohesive group of artists who trust and work well with one another.
3. Geeksdanz
One of my dreams has always been to own my own company. My company would focus on the dance-like aspects of “non-arts” subjects, and highlighting those connections through the use of dance.
Short Term Goal: To generate revenue, my company would become involved in community outreach, creating performance-and-discussion packets for grade schools. We would go to a school and perform a piece based in math or science, then go to those various classes during the day to discuss the application of those principles in our work.
One-Month Goal: My one-month goal would be to raise interest and excitement about my project, both among fellow dancers who would join the company and among principles and teachers who might be interested in bringing us to their schools.
Later!
Entrepenurial Goals
1. The Free-Range Drama Farm
My sister Sarah is currently working on an idea for a new kind of drama school, called the Free-Range Drama Farm. In the farm, a small group of college juniors and seniors from all fields of theater are given a script, a budget and rehearsal space and left to run wild. Over the course of one semester, they put on a show from start to finish. A faculty of advisors/mentors exists for the students to turn to when they have questions, but everything, from dividing the budget to organizing rehearsal space, is left up to the students.
Short Term Goal: Sarah’s current goal is to create a Café Press store in which to sell Drama Farm merchandise, from T-shirts to bags to collectible buttons. Through this merchandising, she will not only generate revenue but will also begin spreading the word about the Farm, and hopefully creating public interest.
One-Month Goal: Her first goal in the merchandising campaign was to create a Drama Farm logo. In addition to the main logo, she has also sketched out a series of sub-logos, to be used in various applications related to the Farm, such as the collectible button set.
For more info, visit her website.
2. Zenguin Dance Company
For a while now I have had the idea for an improvisatory dance company which specializes in spontaneous dances in public places. The mission of the company would be to bring dance to the general public by having the average person on the street “discover” dance in unexpected places, whether in a subway station on their way to work or on the sidewalk beside them when they’re stuck in rush hour traffic.
Short Term Goal: In order to generate revenue, my company would teach introductory improvisation workshops at local dance studios. We would also host improvisation jams for young dancers in connection with the workshops.
One-Month Goal: My first goal in creating this company would obviously be to find other dancers who were interested in the project, to create a cohesive group of artists who trust and work well with one another.
3. Geeksdanz
One of my dreams has always been to own my own company. My company would focus on the dance-like aspects of “non-arts” subjects, and highlighting those connections through the use of dance.
Short Term Goal: To generate revenue, my company would become involved in community outreach, creating performance-and-discussion packets for grade schools. We would go to a school and perform a piece based in math or science, then go to those various classes during the day to discuss the application of those principles in our work.
One-Month Goal: My one-month goal would be to raise interest and excitement about my project, both among fellow dancers who would join the company and among principles and teachers who might be interested in bringing us to their schools.
Later!
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