LMDA REGIONAL EVENT RECORD

Event Name: Town Hall/Happy Hour

Region: Metro-NYC

Event Date/Time: Monday, October 17, 2016 5-8pm

Number of Attendees: 7 at town hall meeting; 12 at happy hour (joined by Board members after their fall meeting)

NEWS:

-The Metro-NYC region is seeking a Co-Regional Representative to help plan events for the region and act as a liaison between the LMDA Board and local LMDA members. Contact Rachel Abrams if you’re interested: rabrams@alumni.cmu.edu

-LMDA is switching to a new membership model, which includes scheduling all members' turnover during Lessing Week each January. See the LMDA website and an upcoming email blast from the Board for more details: http://www.lmda.org/join

IDEAS FOR FUTURE EVENTS:

-Strong desire expressed for regular, unstructured social meet-ups

-Conversations with dramaturgs/literary managers from NY institutions and companies

-Collaborations with other individuals/institutions: John Collins of ERS, Headlong Dance Theater from Philly, Morgan Jenness of The People’s Puppets

-Striking a balance between events that deepen our knowledge of familiar topics (new play development, literary management, etc.) and expose us to new disciplines/applications of dramaturgy (opera dramaturgy, dance dramaturgy, etc.)

-Interest in cross-disciplinary dramaturgy, and opportunities to infuse our storytelling techniques into new technological realms/diverse fields in and out of the arts (virtual reality, etc.)

-Workshops/interactive professional development events are strongly preferred over panels or shows plus talkbacks

-Interest in a mini-conference that could unite several East Coast regions

OTHER:

-Would it be possible for LMDA to get our members discounts for existing workshops in the city, such as the workshops at ERS?

-Conference 2017: Possible to save $ by setting up travel alerts now and making arrangements to stay and travel with your fellow local LMDA friends. Nothing beats in-person attendance!

-Is there a way to help those who absolutely cannot attend the conference (in our region, internationally, etc.) participate?

Outcomes and/or Next Steps (THREE BIG THINGS):

-Rachel will begin to plan (semi-) monthly social events for LMDA members (bar meet-ups, dinner reservations, etc.).

-Start making plans for the 2017 Conference now, and keep each other posted about travel deals!

-Stay tuned via list-serv and Facebook page for upcoming events based on our discussion, and please feel free to contact Rachel with any additional ideas you may have!