A Note to AAPEX Artists

When I first started AAPEX, I had no clue what I was doing or getting into. Honestly, I thought it would, like many good ideas, spark and fizzle and fade away.

We are now entering our 6th year. We have produced so many events in New York - thanks largely to Liliane Klein and The Players Club - that I have lost track. We have no board of directors and we have no funding. I have to repeat this - no funding. Our New York events routinely play to packed houses and from time to time get standing ovations. People do wonder how I do this and it's just because I have paid my dues in New York over the past 22 years and because I love, respect and - most of all - enjoy my wonderful brilliant and talented New York friends, so when I send someone a script, I only send the best. In fact, my primary theorem of theatre is: give a great actress a great role and get the fuck out of her way. It never fails.

Starting last fall, AAPEX entered into a partnership with Carolyn German and the Metro Parks Theatre Department and is now the producing arm of that department's New Play Reading Series. The first two readings were AAPEX authors - in fact, Mark Clayton Southers of the August Wilson Center in Pittsburgh drove down from Pa. the day of the reading of his play NINE DAYS IN THE SUN. The second two scripts were not in any sense African American, but AAPEX isn't just about scripts - it's also about the African American theatrical sensibility, which is grounded in struggle, in a fierce need to establish ground without the tools of privilege. It seems perfectly reasonable to me that the next generation of leadership in the American Theatre should and must come from these citizen artists who have harnessed the power of the theatre for it's most profound purposes.

My immediate strategy for this reading series is to balance AAPEX scripts and new musicals by Nashville songwriters.

To date, AAPEX has been represented by Hershell Norwood (BILLIE' BLUES) and Mark Clayton Southers.

Nashville songwriters have been represented by the team of Steve Leslie & Len Cohen (UMBRELLA) and Dr. Jamie Cutler (ANGELS WITHOUT WINGS).

This coming Monday, we expand our diversity platform with a reading of THE WAY OF WATER by Caridad Svich, in partnership with her organization NoPassport . The May reading will be of IT'S A RUFF LIFE - a musical about dogs by Jesse Goldberg & Gene Levine - two Nashville songwriters who belong to an interesting side of the local scene, being as they are two nice Jewish boys from New York City.

As I stop for a moment to assess exactly what is going on and where we go from here with this network, I have to chalk these first five years up to research - which has included reading more scripts than I can count, endless dialogues with all of you, with producers, artistic directors and with audience members and offering the best advice and support that I can. I have been aided immeasurably in this by our man in Miami, Dave Copeland - who created and has tirelessly edited the AAPEX blog - and that blog has become one of the most respected communications of it's kind because Dave and I are dedicated to making sure that what we post is not the same redundant crap that you see so many places. Dave's 18 years as Director of Marketing, Promotions and Publicity for Warner Brothers Studios in Florida makes him an ally who is profoundly deserving of your appreciation - and I might point out that both Dave and I do all that we do for free.

From time to time I toy with the idea of setting myself up as an "agent" - but I just can't do it. I'm a dramaturg. It's the mission that God gave me and anything an "agent" can do, I can do just as well. And where are you going to find an agent who's going to showcase your work?

The other day a query went out on the LMDA listserve re: whether "Black" playwrights are still being paid less than "White" playwrights. It's actually a strange question because any playwright can join the Dramatists Guild and take advantage of their standard contract - and if you know that you are getting a play produced, then for grief's sake, join the Guild. Two AAPEX writers who actually got plays produced completely ignored this advice and they both got screwed - royally screwed. The Dramatists Guild is there to advise and guide and in some sense protect you. The membership fee is considerably less than I have seen these two writers spend on lawyers over the past couple of years.

But if the real question is, are black playwrights determined to get their work out there regardless of financial considerations, the answer is yes. Do they have time to wait for grants that will never come. No. Are they looking for permission. Hardly. There is still a radical fire burning in our souls that was kindled in the 1960s and that has been continually fueled by living in a society where some folks think their job is to get in other folks' way. Whoever you are, you are not the boss of me.

I look forward to talking with those of you who are interested in participating in the Metro Nashville Parks Theatre Department's New Play Reading Series and I also count on you to help me promote this series as widely as possible so that having this on your resume brings with it the merit that it deserves, both for the artists and the producers.

Jaz Dorsey

AAPEX Interview: Carolyn German

Carolyn German

Interview by Jaz Dorsey

AAPEX Dramaturge

Working with Carolyn German on the Metro Nashville Parks Theatre Department's New Play Reading Series has been a dramaturg's dream.

I woke up on New Year's Eve 2011 - my birthday - to the realization that I have borne the burden of dramaturgy for 32 years - over 1/2 my life. Over the years, I have acquired a wonderful catalog of scripts and now I have the opportunity to put them out there.

Thanks to Carolyn's vision, two voices from the African American Playwrights Exchange - Hershell Norwood and Mark Clayton Southers - have added these Nashville readings of their work to their resumes, and two Nashville songwriters, Steve Leslie and Len Cohen, just had a chance to share their new musical, UMBRELLA, with a packed house last Monday night (2/13/12).

And Nashville film makers Peter Ness and Raeanne Rubenstein have had an opportunity to screen their works as well.

And on Monday, March 12 the MPTD New Play Reading Series will honor women veterans of the American military with Halee Culicerto's reading of Dr. Jamie Cutler's ANGELS WITHOUT WINGS.

All at Nashville's own Looby Theatre.

On Monday, February 27, Carolyn and her collaborator, composer Rollie Mains, will present a reading of their own new musical THE AIRSHIP AT VAPOR STATION: THE STEAMPUNK MUSICAL at 7 pm at The Looby.

We should all show up for this - even if only to find out what "steampunk" is. So save the date and "Come to Nashville and Go to the Theatre."

I asked Carolyn to tell us about herself, her work, her job and her mission, and this is what she has to say:

What role did theatre and the arts play in your childhood and upbringing?
My parents were musical theater fans, and my sister and I spent a great deal of time in our living room dancing around the coffee table to Zorba the Greek, and singing the duets from West Side Story. She was older, so of course, I was the one who always had to sing Tony's part. Maybe that's why I have always liked roles that are a stretch.

Tell us about your own evolution as an artist.
There is, I think, a huge and elaborate process called evolution. My first love of the performance world was always singing. In my school-age days, I was working towards a country music career. Then, in high school, I got a taste of musical theater, and that took hold in a way I could not have predicted! I worked in theme parks, did lots of dinner theater, cruise ships, and off-Broadway plays, while continually studying acting, jazz, and ballet. Meanwhile, I was still writing, mostly songs and some short plays, although I had not intended on doing anything with that work.

When I decided to move to Nashville, it was for a country music recording contract. Upon arrival, one of first job opportunities was an audition notice for Tennessee Repertory Theater's production of A Chorus Line. Once again, theater got the best of me! I played Val in that production, and continued working with them and other Nashville theater companies and have been ever since. In the late '90s I started my own company, Theater Craft, Inc., and offered classes and produced independent theater. Adding that layer was a huge step for me, and prompted me to take my own writing more seriously. Several years later, I wrote "The Story Builders." My company produced it for TPAC Education and it was seen by over 10,000 people. I took on this job with Metro Parks about 5 years ago, and it has been a wonderful journey. Today, the joy of my craft is knowing how fortunate I am to be able to tap into all the aspects of the theater-world (singing, performing, teaching, writing, directing, producing, and venue management) that have driven me over the years. I count myself very, very, lucky.

What’s going on theatrically with Metro Parks and what does your position as artistic director entail?
I wear two hats at Metro Parks – Supervisor of the Music and Theater Departments and Manager of the Z. Alexander Looby Theater. With the Music and Theater Departments, the focus is on opportunities for youth. We have several music classes like jamBand, Songwriting or Guitar. Usually, most of these classes are free. However this semester, the theater classes are with guest instructors, so there is a small fee, but it’s a great way for kids to dive into the world of performing arts.

We also have two wonderful opportunities in the theater department that include full performances - WinterSong at Two Rivers Mansion and our summer musical. The cabaret, Wintersong, is a charming annual event I created several years ago that offers young singers the opportunity to experience in a lovely, historical setting the classy art form known as “cabaret.”

For those new to the genre, that is cabaret spelled with a small “c,” and it is the style of performing that features just the vocalist and pianist in a cozy setting as opposed to Cabaret spelled with a capital “c,” which is a show that is well-known, but certainly not appropriate for children.

Two years ago, I wrote a full-length play about Z. Alexander Looby’s life and triumphs in the Civil Rights Movement – that was a wonderful experience that truly celebrated one of Nashville’s own heroes. With that success as a foundation, we look forward to producing more historical plays that will feature the arts in several of Metro Parks’ historical properties.

Our biggest project is our summer musical that features talented young performers from all over Metro. It’s an audition-based program that encourages those that are new to the stage as well as those who have tread the boards already to grow and explore. This year’s production is "AirShip at Vapor Station: A Steampunk Musical," a brand new musical written by Rolin Mains and me. The play will be a challenge for the performers but fun for the entire family.

What are the objectives of a new play reading series?
One of our goals is to continue to find ways to serve the community-- large and a vibrant, if sometimes, underserved theater community as well. I created the New Play Reading Series so that groups or individuals would be able to do two things: work their craft and share it with the community. The reading is a powerful step in the creative process of theater, but it can be a heavy financial burden. Usually what happens is that the reading is presented to only a mall invited audience in someone’s living room. That type of scenario is not effective for the playwright or for patrons because the playwright might lose valuable theater-goer feedback, while area resident lack awareness of the play. So, we are pairing opportunity with awareness. It’s been a success so far.

What are your hopes for Nashville as a theater town?
Well, things have certainly changed since I moved here more than 20 years ago. What I like most right now is seeing the number of new works being created: that means different viewpoints, new energy, new audiences – all the things we need for the city to have a thriving performing arts community. The theater community continues to grow, and even the smaller companies are showing staying power and bringing new folks to the theater all the time. It’s an exciting time to be here. I’m glad I’m part of it.

Carolyn German
Metro Nashville Parks Music and Theater Depts, Supervisor
Z. Alexander Looby Theater, Manager
Celebrate Nashville, Children's Area Chair

To learn more about the Metro Nashville Parks program and to contact Ms. German, please click the post's title.

Come to Nashville & Go to the Theatre!