The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe is primed to support more artists, reach more audiences, and bring more art to Philadelphia from around the world through year-round programming. Our new space on the Delaware River waterfront will feature a state-of-the-art theater, studio, administrative offices, and a restaurant/bar.
ArtPlace asked The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival what they think are the three keys to creative place making:
1) Make seeing a show so much more than sitting in a dark room!
Our new space will feature a full bar and restaurant. Grab food or drink before or after the show! It will serve as an immediate outlet for creative discussion between artists and audiences. In addition, we will have bar programming (cabaret acts comedy, music, you name it!), further placing performance into a social context.
2) Show up in unexpected places! Where no one knows your name!
Live Arts will be participating in community outreach booths this summer to promote the 2012 Festival. Just last weekend we had a table at the Chestnut Hill Home and Garden Festival. This event is known for its family-friendly atmosphere. Since many of our shows are cutting-edge and our audiences reside in or close to Center City, you might not expect to find us next to a bounce house in Chestnut Hill. We collected over 100 emails and spoke with many families about our programming, specifically plugging Sequence 8, an unbelievable acrobatic spectacle for all ages, premiering at the Merriam Theater Sept 18-23. We will also be making an appearance at Fleisher Art Memorial’s ARTspiration on June 9th and some farmer’s markets. Long story short: don’t be afraid to expand your audience and show up in unexpected places, people who love crafts and produce might also love contemporary performance!
3) Develop, attract, and keep talent!
Enrich your arts community by supporting local artists and keeping them local. Live Arts’ new inaugural Jumpstart Program is designed to identify new and emerging talent in the field of live performance, providing artists at earlier stages in their career the opportunity to show their work with the support of Live Arts' audiences and staff. Artists are selected through an audition process, receive a stipend of $500, and five hours of rehearsal time in the Live Arts Studio. The pieces are then performed at the Jumpstart showcase, May 31-June 2 at 7pm.
PHOTO: Our future bar/restaurant, decked out with cast iron pipes and pressure gauges- it preserves the historic character of the High Pressure Fire Service building! Image courtesy of Rich Stokes of Economy Kitchens.