The Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) announces a

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: CONFEST 2020

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2019 @ 10:00 AM HST.

DOWNLOAD A PDF OF OUR GUIDELINES HERE

Ku’u ‘Āina, Ku’u Piko, Ku’u Kahua - Return to the Source
7th National Asian American Theater Festival & Conference

August 7 - 16, 2020

Festival productions: August 7 - 16, 2020

Conference presentations: August 11 - 15, 2020

Hosted by Hana Keaka: the Hawaiian Theatre Program, Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and TeAda Productions

The Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) mission is to advance the field of Asian American Theater through a national network of organizations and artists. CAATA is committed to an inclusive and evolving definition of “Asian,” “American,” & “Theater.” Our 2020 ConFest will specifically center the voices of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Oceanic theater practitioners. If you would like to be a part of this conversation please apply! https://caata.submittable.com/submit

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IMPORTANT NOTE!

To apply to present at CAATA ConFest, you MUST be either be an active individual member, or acting on behalf of an active organizational member. Proposal application fee is FREE with purchase of your annual membership. You will receive the opportunity to purchase a membership at the completion of the submission. The $38 (Individual) and $54 (organizational) fee will cover both membership and processing fees.

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The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA)​ seeks proposals from Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Oceanic, and Pan Asian American theater artists, practitioners, ensembles, ad hoc collectives, established companies, and scholars for inclusion in the 2020 National Asian American Theater Festival & Conference (ConFest). We invite a diverse range of proposals and presentations, including: 

Theater productions

Movement and dance theater

Small ensemble and solo performances

Performance art

New play readings

Panel discussions

Workshops

Additional interactive and innovative presentation sessions 

ABOUT OUR CONFEST THEME

The contributions of theater practitioners from Hawai’i have largely gone unrecognized by American Theater. From being founders and original cast members of every established Asian American Theater or play on the continent, to any Broadway play featuring Asian American actors, independent artists touring and working in community venues, theater practitioners from Hawai’i have been there. It is time to come back to Ku’u ‘Āina (land), Ku’u Piko (center), and Ku’u Kahua (stage).

This year’s ConFest will center the voices of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Oceanic theater practitioners; and will highlight the rich and ongoing history of collaboration and exchange among Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Oceanic and Asian Americans. Attendees will be exposed to the idea of what is like to create theater in a state where Asian Americans are the majority. And be introduced to the thriving theater community of Hawai’i, where our faces on stage are the NORM not the exception.

Our conference theme, “Ku‘u ‘Āina, Ku‘u Piko, Ku‘u Kahua: Return to the Source” is a call to all theatre artists to reconnect with their foundations and their sources of knowledge, which may be their land, their family, their center. Performing our stories on the stage is a means to ground ourselves, our cultural knowledge, and our many identities in the works that we bring to our communities. We invite our national colleagues to return to the Piko (the source), witness theater that centers our stories, exchange and develop strategies for making change and expressing creativity in Hawai’i and on the continent, and participate in growing our collective impact.

CONFEST 2020 WILL FEATURE:

Panel discussions, workshops, staged readings, and additional presentation sessions during the 5-day Conference, August 11 - 15, 2020

Full productions at the Kennedy Theatre and Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at UH Manoa during the Conference, August 11 - 15; and at partner venues throughout Oahu during the 10-day Festival, August 7 - 16, 2020

Salons, open mics, and other opportunities to showcase work in all stages of development

VENUES

CAATA-produced Festival performances will be staged in two primary venues at the Kennedy Theatre on the campus of  the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa: 

The 620-seat proscenium mainstage theater, built to accommodate traditional Japanese theatre staging in addition to the proscenium orientation. 

The 150-seat black box Earle Ernst Lab Theatre.

The 25-30-seat multi-purpose room, Studio S

Self-produced work will be at venues throughout O‘ahu and are the responsibility of the producer to secure. 

Most other events (including workshops, panels, presentations, and staged readings) will take place at or near the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa campus, including East-West Center.  

APPLY NOW!
All applications are completed and submitted on-line, through Submittable at https://caata.submittable.com/submit.​ The application deadline is December 15, 2019 at midnight HST.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS
All completed proposals will be reviewed by a selection panel comprised of CAATA board members and representatives from a committee which includes artists, practitioners, theatre organizations, academics, and community representatives. Their recommendations will then be given to the CAATA board subcommittee responsible for organizing and producing the 2020 ConFest. This CAATA subcommittee will finalize all decisions.

ADJUDICATION CRITERIA

Artistic Excellence – Does this project feel complete and transformative? Is the submission a strong example of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Oceanic, and/or Asian American theater

Artistic Vision – To what extent does this project deepen and extend theater’s value? Will it foster new connections and/or exemplify creativity and innovation?

Resonance with ConFest theme – How well does this project relate to the theme of “Ku‘u ‘Āina, Ku‘u Piko, Ku‘u Kahua: Return to the Source”?

Feasibility – Does this project seem like it could thrive within the limits of our tech and logistical parameters? (The expectation is that performance projects are tour-ready and can be dismantled and remounted within an hour for the repertory nature of the schedule.)

Equity – Is the project inclusive of underrepresented voices and individuals from Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Oceanic, and Asian American diaspora, as well as different demographic backgrounds? This includes CAATA’s welcome and inclusion of Central/West Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern, and Pacific Islander American theater communities, all of which are an integral presence in national culture. Does this project support movement building and cultural equity?

IF SELECTED
Given the wide array of proposals anticipated (and encouraged!) exact arrangements will be handled on a project by project basis with those selected. In general, below is an indication of how the ConFest will provide financial remuneration and operational support to performers, productions, panelists, etc:

Full CAATA productions will receive a presenting fee that will be based, in part, on the number of performers involved in the show, and the distance and mode of transport to travel to O‘ahu to perform the piece​.​ All artists and crew connected with a selected production will receive discounted admission to the entire ConFest. Full productions will also be provided a performance space, load-in and tech time (generally 4-6 hours) and, depending upon the audience capacity of the selected venue, will be presented for either one or two or three performances.

Showcase performers and playwrights submitting a play for a reading will receive a small travel stipend and a discounted ConFest pass. New plays selected will be presented as script-in-hand readings (no staging) with local actors and, if needed, a director. Full and one-act plays will be considered. Showcase performances will be presented in a cabaret setting with a limited tech rehearsal held prior to the show. Showcase artists will generally be allotted a 15-minute performance segment.

Panel session leaders and artists and presenters with other selected projects beyond the above categories will receive a discounted ConFest Pass.​ ​Conference room space and limited technical support will also be provided. Panel sessions are anticipated to last approximately 90 minutes in length.

Self-produced and partner productions will be included in ConFest marketing and program materials, reaching a national audience. All artists and crew connected with a selected production will receive discounted admission to the entire ConFest. 

Please note that while housing options will be offered, all artists and presenters are expected to coordinate and cover the cost of their own housing arrangements.

Confirmation of all projects or presentations selected will be dependent upon available funding. We anticipate being able to finalize terms and arrangements by March 1, 2020.

ABOUT CAATA
The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) envisions a strong and sustainable Pan Asian American community, that welcomes and includes Central/West Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern, and Pacific Islander American theatre communities, all of which are an integral presence in national culture—evocative of our past, declarative of our present, and innovative towards our future. Our mission is to advance the field of Pan Asian and Pacific Islander American theater through a national network of organizations and artists. We collaborate to inspire learning and sharing of knowledge, and resources to promote a healthy, equitable, and sustainable artistic ecology.

As a collective of Pan Asian and Pacific Islander American theater leaders and artists, we bring together local and regional leaders to work nationally toward our shared values of social justice, artistic diversity, cultural equity and inclusion. We hold national conferences and festivals biennially in different parts of the country, reaching as wide a range of Pan Asian and Pacific Islander American populations and communities as possible. We survey Pan Asian and Pacific Islander American theater artists and organizations to find out their foremost concerns and create pathways for leadership development within our field. We form alliances with other theater groups and their communities of different affinities to advance mutual goals cooperatively and to exchange ideas and strategies.

CAATA held its first-ever National Asian American Theater Conference in Los Angeles in 2006. The most recent Conference and Festival was held in Chicago in 2018. www.caata.net​