Co-Producer- Director
INTERSECTIONS PLAY FESTIVAL

So In 2008 I was fortunate enough to be selected by Theater Communications Group (National Organization) (TCG) as an Emerging Young Leader of Color. This organization put out a national call for emerging theatre practitioners/ administrators...and it was Anne Fulwiler Producing Director of Baltimore's Theater Project who recommended me! Forever grateful to Anne for thrusting me into a national arena. Another eye opening life changing experience..I gained so much perspective!

In 2009 TCG decided to bring their annual conference to Baltimore, and put auxiliary programming in the hands of a few local Theater Administrators. I was included among those few...A Big thank you to Teresa Eyring (Executive Director, TCG)..who left me no option..our first interaction was her telling me "Youâ??re on the Committee!"

Recognizing the lack of diversity amongst this select few I was prompted to contact my colleagues at Morgan State University, Coppin State University, Arena Players, and Baltimore City Community. TCG Prides It's self on diversity..and I thought it was imperative that practitioners of color in the Baltimore area were included in what we call "Baltimore Theatre" I wanted them around the table.... I along with representatives from the aforementioned institutions sat down and within minutes came up with The Intersections Play Festival!! It was hard work...but it was so worth it!!

Here's a little info about it...

The Intersections Play Festival (IPF) promotes a convergence of theatre artists from academia, community and professional theatres committed to exploring new works by playwrights of color. The annual Festival sponsors a diverse cross section of contemporary works by playwrights of color in an intimate staged reading atmosphere, performed and technically supported by local university and college students with additional support from â??Friends of the Intersections Play Festivalâ? throughout the artistic community

The Festival featured one 10 min play by a new playwright, three 20 min plays by emerging playwrights and one full length by a professional playwright.

IPF ensures that the paucity of opportunities for many playwrights of color to have their new works read publicly is alleviated as it explores ways to enhance arts-based revenue and build partnerships with its diverse stakeholders, while keeping access affordable to the community.

PERFORMANCES were...JUNE 5th -6th, 2009, 7pm
CENTERSTAGE, 700 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore

Hosted by
Woodie King Jr.

Featuring:
The Montford Point Marine by Samm Art Williams
Senior Social by Genevieve Jessee
(June 6th)

OUT by Rain Pryor
Praise by Bashi Rose
Three Tales by Paco Jose Madden
(June 5th)



David D. Mitchell
Creator/ Director

This is JUST NECESSARY!

Recently I took over booking The LOF/t space at LOAD of FUN STUDIOS (Station North Arts District). New space..plenty of room for diverse programming..it was a no brainier! Let's put our local playwrights to work!!!

A Playwrights / Directors LAB for local Theatre Artists. This group meets once a month at Baltimoreâ??s newest incubatorâ?¦The LOF/t, (Load of Fun Theater) located in the heart of the Station North Arts District. The purpose of this newly formed group is to explore new works by local playwrights while simultaneously creating opportunities for aspiring directors and emerging actors. Several plays, developed in this workshop setting, will eventually be produced as a part of Run of the Mill Theaterâ??s 2011 season.



Co Producer/ Director
South African Play Festival

OoooHHH! Ambition..Yep, me, Jenny and Max.."Ooooo...Let's do a seven week South African Play Festival!!!!!!...I don't know how we got there...originally we we wanted to do a Brecht festival! But we executed!! AND provided space for a plethora of other artists to show off their craft!!

We produced "Statements After An Arrest Under The Immorality Act" by Athol
Fugard. and "Sizwe Bansi Is Dead" also by Fugard. We held workshops, Readings of new plays by other South African Playwrights..and plenty of talk backs! Not to mention workshops by Lesole who taught us the "Gum Boot dance" ... Over the Christmas Break. Ambitious!

The 365 Project

Collaboration and Community Theater..one of my first crazy projects after returning to Baltimore...LOL... Jenny T planted the seed... and it sprouted into a colaboration with Jim Knipple during his grad school stint.

Collaborators: Run of the Mill Theater. Morgan State Univ, University of California, Irvine, wiith Support from Loyola College and CenterStage.

More info...

In November 2002, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks committed to writing a play a day for the next 365 days. The world premiere of this play cycle, 365 Plays/365 Days, is being performed as a yearlong national festival simultaneously in 14 major cities by over 600 theatres in the largest theatre collaboration in U.S. ...history. The 365 National Festival, produced by Suzan-Lori Parks and Bonnie Metzgar, features performances in Washington DC, Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle, along with the Carolinas, Mississippi River towns, and university campuses. 365 Days/365 Plays began in November 13, 2006 and rans until November 12, 2007.

Run of the Mill Theater company (it's anything but!), was the only Baltimore community theater to be participate in this remarkable national project; producing week 42 of Suzan-Lori Parks' 365 Plays/365 Days, in conjunction with a coalition of students from the University of California, Irvine and Morgan State University. Directed by James Knipple, the company's Founding Director, and Shirley Basfield Dunlap Coordinator of Morgan State University's Theatre Program with workshops in Sensory work..Viewpoints and Contact ImprovSee More

David D. Mitchell
Producer-Director


This gem, now 8 years old, was created by Ms. Carrie Klewin (Former Managing Director for RotM) and Mr. James Knipple (Founding Director of RotM). It is THE BEST VEHICLE for new and emerging playwrights. Last year (2012) we produced Variations at Arena Players!

I've had a ton of fun producing this project from year to year...and the fruits are always plentiful...I'm reminded of Ken Greller...a junior in High school wowed us a couple of years back with a play full depth and beyond his years..Ken is at NYU right now!!! YEP!..And Sharon Goldner...what a diamond in the rough! Sharon who is an established writer had never written a play before..well hello second career...She's fantastic at it!! Rich Espy, Kimberley Lynne, Chris Graybill, Jon Connolly, Rosemary Toohey, Kathleen Barber, and Joe Dennison....are all folks who have helped to keep this project afloat! Don't miss the next party!!


So here's how it works.....

Phase 1:The Variations Project is an annual community-based collaboration. Baltimore Audiences from the last Variations Project chose this year's theme of Hope. A gathering is held to generate source material for playwrights. The event is held in January in Baltimore's Station North Arts District. All interested playwrights (whether you attend the gathering or not) will have access to the source material. All levels of experience are welcome.

Phase 2:Write, write, write! The second phase of the project is the submission of new plays. A deadline is announced and Plays must be submitted to [email protected] in Microsoft Word or in PDF format.

Phase 3: The third phase of the project is the development and selection process. Approximately 15 scripts will be chosen as finalists. Informal readings of these scripts will be held through out the month of March @ Load of Fun Studios. Approximately 8-10 plays will be selected for production. If your play is chosen for production, you will have an opportunity to submit revisions and work on refinements with your director and actors during the rehearsal process.

Play requirements: Plays must be inspired by the current source material provided (that means no digging out old plays from the bottom drawer to submit!) and must explore the chosen theme. Playwrights must be local and they must participate in the entire process. Beyond that, there are no demands, requirements, or requests regarding style. We ask that you write the plays that you want to write, rather than writing plays that you think we might like. Playwrights may submit up to two original scripts (20-30 minutes in length).

David D. Mitchell
Producer- Director

To be clear...very clear...my art is meant to inspire and bring about change! It's only natural that my efforts extend into academia! I'm constantly thinking of ways to incorporate young people into all that I do! I grew up with the arts on my doorstep...theater has always been one of my primary vocations...I can't see living a life without it. Beyond the seeds my mother planted...the arts have helped me understand grace, humility, compassion, beauty, love, and harmonyâ?¦even in the midst of Chaos! There is no other choice for me...I MUST pay it forwardâ?¦it is ...well...my calling!


WAITING FOR GODOT-Run of the Mill--Director
Attended by 500 Inner City Public School Students (Middle School and High School)â?¦who had absolutely no problem understanding the play...they were loaded with feedback and questions.


THE PIANO LESSON-Run of the Mill--Director
Attended by 450 Inner City Public School Students in addition to several assisted living groups and a Couple of "at risk" organizations.


BLOOD WEDDING-Run of the Mill--Director
Attended by 300 Inner City Public School Studentsâ?¦and YES they understood the subtext and symbolism.

UNIVERSITY PRODUCTIONS:

A RAISIN IN THE SUN by Lorraine Hansberry @ Coppin State University -Director
Attended by over 1500 Inner City Public School Students

PILL HILL by Samuel Kelly @ Coppin State University -Director
BLACK NATIVITY by Langston Hughes, @ Morgan State University-Director
LES BLANCS by Lorraine Hansberry, @ Morgan State University-Director
THE GREAT MACDADDY by Paul Carter Harrison @ Morgan State University-Director


Oh and yes, this is still wthin the past six years...I'm nuts, I know this..and I'm OK with it.

I've been fortunate ..very blessed to have worked with hundreds of artists over the past 6 years. I never imagined that my returning to Baltimore would bring such overwhelming artistic fulfillment and connect me with so many hard working arts centered people.

I remember returning to Baltimore six years ago...I call it the "Adjustment Period"...Just finished my Grad School stentâ?¦muscled through the painful auditions...worked for hole in the wall theaters... that somehow had three hundred thousand dollar budgets but didnâ??t payâ?¦Waiting tables every night of the weekâ?¦always ALWAYS doubles on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays while simultaneously building an arts organizationâ?¦YES!... I've always been INSANE. I had, over the course of six years, become a New Yorker through and through!! I had my NY strut, my NY style, and my NY attitude working in perfect harmony.

For those of you who've been fortunate enough to attend Grad school...Iâ??m sure you can relate when I sayâ?¦ I walked away from that experience feeling like life was a sweet science that I had all the answers toâ?¦and the answers I didnâ??t have, I was more than capable of attaining them. For me, Grad School was like intellectual Boot Camp...put up or shut up...and thatâ??s pretty much how Iâ??ve lived my life since the day I matriculated.

Iâ??m a DOER. It might sound cliché...but I was one of those young dough-eyed kids who bought into the ideaâ?¦ â??If you can dream it â?¦you can do it!â? In a place like New York you can accomplish a lot with little to no assistance. There are so many people with like interests and soooo many resources at your disposal you can create a virtual empire from the comfort of your living room!

BUT Iâ??m a Thespianâ?¦and a good one. It took me some time, but after digging my heals into Charm City I realized that theater is and will always be communalâ?¦about...for the community. And I believe this is true for all of our theaters from Center Stage down to Glass Mind Theatre...If your not doinâ?? it for the people... then your not doinâ?? NOTHIN!

Over the past six years I developed an insatiable community awareness which has been cultivated by several individuals, and supported hundreds. Thereâ??s not enough room in this profile to acknowledge everyone but I couldnâ??t allow this nomination to move forward without mentioning my gratitude for a few.

Jenny Tibbels- Jordan

Jenny is the Artistic Director of Ruffled Feathers Theater Company. OH how I miss Mrs. Tibbels-Jordan! Jenny and I arrived in Baltimore the same year with the same NY attitude and same purposeâ?¦to build a theater company! We were fortunate enough to inherit the brian child of Mr. Jim Knippleâ?¦Run of the Mill Theater.

We were peas in a pod for my first two years back in Bmore. I learned A LOT from this woman! And it wasnâ??t all theater. But of course, Jenny also comes from STRONG roots. Both of her parents entrenched themselves in one of Baltimoreâ??s roughest Westside neighborhoodsâ?¦ And became instrumental in binging about change though invaluable pillars like Sandtown Habitat for Humanity and New Song Academy.

Jenny introduced the idea of â??Communityâ? to me and my first response was â?¦ â??What about it?â?â?¦ she also introduced me to the idea of Collaborationâ?¦my response, â??why?!â? I considered both of these ideas a departure from my take on theatre at the timeâ?¦which was bang out the show...exercise your craftâ?¦find some people who wanna see it and get ready to produce the next one.

Iâ??m very thankful that Jenny planted the seedâ?¦because now I canâ??t fathom doing theater without some connective piece to the community. Becoming more community based is a constant goal for me. I miss her lots!

Barbara Bryan and her husband Zach

You always need a little old school with your new schoolâ?¦that balance is important! Especially when youâ??ve got young-ish folks like myself who let ambition lead the wayâ?¦ sacrificing health and good reason to get to the finish line. For a period of time Barbara stepped in to manage the efforts of this emerging administrator. A much needed lifesaver...during a time of major transition! I remember the first item Barbara brought to me in 2007. It was a plane ticket to go anywhere I wanted to go in the US. She recognized the burnout factor in a guy that was content being burned out and muscling throughâ?¦well everything! That's how we do it where I from (You know, The hardcore suburbs of Jersey!).

Barbara and Zach provided invaluable support for both me and Run of the Mill Theaterâ?¦which will never be forgotten and never underappreciated! Both have been great supporters of community theater in Baltimore, and in a lot of instances directly responsible for the emergence of many younger practitioners.

Max Garner

Mr. Baseball/ Footballâ?¦Come rain, sleet or snowâ?¦ thereâ??s not a thing that will separate Mr. Garner from catching the Monday night Sunday night Opener/ Kickoff! Seriously, the man will travel to the ends of the country for the right game! Gotta respect that! But besides being a dedicated sports fan, Max is a hell of a sound designer. I donâ??t know anyone in the world who can get a gig one day, and have the sound design practically finished the next day for a show thatâ??s scheduled 3 months down the line! Heâ??s the most efficient man I know. Avid team playerâ?¦of course! Max is one of the few people I can call up and say I need this by tomorrow â?¦and it happens. Reallyâ?¦only two obstaclesâ?¦an important game or Erin (His phenomenal wife/ Playwright)...saying â??Itâ??s not gonnaâ?? happenâ?. Heâ??s really a standup guy, hardworking and committed.

Alec Lawson

What can I say ...this young man is phenomenal...with the potential to be even more if you can imagine that! I met Alec 5 years ago and he's been by my side ever since. He's emerging as one of Baltimore's finest theatre practitioners...and I can only hope Baltimore embraces him as a professional, before he sets his sights on a new city! He's an actor, Director, Playwright, Light Designer, Sound Designer, Carpenter, and Administrator rolled up into one AWESOME individual!



Some Others who have made up my FOUNDATION over the past 6 years

Sherwin Mark
Jean-François Bibeau -JF
Gavin Heck
Kelly Cardall
Beverly Shannon
Kendra Richard
Anne Fulwiler
Amy Greller
Robert Olsen
Katie Christie
Brian Francoise
Shelia Gaskins
Dwight R.B. Cook
Shirley Basfield Dunlap
Sonia Welch
Dr. Garey Hyatt
Dr. Katana Hall Banks
Sherwin Mark
Sammy Real III
Keynita Boyd
Mawk
Joe Dunn
Michael Curry
Ms. Allison Campbel
Alexandra Hewett
Stacey Matthews
The Baltimore Playwright Group!
Sharon Blake

...and of course Myra A. Mitchell...my Mom!

There so many more ..thank you all! Seriously!

I often feel like art, no matter what the discipline, is being compartmentalized and refined into a docile existence...but it also feels like we are on the eve of a great shift in how we perceive art... a new movement like the Renaissance that brought Europe out of confinement...

Iâ??m tired of hearing "Broadway is Dead"...especially now, when I can afford to go! I'm ready to see multimedia take its rightful place as a legitimate style of theater (Shedding the cloak of â??Cutting edgeâ? and â??fringeâ?)...I'm ready to see groups like Quest for Arts find a fixed place in the lime light! And I often wonder what this time period in theater history will be called 50 or 100 years from now...There's a slow changing of the guard happening across the nation. With that change comes new isms, new ideas, new philosophies and techniques.

I was in rehearsal recently and my director had just finished bringing us through a series of Viewpoint exercises. A three day prescription coupled with various other teachings from his grad school experience before working with the script. Before he released us he went into "Why" 3 days of exercises. At the time I was OH so glad to hear it because my administrative mind could only obsess about the 3 weeks left to actually work on the playâ?¦ which was in progressâ?¦ not yet in its final stages!

The â??Whyâ? of course was filled with ideas of opening up the instrument, testing boundaries, exploring impulse in hopes of capturing authenticity and working from moment to momentâ?¦

And then he said it...�The old school teachings of...um...um...you know�Stanislavski�method acting...yada yada"


I paused...and not for a minute ...but for at least ten...just white noise at this point.... I had always thought of those old school teachings as â??THEâ? teachings. And it took me a minute to realize that ...He was right! They were officially Old School.

We are in a new day and time where new practitioners/philosophers of our Craft have emerged. They've found new "Systems" to inspire and motivate the actor. They've integrated new technologies into their designs...abandoned form and structure in the name of explorationâ?¦ only to build something anew. There has been a shiftâ?¦and the quake has rippled through the boards and into the administrative offices!

Before Jenny Tibbels (Former RotM AD) moved to NY, she left me a copy of Ann Bogart's book on Viewpoints (Super useful!)...I was reminded of this books value, its teachings, and its advice while executing the viewpoint activities in rehearsal...and then the light bulb went off!

In academia, students have different ways/ styles of learning...the same is true of the Arts. It takes a keen, creative mind to synthesize the needs of the emerging craftsman and mesh them with technology, philosophies of the day, and the teachings of the "OLD".

I realized my director (Jim Knipple) was one of these keen minds...that he capsulated the aforementioned qualities. Along with Alec Lawson (My right hand , left hand, shoulder blade and knee cap on any given day of the year), Andrew Peters, Elliot Rauh, Buck Jabaily, Jayme Kilburn, Rosiland Cauthen, Bashi Rose, Chris Youngston, Sammie Real III, T. Keyinta Boyd, Wambui Richardson, Delletta Gillespie, and the list goes on...and on.

These folks are all emerging local artists who have received formal training in Theater. They have dedicated themselves fulltime to the practice and application of both performing and teaching what they know.

We owe them UNLIMITED SUPPORT! Many of them have chosen to come home specifically to vitalize the Arts in Baltimore. To build, collaborate and promote change while increasing the quality and caliber of the theater in Baltimore. There MUST be a less competitive way to support these committed artists without making them jump through hoops year after yearâ?¦ or until they burnout and/or work other jobs that ultimately decrease productivity . Certainly the Baker Artists Awards are a startâ?¦But what else!

Iâ??m secretly inspired by these individuals everyday! Their work motivates me...and keeps me asking that ever popular thespian questionâ?¦ â??To be, or not to be!â? Put up or Shut up! â??That is the Question!â?

ONE!

ARENA PLAYERS INCORPORATED
The Oldest Continually Operating African American Community Theater in the Country

I’ve been consulting Arena Players Incorporated as an Assistant Artistic Director since August of 2011. While entrenched in one of our nations most valuable treasures, I was able to help Arena Players in numerous ways. Recently, I helped the organization secure a bridge loan for $350,000. The loan will give Arena access to a “matching” City Bond issued in 2006 for the same amount. THIS IS A MAJOR SHIFT for the organization. And it comes on the cusp of Arena's 60th anniversary. In addition, securing the bridge loan yielded an additional 10,000 gift to cover expenses related to renovating the first floor of Arena’s physical plant.

Whitting and Turner Contracting Company completed a walk-thru and detailed estimate for all renovations of Arena’s home at 801 McCulloh Street. The walk-thu Included a team of Sub contractors, Edward Smith (Board Chair) and Rodney Orange (Managing Director). Other assistance includes establishing a new website and online newsletter, re-establishing relationships with the Maryland State Arts Council and local foundations, organizing a community pitch-in (April of 2012 - Included Donated materials and Labor), securing donations of multiple refurbished computers (from Boot up Baltimore), starting the search for a consultant to mange redevelopment of the Board of Directors, and introducing new audiences and programming while directing and producing. Before assisting Arena Players Inc., I was the Managing Director for Run of the Mill Theater “It’s Anything But!”, a small not-for-profit community theatre based in Baltimore city for eight years.