Guidelines for the Fellowship Program of the Live Arts Brewery, a Laboratory for Research and Development (The LAB)

The Live Arts Building is located at 919 North 5th Street in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia. The studio theater, a 2000 square foot space is housed in a former brewery adjacent to the Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe administration offices. The studio theater includes a black box theater equipped with professional sound equipment and a lighting grid.

The LAB began in 2009 with a grant from the Kresge Foundation which dedicated funds to support dance and theater artists in the process of researching and developing new work in a supportive and highly resourced environment. It is the goal of the LAB to provide an opportunity for artists to explore, ruminate and discuss processes relevant to the evolution of their work and to engage in rich dialogue with each other and with audiences about creative practices. Workshop showings, lectures and demonstrations, master classes and community gatherings will be part of the ongoing LAB programming.

Up to six artists will be selected to engage in a ten month residency Fellowship (September 2012 through June 2013). Each LAB Fellow will be given generous use of the LAB studio during their fellowship year and they are expected to actively partake in a long-term work making exploration during this time. In addition, an ongoing curriculum designed to underscore artistic creative processes will be central to program. This includes but is not limited to organized peer meetings/discussions (with other Fellows), work-in-progress showings, critiques by visiting artists, at least one presentation in the Live Arts Scratch Night Series, engagement with visiting artists and invited audiences and other programming TBD. LAB Fellows will also meet individually with the LAB Director on a monthly basis. A willingness and commitment to open dialogue and transparency around a Fellow’s work-making process is paramount.

In addition to free studio time and the ongoing curriculum, LAB Fellows will receive a stipend of up to $5000.

A LAB Fellowship is entirely dedicated to research, process and development. Fellows should be fully prepared to engage in a rigorous work-making process that aggressively utilizes the provided resources and the Live Arts Studio. There is no expectation of a final performance or production outside of informal showings as part of the Fellowship curriculum. Artists are expected to partake in all of the curriculum activities which will generally include one meeting or workshop each month.

The 2012-13 schedule:
Sept, 2012:   Festival Activity TBD
10/2/2012  10am-2pm:  Orientation Meeting
11/6/2012  10am-2pm:  Meeting/Workshop
12/4/2012  10am-5pm:  Meeting/Workshop
1/8/2013  10am-2pm:   Work-in-Progress Showing and Critique
2/5/2013  10am-2pm:   Meeting/Workshop
3/5/2013  10am-5pm:   Meeting/Workshop
4/2/2013  10am-2pm:   Meeting/Workshop
5/7/2013  10am-2pm:   Meeting/Workshop
6/5/2013  10am-5pm:   Final Showing/Critique
June, 2013:   Exit Interviews TBD

LAB Fellows are also required to attend ALL Scratch Night showings (Please Note: in 2012-13 season Scratch Night will take place every first Monday of the month from November – June at 7pm)

*Schedule subject to (minor) changes.

While it is fully understood that artists are often engaged in multiple projects at various stages of development, a LAB Fellow is absolutely expected to fully engage in all aspects of the program. It is critical that selected artists are available to attend all required meetings and showings and it is expected that Fellows attend additional activities throughout the year.

Letters of Inquiry:
Applying for a LAB Fellowship is a two-step process. First, artists must send a Letter of Intent. LOI’s must be submitted by May 31st, 2012. In your LOI please include a brief description of your work, your working process and why you feel a LAB Fellowship is right for you.

Invitation to Apply:
The second step of the process will be a formal application. Applications are submitted by invitation only. If you are invited to apply, you will receive detailed instructions on the process by June 8th. All applications will be due by June 29th, 2012 for consideration for the 2012-2013 year. Notification will be made by July 13th, 2012.

If you are interested in an invitation to apply, please submit a letter of inquiry to Craig Peterson, Director of the Live Arts Brewery no later than May 31st, 2012.