AT NEW WORKS
Announcing: Actor Therapy New Works (ATNW).
ATNW will develop musicals, plays and more by AT faculty, students, and underrepresented writers outside of our community, putting on full AEA readings, subsidized concerts, and work sessions (table readings, music/score development, etc.). The majority of actors hired for this purpose will come from the AT community (!!!) and we will also hire actors outside the community, including established professionals, and all actors and staff will be compensated for their work.
That’s right: AT has begun developing new work and create paid opportunities for its students and alumni.
What is ATNW’s relationship to Actor Therapy's classes?
ATNW is a partnership with production company Very Intense Productions and is a separate program from Actor Therapy's classes. Put simply: AT is an educational endeavor; ATNW is a professional development and performance venture. While we will, as part of our mission, prioritize casting opportunities for our students and alumni, taking AT in no way guarantees participation in ATNW projects. This is because we want to create more legitimate, paid opportunities for our students based solely on merit.
What projects will be worked on through ATNW?
Musicals, plays, work sessions, readings and concerts are all part of our current plan. Most of these projects will be written by AT staff and AT students (from the Independent Study Writers Group), and we will also work on a few projects from outside our community, especially focusing on work by underrepresented writers.
Will these projects only cast AT students?
Part of ATNW’s core mission is that roughly half (or more) of the cast of each project will be current or past AT students from the last 11 years of AT’s history. The remainder of the cast will come from outside our community, including established Broadway actors.
Okay! I’m excited. How do I get involved?
Easy!! Most of our larger projects (full concerts and 29-hour readings) will have a submission period where AT students will be able to submit themselves for casting consideration. As those arise, AT Students will be first to hear about it via email and our social media. Some projects (and all of our smaller projects, like work sessions) will cast internally via the roster of AT students with #TeamAT working with the creative teams.
Okay, cool! How can I make sure I’m considered for those?
All AT students, past and present, will be considered for every show. Furthermore, like any casting opportunity, the more work you put out and present yourself, the more visible you are to our teams. Also ensuring you have a website with ample content on it will help us help you be considered as roles that are right for you arise. Even posting material on your socials helps see what you're up to!
Does my involvement in AT class readings, classes, etc. encourage my casting?
Not necessarily… but like any casting, building a healthy reputation for quick-learning and hard work will help people get to know you as an ideal performer to work with. So while participating in readings, classes, etc. can help get you better known, it in no way prohibits or tarnishes your chances of being cast in these projects.
Do you have to be a current AT student to participate?
No! If you’ve already taken AT, even if it’s been a while, you’re already in our database of available actors. You don’t need to return to be considered—just submit when you see a call for submissions!
I’m not in RSO’s writing class but have a project, or I have a friend outside of AT who would like their work to be developed through ATNW—how can this work be considered?
Once or twice a year, we will do a call for project submissions when outside work can be submitted for development consideration. In particular we are looking for projects written by women and underrepresented writers (queer people, people of color, and disabled writers). Stay tuned!
I want to attend one of the ATNW events!
Great! Outside of any closed, intimate presentations (especially of brand new work in its earliest stages), any event that is open to the public (some of our readings, concerts, etc.) will be announced via our social media or sent out via email to an appropriate number of sessions past, based on room capacity and how many people we can have join us. AT students will always have preference on the invite over the public.