AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

[INSIDE] THE FORD WINTER PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM HELPS
THEATRE COMPANIES MEET THE CHALLENGE OF PRODUCING IN L.A.

APPLICATIONS FOR 2012-13 SEASON ARE AVAILABLE NOW
AND DUE MARCH 14

Ford Theatres invites theatre companies to apply to the [Inside] the Ford (ITF) Winter Partnership Program. The program provides Los Angeles County-based theatre companies the opportunity to produce in the 87-seat [Inside] the Ford at a low cost and with significant marketing, box office and house management support. Companies whose budgets are less than $500,000 and have a minimum of three years of theatre producing experience within the past five years are eligible. The fifth annual ITF Winter Partnership season is scheduled to run October 2012 through May 2013.

"[Inside] the Ford is a wonderful space with outstanding technical resources," said Ford Managing Director Adam Davis. "The quality of the venue, combined with the staff support provided by the Ford, makes this program an excellent opportunity for theatre companies dealing with the considerable expense of producing in Los Angeles."

Similar to a grant program, proposals for the [Inside] the Ford Winter Partnership Program are considered on a competitive basis. The Arts Commission will partner with three theatre companies and assist each to present a proposed theatrical work.

Before opening a proposal application, prospective applicants should first read the program's guidelines. Both the guidelines and application are available at http://fordtheatres.org/en/opportunity/apply_itf

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 14, 2011. Workshops about the [Inside] the Ford Winter Partnership Program and how to submit a competitive proposal will be held on Monday, February 13, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ford Theatres complex, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, 90068, in the Hollywood Hills. First time applicants to the program are required to attend a workshop.

Parking for these workshops is free. Please RSVP with your name, organization, email address and phone number to publicevents@arts.lacounty.gov or call 323-856-5793.

The indoor theatre space at the Ford has a history of serving intimate theatre in L.A. For decades numerous groups rented the theatre, most notably the Mark Taper Forum, who made it the home of their second stage Taper, Too from 1972 to 1997. In 1998 the space was extensively renovated and re-named [Inside] the Ford. Its first season, 1998-99, featured three productions presented under the Los Angeles County Art Commission's subsidized rental program designed to help theatre companies without permanent facilities. From 2000-01 through 2003-04, [Inside] the Ford hosted "Hot Properties," seasons of new plays and musicals co-produced by County-based theatre companies and the Arts Commission and supported by A.S.K. Theatre Projects and the James Irvine Foundation. From 2005-2008, [Inside] the Ford was the home of the Ensemble Theatre Collective, known as ETC@ITF, a collaboration of five L.A.-based theatre companies and the Arts Commission supported in part by the Flintridge Foundation. The [Inside] the Ford New Play Series was launched in 2008-09.

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Laura Zucker, Executive Director, provides leadership in cultural services of all disciplines for the largest county in the United States, encompassing 88 municipalities. In addition to programming the John Anson Ford Theatres, the Arts Commission provides leadership and staffing to support the County-wide collaborative for arts education, Arts for All; administers a grants program that funds more than 350 nonprofit arts organizations annually; oversees the County's Civic Art Program for capital projects; funds the largest arts internship program in the country in conjunction with the Getty Foundation; and supports the Los Angeles County Cultural Calendar on ExperienceLA.com and SpacefinderLA.org, a site connecting artists and arts organizations. The Commission also produces free community programs, including the L.A. Holiday Celebration broadcast nationally, and a year-round music program that funds more than 70 free concerts each year in public sites. The 2011-12 President of the Arts Commission is Ollie Blanning.

from LA Culture Net