BOSTON THEATRE CONFERENCES
StageSource presents the Boston Theatre Conference bi-enially, convening hundreds of actors, directors, designers, playwrights, production and administrative personnel and theatre enthusiasts from the region to consider issues facing Boston area theatre, explore opportunities and confront challenges, and celebrate theatre.
Home Grown: The Boston Theatre Conference 2011, Linking the Pleasure of theatre with a commitment to the community
In February of 2011, StageSource hosted HOME GROWN at the Paramount Theatre, a discussion on how the Boston theatre scene has taken root, grown and flourished. And what steps do we take to keep it alive and growing. Inspired by the tenents of the slow food movement, the conference drew connections to way the arts community could focus on supporting local talent, creating sustainability and cultivating an appreciation of the theatre.
Inspired by our keynote speaker, Barbara Lynch (Founder of The Barbara Lynch Gruppo) we attempted to draw parellells and adopt what has been sucessful in the advancement of the Slow Food movement and apply it to our community. Our closing speaker, Michael Maso of the Huntington Theatre painted a portrait of a constantly evolving and ever-growing theatre scene from the fringe to mid-size to large theatres that has blossomed into a thriving local scene.
BOSTON THEATRE: RAISING OUR STANDARD, the Boston Theatre Conference 2008
In August 2008, StageSource hosted BOSTON THEATRE: RAISING OUR STANDARD at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. The Conference addressed topics to collectively and collaboratively work as a community and identify next steps for Boston theatre including:
· Artistic and Organizational Collaborative Exchanges
· Boston as an incubator of new works
· Creating a culture of sharing
· Art on our Stages: thought provoking, inspiring, risk-taking
The conference also featured a conversation with Artistic Directors from three of the region’s larger professional theatres including Curt Columbus (Trinity Repertory Company), and Boston’s two newest, Diane Paulus (American Repertory Theatre) and Peter DuBois (Huntington Theatre Company). In addition, breakout sessions, moderated lunch groups and panels provided rich and meaningful opportunities for dialogue and action.
THE ARTIST AS CITIZEN, the Boston Theatre Conference 2006
On Saturday, August 5, 2006, hundreds of actors, directors, designers, playwrights, production and administrative personnel throughout the New England theatre community convened at Spingold Theatre, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, to meet fellow artists, witnessed performances from Boston area stages, learned from and networked with fellow artists, and explored the issue of social responsibility on Boston-area stages and in our theatres. Included will be local and national artists creating innovative work, challenging and energized discussions, thoughtful breakout sessions, and opportunities to network. 
RISK, REWARDS, RESULTS: Boston Theatre 2004 and Beyond
On August 7, 2004, StageSource hosted the first-ever Boston Theatre Conference, Risk, Rewards, Results: Boston Theatre 2004 and Beyond. A meaningful convening at Brandeis University's Spingold Theatre of 265 professional and emerging theatre artists including actors, directors, designers, playwrights, production and administrative theatre personnel and organizations throughout New England provided the community its first significant occasion to collectively take stock of the recent past, the current climate in which we create our art, and the future landscape. The Greater Boston theatre arena had changed dramatically over the preceding five years with the emergence of a significant number of new theatre companies and artists and the maturation of many existing companies and artists throughout the region. From the time of the Conference over the course of 18 months, at least ten new performance spaces were scheduled to open creating a whole new set of opportunities and challenges. Having a community-wide dialogue at this critical juncture seemed very appropriate. In addition to panels and breakout sessions, the Conference featured a keynote address by Anne Bogart.
Town Meetings
The idea for Boston Theatre Conferences came out strategic planning from the StageSource board of directors and staff as a direct result of the growth of the community and as an extension of the annual StageSource Theatre Town Meetings which took place from June 2000 to June 2003. Speakers at Town Meetings included Ben Cameron (former Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group), Barbara W. Grossman (Chair, Department of Drama and Dance, Tufts University), and Oskar Eustis (former Artistic Director, Trinity Repertory Theatre).
