By the numbers

Well, folks, we've taken down the lights and flats down at H Street Playhouse... and we've left the premises.  Yes, the 2009 Inkubator Festival came to an end yesterday after one final performance of The F Word.

I gotta admit... I'm tired.  It was a hectic weekend of rehearsals, our final showcase reading of plays that play with language, and then The F Word.  I myself was up until 2:30 a.m. on Friday doing laundry for The F Word (hey, we all share responsibilities for the festival, and I've got a washer/dryer in my apartment)... and then we headed out of H Street Playhouse after our closing party at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday.

I'm tired, but I'm proud.  Perhaps that pride is best expressed by some statistics.  Here's a synopsis of our festival by the numbers:

• We hosted 18 public events – three open rehearsals, four showcase readings, three developmental workshops, one panel discussion, and one master class, and six public performances of the bare bones production of The F Word.

• Through our national call for submissions, we made connections with 428 playwrights who screwed their courage to the sticking place and sent us their plays.

• To review plays from these writers, we enlisted 28 people to serve as readers and evaluators. We created an orientation program for readers, as well as an online forum to share comments about plays.  Several of our readers joined the Inkubator Festival team as dramaturges and actors.

• We assembled a team of 22 playwrights, 46 actors, 4 directors, 13 dramaturges, 7 panelists, 3 choreographers, and 13 designers/technicians – more than 100 playmakers – to explore the process of making plays.

• Another goal of the festival has been to create a network of local playwrights.  So we invited four DC-based writers to present excerpts of their work at our second showcase reading.  We then asked 125 local playwrights to a local writers convening. More than 30 writers and Inkwell company members participated in the convening on September 27th, identifying a range of exciting ways in which The Inkwell can help local playwrights reach their professional and artistic goals.  Stay tuned for details as we figure out how to follow through.
  

• We more than doubled attendance from our first festival,  with more than 450 coming to events over the past several weeks.
  

 

• Through our continuing outreach to playwrights, playmakers, and playgoers, we have built a contact list of more than 1,400 people who are engaged in play development.  We keep these supporters informed through regular email updates, Inkblog!, and a newly revised website.

 

• With the help of the DC Commission of the Arts and many generous donors, we raised $24,700 toward the festival.

Cool, huh?  We need to catch a few winks, but The Inkwell team is excited to start scheming for 2010.  And we've got some thoughts to share with you from our festival participants, including playwright Anna Moench and dramaturge Jenn Book.  I hope you enjoy reading about their experience of the festival and The Inkwell.