Social | March 21 #ArtistHotline Guest Chat: Resources for Performing Artists

Resources for dancers, actors, musicians, and performing arts professionals will take center stage from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST on Twitter.

Performing artists, it takes tenacity and courage to get your work out there. Luckily, a wide range of organizations provide direct assistance and guidance for navigating the world of performance, while experienced practitioners like producers and mid-career artists can provide personal insights gleaned from their own time in the field. 

#ArtistHotline is a monthly professional development day for artists, and for the March edition, we’ll host a “Performing Artist Resources″ Guest Chat from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST. This virtual panel will include President and CEO of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) Mario Garcia Durham, Director of Communications and Marketing at The Actors Fund David Engelman, and the Creative and Programming Director at Feinstein’s/54 Below Jennifer Ashley Tepper. This Guest Chat will be an exceptional opportunity to get a sneak peak into the world of producers and presenting organizations via Durham and Tepper, and to connect directly with an organization that fosters stability among all performing arts and entertainment professionals, thanks to Engelman.

Include the hashtag #ArtistHotline in each tweet during this time to ask questions like:

• How can a performing artist cultivate a stable income in an industry that relies heavily on gigs?
• What resources are available to help with my emotional and physical wellbeing while I hone my practice?
• How do I take my work from the studio to the stage? 

March 21 #ArtistHotline Schedule

The #ArtistHotline Guest Chat is just one portion of #ArtistHotline. Participate throughout the day and get your questions answered by using the hashtag #ArtistHotline in each tweet.

• 11:00 AM EST: #ArtistHotline begins, starting with an Open Chat. During this time, ask any question about building a sustainable career in the arts.
• 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST: Tweet questions for Durham, Engelman, and Tepper during the “Performing Artist Resources” Guest Chat.
• 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST: Aryo Wicaksono, musician and Membership Manager at Grantmakers in the Arts, will share advice for building community and creating a career as an immigrant artist during the “Making Your Way as an Immigrant Performing Artist” Arts Administrator Q&A.

Guest Chat Bios:

Mario Garcia Durham is currently the president and CEO of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP). From 2004-2011, he served as Director of Artist Communities & Presenting at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) where he launched the NEA’s Artist Communities granting program and initiated Live from Your Neighborhood, a groundbreaking study of the impact of outdoor arts festivals in the U.S. He was previously artistic director at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where he founded Yerba Buena Arts & Events, the producing organization of the annual Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Durham  currently sits on the board of the Alliance of Artist Communities and DataArts, as well as serving as the Vice Chair of the Performing Arts Alliance. 

Find Durham tweeting @APAP365.

David Engelman leads communications and marketing efforts for The Actors Fund, the national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. In addition, he has 15 years of experience in performing arts as a former actor. He is a graduate of Alma College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French, and Wayne State University in Detroit, where he received an MFA in Acting at the Hilberry Theatre. He is a a proud volunteer for the Brooklyn Community Pride Center and NYC Books Through Bars.

Find Engelman tweeting @TheActorsFund.

Jennifer Ashley Tepper is the Creative and Programming Director at Feinstein’s/54 Below, where she has curated or produced over 3,000 shows. Her leadership at the venue has gained praise from publications like The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and Playbill. On Broadway, Tepper has worked on The Performers, Godspell, Macbeth, and The Parisian Woman. She’s also the co-creator of the Bistro Award-winning concert series, If It Only Even Runs A Minute. Tepper was named one of the 10 professionals on Backstage Magazine’s “1st Annual Broadway Future Power List,” which stated: "Proving herself both a zeitgeist predictor and theatrical historian with her eclectic programming, Tepper is leading the conversation on contemporary musical theatre.” Learn more about Tepper by visiting her website.

Find Tepper tweeting @jenashtep.

Inspired by the NYFA Source Hotline, #ArtistHotline is an initiative dedicated to creating an ongoing online conversation around the professional side of artistic practice. #ArtistHotline occurs on the third Wednesday of each month on Twitter. Our goal is to help artists discover the resources needed, online and off, to develop sustainable careers.

This initiative is supported by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.

Images, from top: Jeanine Durning (Fellow in Choreography ‘16); courtesy Mario Garcia Durham, David Engelman, and Jennifer Ashley Tepper