The Residency @ chashama

About chashama
chashama is a not-for-profit artist services organization that provides free and subsidized space to visual and performing artists. chashama finds and adopts temporarily vacant properties in New York City. This real estate is loaned to us by owners and developers and quickly transformed into workspace and unusual performance sites for artists. chashama manages these interim arts complexes and through this process is able to offer fully and highly subsidized space, giving emerging and mid-career artists more opportunities to present innovative work.

About the Program
The Residency @ chashama is our premier program for theater artists. Four theater companies will be granted a six-week residency at 217 E. 42nd Street between June 2008 -February 2009 for the creation, rehearsal, and performance of a theater piece. chashama recognizes the need for theater companies to rehearse and present their work in a single space, in order to engender work that is clear, confident, and uniquely fitted to the space. Applicants will be selected by a panel consisting of professions from the NYC performing arts community and chashama staff.

217 E. 42nd Street is a 1,700 square-foot black-box theater, fully equipped with theatrical sound and some theatrical lighting. chashama aims to secure significant production stipends for the selected applicants, however, stipends are currently pending outside funding. Companies are given 24-hour access to 217 E. 42nd Street and are given the freedom to build a site-specific set. chashama requires that each company will present a minimum of four (but up to as many as you'd like) public performances. The Residency @ chashama is intended to be the NYC production run of the proposed project.

Please be advised: chashama's theater does not have sprung floors or marlee. For photos, a floor plan, and complete tech specs for the space, please go to http://www.chashama.org/217e42/index.php.

Timeline
Residency #1: June 2 - July 13, 2008
Residency #2: August 2 - September 14, 2008
Residency #3: November 3 - December 14, 2008
Residency #4: January 5 - February 15, 2009

Please submit 2 copies of each of the following materials:

• 3-page application form, completed in its entirety.
• 1 page description of the project
• 1 page description of how you will use the theater over the course of six weeks to create your proposed project including technical and design elements and a proposed schedule of usage.
• Resumes (not bios!) of primary collaborators.
• Project budget with total expenses and projected income.
• Completed script, if available. If no script exists, a breakdown of the action of the piece and sample scenes OR a breakdown of the action of the piece and no more than twenty (20) pages of source material. Groups/individual artists may apply for one project ONLY.
• Work samples: up to five (5) production photos, ten (10) minute work sample MAX (DO NOT submit anything more than 10 minutes long) on DVD/video CD/audio CD.
• Press and/or publicity materials from previous projects. Please send no more than three (3) press articles and two (2) examples of publicity material. (Suggested, but not mandatory.)

chashama no longer returns submitted materials.
Please submit your application on WHITE 8.5" x 11" paper. All folders, binders, etc., will be discarded. Please use only staples or paper clips.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Mail or hand-deliver complete applications.
Faxed or emailed applications will not be considered.

Deadline: December 14, 2007
Applications must arrive (not postmarked) at the chashama office by 5PM.

chashama
ATTN: The Residency@chashama/Risa Shoup
201 East 42nd Street, Suite 3225-29
New York, NY 10017

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Quality of proposed project
• Project feasibility

Download application here

If you have questions about this application, please contact Risa Shoup via email at risa@chashama.org.