07/07/2008 Here is a draft of Burning, the heart of our new production - it incorporates the Alchemy piece a few of you have seen or worked with in our workshops/performances at the Touching Time Symposium in Michigan, at the Portland Disability Arts and Culture Festival, in Oakland at the Dance and Disability Festival, and in San Francisco at Barefoot Butoh. Burning is less a naturalistic play, and more an open script that is malleable, might be carried in live voices or through soundtrack to movement, might be a video combined with live performance, might be all kinds of things.... The workprocess I envision is a longish one, going on over the period of about a year and a half. We will call for people to come together somewhere, either outside on a beach or nature park or in a studio, for a few hours, and do scene work, working with scenes or parts that speak to them. Hopefully, we can find small sharing opportunities. And thus, we will build the show bit by bit, scene by scene, capturing things on camera as we go along. To me, the whole thing, and the performance research, is about opening the pores of the body/self, being permeable, dangerous play on the borders of self and other, self and environment, stage and audience, etc. So if anybody would care to go on that journey with us, we'd love to hear from them: actors, dancers, singers, photographers,videographers, sculptors (in found materials), fire eaters, costume designers, sound artists, poets, writers, theorists... Commitment level: open. Could be one day, could be multiple one-day workshops. There is no expectation that people will stick with it towards a performance (usual Olimpias process): this is a research process rather than conventional performance rehearsal work. All energy levels and forms of embodiment will be respected, and you can be a physical or cyber participant. Usually, somehow, a product of some kind emerges but we do not know yet what that is. We will open a listserv to reflect on the process of creation and the themes, and that might lead to publication (it has for our last two projects, Anarcha (http://liminalities.net/4-2/anarcha/) and Tiresias (forthcoming work in About Performance and TDR)). There is no funding for this work at this moment, but we hope to be invited to residencies at colleges, which might lead to payment. Contact: petra@umich.edu. First workshop days in mid-July, around Northern California, followed by one every two-to-three weeks in July/August/September. There might be a workshop each in NYC and Ann Arbor in September. A workshop each in Melbourne and Adelaide in October/November. Probably a workshop during MLA time in SF.

04/22/2008 LANSING-- Michigan's artists, painters and sculptors may find more green on their palettes if new legislation providing tax credits for artists and businesses that support them passess. Tax exemptions for art supplies, property tax breaks and incentives for landlords who rent to artists are all part of an effort to encourage creative types to stay in the state, according to John Bracey, executive director of the state Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Such attention to art is not only culturally beneficial, but could stimulate the economy by creating more stable and diverse neighborhoods, one state lawmaker said. "Michigan should be positioning itself for the future by improving not only its economy, but the quality of life," said Rep. Ed Clemente, D-Lincoln Park. "If we can get people like artists and recent college graduates to move into some of these less-populated communities, those areas can be turned around." Creating better downtowns is key to a thriving economy, Bracey said,because many businesses have the same clientele. Bracey said, "When I go to a concert, I rarely only go for the concert. I might have dinner or go shopping. If you combine support for the arts with the businesses around them, there's a direct and indirect economic impact. "We may not be under a single roof like workers in a factory, but the arts are an important employment sector," Bracey said. "It's Michigan people hiring Michigan people, and we absolutely need to support that." Clemente cited Chicago as a prime example of gentrification, the process where struggling communities get new life by a sudden influx of younger people who are often interested in the arts. "As the neighborhoods age, they become more suitable for families," Clemente said. "If we attract people between the ages of 21-35, they'll establish lives here, and communities will grow from trendy places into richer areas where people can settle down." Donna Metz, executive director of the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, said the bills would be especially helpful for St. Joseph's neighbor, Benton Harbor. "As an established organization,we want to partner with younger artists and startup art programs," Metz said. "I think the tax credit would be helpful for the fledgling community there." Revamping some of the state's poorer areas, especially in Detroit, could take up to 10 years, Clemente said, but the state should start as soon as possible. "If we can get artists to live in these communities, other folks will follow," Clemente said. "Right now, a lot of people don't have the opportunity to move into these neighborhoods." The bills not only would give tax breaks to artists and businesses that serve them, they also create a fund from business taxes, similar to a downtown development fund, that could be used to make community improvements and to support local arts projects. Michigan has a harder time attracting artists than places like New York, Chicago or San Francisco, and giving artists a break on taxes is one way that may entice them, Clemente said. "Larger, more famous cities don't have to worry about attracting artists because of their climates and histories," Clemente said. "We have to be much more creative, and tax exemptions are one of the routes to get people there. It's a seed to get things going." Competition is stiff, even among cities in the state, said Rep. Jeff Mayes, D- Bay City, who sponsored one of the bills. Places like Ann Arbor already have an artsy reputation, but it may make more financial sense for artists to move to other locations, he said. "The bills are a terrific fit for a community like ours because they're adaptable," Mayes said. "Bay City has different needs than Ann Arbor, and we have a more difficult time attracting artists. But we also have facilities with cheaper property values that they could use for studio space, apartments or galleries." Bracey said in the last year, 20,000 employees have been hired in Michigan for non-profit galleries and other artrelated enterprises. But state funding for the arts has been drastically reduced in the last six years, from $27 million in 2002 to $6.5 million in 2007, said Bracey. Metz agreed, and added that the state's promotion of tourism is great, but the arts shouldn't be forgotten in the shuffle. "If we're going to change our economic focus from manufacturing to the arts, we have to support them," Metz said. "Otherwise, we're just talking out of both sides of our mouth. When the tourists get here, what are they going to do?"

07/15/2008 Performing Arts Studio West on the Reelz Channel Please take a look at this story about PASW and actors with disabilities as seen on the Reelz Channel. http://www.reelzchannel.com/show/21/dailies?clipid=35222

07/07/2008 The WGBH - Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) has published a new Outreach and Policy Paper, Digital Television and Video Description: Service Continues, Consumer and Industry Efforts Required Most consumers are just now becoming aware of the mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting scheduled for February of 2009 and how it will affect the TV viewing that they rely on daily. Blind or deaf consumers who purchase digital TV sets, and subscribe to cable, satellite or fiber-optic TV services have expressed frustration with set-up, reception and incompatibility problems regarding access services (captioning and video description), few of which are understood or even documented by manufacturers and retailers. In addition, people who want to continue receiving free over-the-air broadcasts using their analog sets and an antenna must purchase a set-top converter box to do so - and figure out how to make captions and descriptions work for them. NCAM previously published an overview of problems confronting deaf or hard-of-hearing people trying to access captions via DTV or through a converter box. The "DTVCC" paper can be found on NCAM's Web site listed below. This new paper focuses on challenges facing blind or low vision viewers who rely on video description to enjoy and fully understand television programming. Topics covered include: - Set-top Converter Boxes - Accessible Menus - Tips for Finding Video Description in DTV - Troubleshooting - and a Technical Note about PSIP (or Program and System Information Protocol) This paper, along with much more information about the DTV conversion from a variety of resources, can be found at NCAM's DTV Access site, http://dtvaccess.org or http://ncam.wgbh.org/dtv We want to hear from you... NCAM has established a one-way e-mail address, dtvaccess@wgbh.org , as an aggregator of complaints and problems related to the DTV rollout. If you send a report about a DTV access problem to this address, you will receive an automatic response that says that your report has been received and that we are gathering information but cannot respond to your inquiry, and that we will pass along common issues to relevant parties. About NCAM and WGBH The WGBH - Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media is a research, development and advocacy entity that works to make existing and emerging technologies accessible to all audiences. NCAM is part of the Media Access Group at WGBH, which also includes The Caption Center (est. 1972), and Descriptive Video ServiceR (est. 1990). For more information, visit http://access.wgbh.org. WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of fully one-third of PBS's prime-time lineup, along with some of public television's best-known lifestyle shows and children's programs and many public radio favorites. For more information, visit the WGBH Web site, http://wgbh.org.

06/10/2008 Handicapped company dares visitors to "look at the freaks" With thousands of visiting arts conventioneers about to descend on Denver, actor Edward Blackshere knows many will be packing their best-intentioned pity for the local handicapped theater company's production of the carny musical "Side Show." http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment_old/ci_9494416

05/12/2008 Dalton art teacher helps open window for disabled adults From the Chattanooga Times-Free Press By Erin Fuchs DALTON, Ga. — A few months ago, local artist Jerry Morrison created his artwork mostly using a computer. Now, with the help of art teacher Nicole White, the disabled artist works with real paint — smiling as he finishes each piece. “He doesn’t have any problem reaching in and finding his own inspiration,” Ms. White observed. “You like ... flowers, so that’s what you paint,” she added, addressing Mr. Morrison, who’s mentally retarded and has cerebral palsy. http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=680&NewsID=898790&CategoryID=19394&on=1

05/12/2008 The MGM release of "Music Within" is now available through the Media Access Office at a substantial discount. "Music Within" is a Hollywood adaptation of the story of Richard Pimentel, the author WINDMILLS Disability Awareness Training, the same program that will soon be offered by the Media Access Office. For MAO members and friends only, the cost is $21.95 if you pick up your order at the MAO office. If we mail it to you the cost will be $24.95. Please contact Marc Goldman at 805-604-9017 or at info@DamonBrooks.com for more information.

03/06/2008 The Church of 80% Sincerity ?David Roche. Perigee, $19.95 (160p) ISBN 978-0-399-53390-7 The church of the title is not a formal organization but a concept—“the church of choice for recovering perfectionists,” Roche writes in a powerful little book that’s part memoir, part inspirational handbook.“You can be 80 percent sincere 100 percent of the time, or 100 percent sincere 80 percent of the time. It’s in that 20 percent area where you get some slack and you can be yourself.” For Roche (now in his 60s),being himself has meant coming to terms with a face so severely disfigured by a benign congenital tumor that he’s been spat at and called a monster. He was rejected from a seminary because, he was told, his appearance meant “people would not respect you as a priest.” The loss of the fathers of the Holy Cross is the general public’s gain. A performer and motivational speaker, Roche is frank and witty and incapable of resorting to sentimental pap. He’s used to people staring at him, and he admits he’s been tempted to respond to pestering, obnoxious boys by saying, “Well, my face is like this because when I was a little boy like you, I touched my wee-wee.” He’s well aware that people find him inspiring, but he doesn’t try to hide his flaws, and that makes him more inspiring.

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