The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today that applications are now being accepted for the sixth annual Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater. The institute, which will take place May 17-27, 2010, is an 11-day intensive workshop in theater and musical theater for critics, reporters, editors, and broadcast and online producers from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Institute applications are due March 11, 2010.
“It is often in theater that we experience humanity's deepest concerns,” said Geneva Overholser, director of USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism. “Consequently, theater offers journalists a way of learning about what matters and of seeing how human beings discover and handle conflict. Good theater coverage that pays attention to artists, past and present and from every culture is the obligation of a democratic society.”
Based in Los Angeles, the fellowship provides a total immersion experience that includes attending as many as ten performances or rehearsals. Participants will meet theater professionals ranging from directors and administrators of L.A.’s primary theater companies to critics of national stature, who will engage them individually for writing instruction and exercises. Professional sessions addressing changes in the media industry will be offered and special attention will be paid to building multimedia storytelling skills. No specialized knowledge of theater is required. Staff journalists and freelancers who work in print, radio, TV or online media -- and whose main subject is the arts, culture or entertainment -- are welcome to apply.
“Both the field of journalism and the arts community are facing unprecedented change. It has never been more important for arts journalists to step out of their everyday grind and be in discussion with one another and other professionals about the core job they have to do and the ways to make use of new technologies and skills to do it even better,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “The NEA is proud to be working with the USC Annenberg School to make this possible. We need strong arts journalists in order to have a truly vibrant arts community.”
Sasha Anawalt , director of USC Annenberg’s M.A. degree program in Specialized Journalism (The Arts), will direct the NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater.
“Nearly 125 journalists have gone through the NEA Theater Institute over the past five years and many of its alums have taken leadership roles in what’s looking to be a steady arts journalism comeback,” Anawalt said. “The 2010 Institute examines the conditions affecting the arts and their coverage. We look forward to helping re-imagine and rebuild the field through multimedia storytelling and excellent writing standards.”
The Theater and Musical Theater Institute at USC Annenberg is one of three NEA Arts Journalism Institutes, along with the Institute in Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York and the Institute for Dance Criticism at the American Dance Festival in Durham, N.C. In 2009 an International Institute in the Visual Arts at American University in Washington, D.C., also was created. Funded by a multimillion-dollar NEA initiative, these institutes offer intensive training for arts reporters and their editors. Most costs are covered by the Institute, including travel to and from Los Angeles, hotel, transportation within the city and most meals.
The NEA was a major sponsor of the first-ever National Summit on Arts Journalism held at USC Annenberg in October 2009. A partnership of the four NEA Arts Journalism Institutes and the National Arts Journalism Program, the summit explored new ideas for arts coverage and journalism business models in front of a live and virtual audience of nearly 20,000 people.
For more information, visit http://annenberg.usc.edu/nea
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities and military bases. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.
