Art spaces, arts programming, and, most notably, artists themselves have taken a major financial hit in recent years. Theaters have closed, programs reduced, foundations shuttered, rehearsal spaces become retail spaces. It is essential to take pause and reflect on the success stories when we have a moment.
In 1992, Richard Foreman moved his Ontological-Hysteric Theater to St. Mark's Church on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street and began creating space for emerging artists whose work reflected Foreman's style in addition to Foreman's own iconic works of theater. Managing & Programming Director Morgan von Prelle Pecelli put all of these programs under one name and programmatic initiative - The Incubator - in 2005. von Prelle Pecelli was succeeded by Shannon Sindelar as Managing & Programming Director in 2006. The Incubator expanded its programming by adding the Experimental Music Program and an informal discussion series, salons. These programs are curated by Sindelar, Brendan Regimbal (former Foreman stage manger), Travis Just (former Foreman sound engineer), Peter Ksander (former Foreman technical) and Samara Naeymi (former Foreman audience member and performing artist). And the final date on our time line: in July 2009, Richard Foreman announced he would was leaving St. Mark's to focus on his film projects. The Ontological would cease to exist as it had been known since 1992 (a veritable aesthetic lifetime ago), and the Incubator would be... well, what would happen to the Incubator?
The downtown theater community protesteth muchly at the rumor that the Incubator might shut down with Foreman's exit, so Sindelar and her band of merry co-curators decided to figure out how to take their show on the road to independence. Recently, the Incubator became an independent company called the Incubator Arts Project (IAP), assuming the suffix "project" in keeping with the Poetry Project and Danspace Project, the other programs based out of St. Mark's. "We never want to deny our roots at the Ontological-Hysteric Theater," Sindelar asserts while Naeymi nods in agreement, "but we want to be true to and reach out to our community." As an independent company, the IAP will be able to offer more resources to the artists it supports as well as seek out more private funding options so they can maintain and expand their programming.
The programs currently presented by the IAP include: Residencies, Music (an evolution of the Experimental Music series), Short Form (a program for emerging artists to test new ideas and get feedback from other creative professionals), and the salons. When asked to describe the cohesive aesthetic binding the diverse work the IAP presents, Naeymi offered "post-dramatic," a phrase the team has been kicking around for a while meaning work that "places equal weight on all aspects of the creative process" (ie, not just acting or directing or writing) with a refocusing of the artistic eye on design elements.
The summer season officially opened with Rafael Gallegos' The Little Death on July 8 through July 17, and will continue with performances by 31 Down (collaborating with Foreman collaborator, DJ Mendel), Ben Forster, and others. The fall will find audiences with the opportunity to view the work of: Karinne Keithley, Daniel Fish, Tea Alagic, Title:Point Productions (collaborating with Foreman performers T. Ryder Smith and Jay Smith), and several others.
To be completely clear and biased with you, my dear reader, I've been involved in curating performing and multi-disciplinary arts spaces in New Jack City for 5 long years. Trust me when I tell you, I've seen a lot, from the sublime to the ridiculous. It is my firm belief that the IAP's comprehensive programming is some of the most consistently high quality work out there, and their dedication to their mission and their artists is unparalleled. Coming from such an impressive legacy of Foreman and the many managing and programming directors who have contributed to their current state of success, it's really no wonder that they are the wonder that they are.