2024 Come to the Table Residencies
Structure
The first week will be a traditional Creative Residency—six days on the Farm, working on your own projects and sharing in communal meals. These first weeks will be divided into cohorts of either artists, educators, or administrators. The first week of residency will be in the range of May 6 to August 13.
Residents will be welcomed back to the farm for a second residency later in the season. This second stay will integrate artists, administrators, and educators together into blended residencies. These five days on the Farm will provide the same respite, but with the addition of professionally facilitated conversations to build better understanding and relationships between artists, administrators, and educators. The second week of residency will be in the range of August 23 - October 19.
GOALS
Through residencies and convenings, through the singular environment on Ryder Farm, and by using our greatest asset and contribution to the field—our highly respected and coveted dinner table—SPACE can support those interested in building the next iteration of the American theater.
As we progress through the five year program we will continue to discover and explore—learning from each other and adapting programming to the needs of our community.
We consulted with a Working Group composed of alumni, SPACE trustees, and industry professionals to determine Phase One (2024) priorities and goals. Through these residencies, our intention is that residents will:
gain a greater knowledge of what goes into delivering a piece of theater to an audience from an artistic, administrative, and training perspective that is not central to their daily work;
evolve their assumptions about the benefits, challenges, and realities that face their counterparts in the field;
deepen their understanding of how their decisions and actions impact each other; and
step back into their work with stronger connective threads across the industry.
Program FAQ
I don’t work directly with theatre. Am I still eligible to apply?
We believe that there is so much intersectionality across genres that any arts administrator, artist, or arts educator who would like to be a part of a conversation about leadership and institutionalization in the arts is welcome to apply. We just want to make clear that the facilitated conversations in the second residency will be through the lens of theater arts.
Why divide artists, administrators, and educators for the first week of residency?
Our programming is designed to allow artists, administrators, and educators to encounter community found in shared experience and to learn from those who have followed different paths and work in different ways.
We have divided the first residencies to:
recognize that some of these topics may be sensitive and provide residents an opportunity to work through them in like cohorts
give first-time residents in the administration and education communities the time and space necessary to get out of day-to-day thinking and consider the bigger questions facing the industry.
I’m not sure whether to apply as an artist, administrator, or educator. How should I decide?
We recognize that your role in the arts may be intersectional and it may be challenging to self-select a cohort. We ask that you consider which cohort you feel you have the most to contribute to and learn from both in community and in a blended group. If you are still unsure, please attend the Q&A session or reach out to residencies@spaceonryderfarm.org
Can I apply for multiple cohorts? For example: both as an administrator and an artist?
We recognize that many in our field wear multiple hats in the industry but we ask that you select only one cohort to apply under. Applicants who apply under more than one cohort will not be considered.
I’m not sure if this is the right program for me. Should I still apply?
Please consider the unique programming SPACE has to offer and if that is in line with what best meets your needs right now. The Come to the Table Initiative will be most impactful for those who need time and space to work, who are excited about the opportunity to share meals with other people working in the same parts of the field, and for those who are passionate about making a contribution to cross-disciplinary conversations about the state of the theater industry.
Who will be facilitating the blended residencies? What will the facilitation look like?
Selecting facilitators is a work in progress. We are seeking a balance of facilitation methods including discussion, movement, and the incorporation of SPACE’s unique setting. Designed in the same spirit as this initiative, our aim is to address multiple ways of working to draw out a diversity of perspectives.
Will these conversations be shared or archived in any way?
SPACE will not formally record, archive, or share these conversations. We will, though, use what we hear to support creating phase two of the initiative.
We will establish ground rules for privacy during the community agreements conversation at the beginning of each blended residency.
Am I applying as a representative of my current institution?
No, we are inviting you as an individual career professional. We do not expect you to represent your current institution or to work on projects related to your current position.
I’m concerned about being in a blended residency with people who may be in positions of power. How will these blended residencies feel safe and balanced?
We will begin each blended residency by creating community agreements through a collaborative process. These will include naming specific concerns and defining processes for addressing challenges if they arise.
Can I request when my creative residency at SPACE will be?
Many factors affect the scheduling of Creative Residencies. The SPACE team spends a great deal of effort curating each residency week based on many different factors. If you advance in the selection process, you will be asked to indicate weeks that you are available to be in residence. We do our very best to work your availability into the curation process. The first week of residency will be in the range of May 6 to August 13 and the second week of residency will be in the range of August 23 - October 19.
Eligibility FAQ
Who is eligible to apply? Only members of the theater industry?
SPACE’s 2024 Come to the Table Initiative aims to build bridges between artists, administrators, and educators working in theater. We encourage anyone who works in the theater to apply. However, we believe that there is so much intersectionality across genres that any arts administrator, artist, or arts educator who would like to be a part of a conversation about leadership and institutionalization in the arts is welcome to apply. We just want to make clear that the facilitated conversations in the second residency will be through the lens of theater arts.
Additional SPACE opportunities outside of theater include Institutional Residencies/Creative Teams and the Farmer’s Dormancy. We also work with a small number of organizations outside of theater on individual residencies.
If I’m a SPACE alum, can I apply for this program?
Yes! Any SPACE alumni from any of our programs are welcome to apply.
What are the other eligibility criteria?
You must be at least 18 years old at the time of your residency.
You are applying as an individual.
You are or will be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by the time of the residency, or are otherwise willing to comply with SPACE's COVID-19 safety protocols.
You are available for two residency weeks. The first in the range of May 6 to August 13 and the second in the range of August 23 - October 19.
If I’m interested in another SPACE program, can I apply for both?
Since the application windows are not occurring concurrently, you can apply for this program and, if not selected for a Come to the Table residency, you can apply for other SPACE opportunities when their application windows open.