What is the Ottawa Theatre Network?

The Ottawa Theatre Network is a nascent organization bringing Ottawa theatre professionals together.

Our specific mandate is to assist in the growth of the professional theatre community in the Ottawa region. Our first priority is to foster communication and resource sharing among the professional theatre companies and practitioners in the Ottawa region.

We are also working towards launching a site which will serves the needs of our community. We are currently preparing a survey to determine those needs.

If you want to read the Ottawa Theatre Network’s Call to Action and Statement of Purpose, click here.

What Is the Purpose Of This Blog?

Until we launch the main site, this blog will act as the public face of the Ottawa Theatre Network. We will keep interested readers up-to-date on the progress of the Ottawa Theatre Network specifically and Ottawa professional theatre generally.

What Is The On-line Workspace?

The Ottawa Theatre Network administers a private members-only on-line workspace.

1. It is where stakeholders in the Ottawa theatre community can indicate their support for the Ottawa Theatre Network by signing up and contributing.
2. It is where stakeholders in the Ottawa theatre community can meet, discuss, and share viewpoints, ideas, and resources.
3. It is where stakeholders can pool and share information, thoughts, and wisdom, some of which will eventually be posted here and / or  on the final site.

Currently, the workspace is free to join and open to anyone who wants to assist in the growth of Ottawa professional theatre.

If you would like to join the workspace, please click here.

Whether or not you choose to join and contribute to the workspace, please bookmark this page, subscribe to our RSS feed, add us to your blog rolls, follow us on Twitter, check back regularly, and comment whenever you think it appropriate.

This is an exciting time for Ottawa theatre. By reading this post, you are already a part of it. Stay a part of the story by checking in here whenever you can.

Thanks For Your Support: You Made A Difference!

A huge thank you to everyone who voted for our Aviva funding proposal. The campaign was a publicity success but we did not secure enough votes to qualify for the semi-finals. Happily, some other great proposals did qualify!

Because of your support, we generated substantial publicity for the Ottawa Theatre Network and Ottawa professional theatre. Most importantly, our message was heard by people in the wider community, they listened, and they cared because you did!

Thank you for your effort and support! You are the engine of growth for Ottawa professional theatre and you made a difference.

Let’s continue to make a difference by talking about Ottawa theatre whenever we can! Check out What’s On – À l’affiche and enjoy some Ottawa theatre this week!

P.s. We will be announcing the details for an informal meet and greet very soon. Stay tuned!

 

Share The Love: Tell Us Why You Love Ottawa Theatre!

The excitement and sense of opportunity in today’s Ottawa professional theatre is so real we can taste it!

The sense of “hope”, “enthusiasm,”, and “possibility” is everywhere. Even Ottawa’s major daily picked up on the story. For the article, click here.

With this ever-increasing sense of opportunity in mind, let’s take a moment to celebrate Ottawa theatre!

In the comments section below, please tell us why you love Ottawa theatre! Gushing is encouraged!

Here are some questions to spur your thoughts:

1. Who inspires you in Ottawa ?
2. What places in Ottawa inspire you?
3. What opportunities in Ottawa do you find the most exciting?
4. Why do think Ottawa is a great place to produce and enjoy professional theatre?
5. Where do you think Ottawa professional theatre is headed?

Please share the love! Tell us why you love Ottawa Professional Theatre!

Also, please vote for our funding proposal, if you haven’t already done so today. Remember, you can vote daily! Click here to learn more.

Also, if you haven’t already done so, please complete our on-line survey. Click here to learn more.

Where We Are, Where We’re Going: The Part You Play In A Story of Success

Thank you, Ottawa Theatre Network Supporters!

At the time of writing, our joint funding proposal with the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Ottawa’s Next Stage, has received well over 600 votes and we’re closing in on 700. That puts us in the top eighty of over a thousand proposals from across the country. That’s a tremendous result!

Our success can be attributed directly to a groundswell of dedicated support from people all across our community and beyond!

And that’s the real story of our success.

Because of our efforts, Ottawa theatre has been discussed across the city, the province, the country, and even the world! The buzz is so great, even the Ottawa Citizen Editorial board endorsed our efforts in an Op-Ed piece.

With four days to go, we have a long way to go to get into the top twenty and qualify for the semi-finals. Anything is possible if we try!

The thing about these viral campaigns is that you never know when they will “catch” and really galvanize the wider community into action. Let’s keep at it!

And remember, each time we turn a person onto the idea of Ottawa theatre, we win!

A Project Serving The Needs of Ottawa Theatre!

The steering committee met on Sunday and our plans for the future are coming into focus.

1. Based on the results of our survey, we are going to prepare a Canada Council grant proposal for a focussed project within our mandate. We want and need your input! If you work in Ottawa Theatre and haven’t already done so, please fill out our survey. Click here, to learn more.
2. In the new year, once our goals are finalized, we will launch a formal outreach program and create our Advisory Committee. Get on board early to stay in the loop, and join our workspace now.
3. We are planning an informal meet, greet, and survey-bee for the first week of December. It will be an opportunity to meet some of the members of the steering committee, complete a survey, and network with other local theatre practitioners. We hope to see you there.

What You Want, What You Need: The Ottawa Theatre Network Survey

What is your role in Ottawa theatre? What can the Ottawa Theatre Network do for you? What services can and should we provide to Ottawa professional theatre?

We need answers to these questions so we can achieve our goal: to assist in the growth of the professional theatre community in the Ottawa region.

Now is the time to tell us what you want, what you need! We want and need your input!

Please take a few minutes to complete our anonymous on-line survey.

online surveys

Click here: Online Survey

The results of this survey will be compiled, analyzed and used to create a plan for the future. This is your chance to contribute to the development of Ottawa professional theatre!

This survey will be distributed to everyone who is currently signed up at the Ottawa Theatre Network’s On-line Workspace and to members of the professional theatre community in the region.

Please let as many people as possible know about the survey.

We are also distributing a hardcopy of the survey. They are now available at the GCTC. We are  looking for other distribution locations. Please let us know, if you can help distribute the surveys.

Ask not what you can do for the Ottawa Theatre Network — ask what the Ottawa Theatre Network can do for you!

P.s. Also, please show your support for Ottawa professional theatre and vote for our Next Stage Funding Proposal.

Be a Part of Ottawa’s Renaissance: Vote Now, Vote Daily, Tell A Friend

Do you care about Ottawa professional theatre?

Do you want to help the Ottawa Theatre Network and the Great Canadian Theatre Company make a lasting contribution to Ottawa professional theatre?

Here’s you chance! It will only take a few minutes of your time. We promise.

The Ottawa Theatre Network, with the support of the Great Canadian Theatre Company, has a great opportunity to secure $10,000 – $50,000 for a project that will make a lasting contribution to the growth of Ottawa professional theatre.

You can help by taking a few minutes to cast a vote.

This is what you do:

Step 1: Read our Aviva Community Fund Proposal, by clicking here.

Step 2: Support us, by clicking on the large blue “cast a vote button” on the right hand side of the screen.

Step 3: Register. It only takes seconds. You provide an email address, a password, and a screen name. If you want, you can ask that they not send you any other emails, other than the initial registration email — just uncheck the boxes under “notifications.”

Step 4: Vote each day! Return to our fund proposal page everyday and vote again.

Step 5: Email a friend and ask them to vote.

If we can get enough votes, we will advance to the semi-finals and a second round of voting will take place. When we make it through to the finals, a panel of judges will assess our proposal.

Because there will be twenty-five finalists and because the fine folks at the GCTC will be handling the nuts and bolts of the proposal, we know we have a great shot at securing the funding when we make it to the finals.

We can only make it to the finals with your help!

So please show your support for Ottawa professional Theatre and vote! If we can make it to the semi-finals on this first round, we won’t need to vote again until December!

Be a part of Ottawa’s renaissance: Vote now, vote daily, tell a friend.

P.s. You don’t need to live in Ottawa to vote!

The Story So Far: Where We’ve Come From And Where We Are Going

On Sunday, August 30th, 2009, a small but dedicated contingent of the Ottawa theatre community met to determine how best to respond to the recommendations generated by the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Backyard BBQ, held on Aug 24. If you would like to read the recommendations, click here.

In attendance were John Collins, Nancy Kenny, Sterling Lynch, Geoff McBride, Linda Culbert, and Mary Ellis.

There was a lively and productive discussion around such questions as “Who are we, what are we trying to do, what need are we filling, who feels the need, and what resources already exist?” We spoke about our mission, we discussed where our mandate comes from, and we identified who we serve.

Most importantly, it was decided that professional theatre in Ottawa could benefit from an organization working to assist in its growth and the Ottawa Theatre Network was born.

Since that first meeting, there is much that we have accomplished:

1. We established a steering committee that is representative of the community.
2. We identified and articulated a statement of purpose.
3. We created an on-line workspace which facilitates increased communication and resource-sharing.
4. We launched a viral communications campaign which won positive media attention and encouraged 160 (and counting) professional theatre practitioners and their supporters to express their support for the Ottawa Theatre Network by joining our on-line workspace.
5. We raised some funds.
6. We established a working relationship with the GCTC.
7. We bought URLs, launched a blog, and opened a Twitter account.

We also identified a clear goal for our organization:

The Ottawa Theatre Network will create a polished and user-friendly website which will assist in the growth of the professional theatre community in the Ottawa region by fostering communications and resource sharing.

To achieve this goal we now need to do the following:

1. Maintain the on-line workspace and communicate effectively with our membership, other stakeholders, and the general public.
2. Determine which services should be offered through our site and our organization.
3. Write a business plan.
4. Raise funds.
5. Design, host, and launch a website.

Do you believe in this project? Can you help us achieve our goal? Thoughts, suggestions, or friendly advice? Please let us know in the comments section below.