THE OUTDOOR VOICES FESTIVAL “CONVERSATION CREATION” AWARD
Sponsored by That's What She Didn't Say
Description
An award to honor the show that encompasses all of the qualifications that make up a brilliant piece of socially relevant theater.
Qualifications
The winner of the ‘Conversation Creation’ Award should have the following qualifications:
*Tackle one or more socially relevant topic. (Past shows that we have worked with in the Outdoor Voices Festival have approached the topics of sexual violence, cults, racism, sexuality, mental health, suicide, and more.)
*Teach us, but don’t let us know you’re doing it! (We love Ted Talks, but the true award winner will be a piece where we’re learning, but we don’t leave spouting facts- we leave changed by having learned the facts.)
*INNOVATION. When racism is in the news, 80 shows pop up to discuss it. We want to see the world respond to the important and timely issues, but we want to see them handled with expert-level poise, tact, and awareness.
*One or more members of the creative team should be interested in and capable of being part of a talk back about the show and their involvement. (Every show in the Outdoor Voices Festival is presented with a talk-back after the show. While we love to see people mounting important works, we focus on original pieces where one or more members of the team are there because they’re on a mission- often a personal one.)
Methodology
Winners should meet all of the award qualifications. We’re looking for the show that best handles a difficult topic in an innovative and impactful way. As the founder of That’s What She Didn’t Say, a local non-profit organization, I have spent the last decade producing socially relevant performances and helping those who have been silenced to find their Outdoor Voices. I got to give this award in 2018 as well and it was a pleasure to see the amazing work fringers did on their socially relevant pieces!
Reward
The winner of the award will receive a statuette and will be invited to perform in this years Outdoor Voices Festival, Winter 2019. Festival participation is very limited and only a handful of shows are selected each year.
