# Theatrical Development Centre



## Image of the Mind Studios (Nov 15, 2006)

Well... I finally managed to log on after 6 months of trying. I don't know why, but it took that long to get it to work. Hello.
I just wanted to start some thinking about a project I've been developing for some years now. It's what I call a Theatrical Development Centre. It's a facility dedicated to developing new works in theatre and theatre related film.
There are a number of ways to approach this project, but the very beginning of it is to acquire the land. I've been searching, but I haven't yet found the appropriate parcel. I think it will need to be at least a hundred acres, only because there are other uses attached to the effort as well.
I'm working to form a foundation called The Alpha & Omega Society and one of the purposes of the foundation is to establish a Spiritual Retreat Environment. Attached to that retreat environment is the Theatrical Development Centre. Possibly up along Route 80, in the mountians of Pennsylvania... I'm envisioning a place where producers can bring their crew and live there for a month or two (or whatever is required) to work out a show. When the show is up and refined, we pack it up and move it to the city. Chicago, New York, Nashville, Louisville, Washington, Philly, Buffalo, Harrisburg... they're all within workable distance, whatever the circut needs to be.
I was working with a few producers to build that location in Solebury Township, outside New Hope, PA, but the property values there are insane. We had a ten acre farm which we were trying to buy but when the owner found out we were serious he jacked the price up to four million. After thinking about that, I decided that the location wasn't worth the costs that would be involved. What with zoning breathing down your necks and outrageous property taxes... and other issues. So I packed up my shop in semi-trailers. It just seems to me that for the long haul such a facility needs to be in a less restrictive environment, even if it is farther away. In fact that's probably an advantage. One of the principles in the Solebury effort got ill and hard to deal with, things slowed down as a result. 
I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather build from the ground up in a more remote location. The idea is to put up cabins, have a scene shop and a stage (no audience, or rather no public performance space, not for the development centre) ... and all the other facilities that would be required. Basically a studio compound. Not an inexpensive endeavor, but I think it can be done. I'm into the development end of new works and as far as I'm concerned the best way to get down and get serious about the work, is to focus entirely on it and get away from the star struck hobbyists and the producers that think it's ok to scam everybody into working for free. I've had enough of that! I won't digress into that line of thinking. 
There's alot connected to this concept including some very unique management methods. I'm working on building a web page with a blog to discuss it (but then I guess that's what this is for...) I don't get on-line too often, but I'll see if I can try to pay attention to this "thread". Check out my web pages.Image of the Mind Studios. Thanks, Later AG


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## Image of the Mind Studios (Nov 20, 2006)

I'm producing a new musical called "The Gnomes of New Hope" and for that production I'm working on building a management structure that is functionally separate from (maybe parrallel to?) that of a large organization. Since the production management focuses on essentially one production and the assorted variations of that production, I think the design has to be fundamentally different. My concept is to (distinctly) departmentalize the production and I'm debating about the budget function in each department. Part of it has to do with trying to keep the management functions contained into smaller units. I'd like each department to stand on it's own as an entity, garnering funds for it's own functioning and not looking (at least entirely) to upper management for it's baseline maintanence, this all within the criteria of "the production" as being the goal. Somehow, I tend to think there will be an automatic metamorphasis into an organizational goal, but I'd like to think the primary goal can move from one production to the next. It seems maybe the only real way to keep that concept is to job out the components, but then there's no priority to the production. Any thoughts?


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