DEMASKUS also functions in a dual capacity as a service-oriented organization that enhances the professional development of artists: connecting them to internship and career opportunities, facilitating membership in art industry labor unions, and enhancing and enriching community impact. Community impact requires taking art to people where they live and work rather than waiting for communities to come to facilities or venues that may be outside the reach or realm of their immediate experience. Also, one of the challenges of producing in Pittsburgh is the critical need for opportunities to share expertise and sharpen skills.
TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
Classical Canon
Collaborations
New Work
Educational
Youth & Family
Annual Holiday Event
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Internships / Fellowships
Career Opportunities
Community Impact
Facilitating Memberships
Exploring Art Industry Labor Unions
How We Work
Educational / Humanities Imperative
The collective believes the purpose of its work is to facilitate dialogue and continued education during each of its events. The collective has a “thermostat approach” to artistic development. We seek to set the temperature with our productions, not simply serve as a thermometer, regurgitating the temperature of our current (and far too often) seasonal and cyclical human conditions.
ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING
The collective believes that in addition to engendering a respectful atmosphere and process, accessibility and inclusion are mandatory. Efforts will always be made to incorporate sign interpreters, audio descriptions, and large print programs, acquire appropriate devices and refine our etiquette when engaging other artists and invited guests. We are currently planning for a time when people of all levels of ability are members of the collective and participating in all aspects of our productions.
PRESERVING / POSITIONING
The collective believes that great work must be preserved, and the collective must create its own new work as well. Each season will consist of a new work, a work from the classical canon, and a written and/or developed work by an affiliate artist. Whether a reading or a full production, the writings and work of affiliates will be developed with accountability — including dramaturgy, master classes, residencies, workshops, etc. Black artists are rarely given time, laboratories, personnel, or opportunities to test ideas. A full-time artistic life is still a privilege predicated upon race and class. DEMASKUS provides an artistic home.
TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY
The collective believes that what happens on stage is a direct reflection and result of what takes place behind the scenes. Professionalism is required of all participants from the audition process through the final performance. Technical teams can often feel separate and apart from the actors. The backstage and front-of-house can become territorial regions with different laws/orders of operation. During the development of any work, artists, affiliates, and contractors are expected to collaborate in a healthy and respectful fashion. We believe in asking for what we need to accomplish a work we will be proud of. We are capable and willing to do exceptional work with whatever resources we have.
PITTSBURGH AND BEYOND
The collective believes that while it is important to build Pittsburgh’s arts scene, it is equally important to take the great work being done within our city and region to places beyond our borders. The goal of the collective is to be able to perform both inside and outside of Pittsburgh. Our process takes into consideration building/designing productions that can travel and easily be remounted. Through our work, people will come to know the city of Pittsburgh and its artistic landscape, which is often overshadowed by other cultural metropolises. The collective live streams its productions whenever possible as a more cost-efficient way to bring DEMASKUS productions into classrooms, community centers, homes, and cultural institutionsthroughout the world. Productions will push the boundaries of our practice. We measure ourselves against our own standards and values.
MEETINGS AND FORWARD MOVEMENT
The collective and its producers meet on a monthly basis throughout the year to plan for the annual production season. During time off from monthly meetings, the collective holds webinars and instructional sessions. Each producer meets with their team to move projects forward. As funds are needed for projects, individual producers reach out to New Sun Rising to allocate or distribute funds accordingly. New Sun Rising is the fiscal sponsor that receives monies on behalf of the collective.