PAAL Partners With The Public Theater, Emily Mann and A.R.T./New York Join, To Present The First National Summit On Parent Support

Parent Artist Advocacy League for the Performing Arts (PAAL) is partnering with The Public Theater in New York City to present the first national summit on parent support in the performing arts. Lead facilitators from various theatre companies, organizations, and professions will engage in semi-open facilitation with summit participants on a range of topics including: cost-effective financial benefits to childcare stipends, budgeting for childcare, hiring laws, compliance, family leave, and more. The PAAL Summit will provide performing arts leaders with an intimate and safe space for active discussion, resource exchange, and concept generation. The PAAL National Handbook on Caregiver Support will guide the sessions, including the handbook's research into needs and solutions for both administrative and creative roles, original case studies-including the Radical Parent-Inclusion (RPI) Project, which was co-led by PAAL and The Playwrights Realm, and data from the PAAL National Childcare Grant program on how affordable stipends for childcare can make a sustainable impact.

The PAAL Summit main sessions will take place on Friday, December 6, 2019, from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM in The Public Theater's Shiva Theater at 425 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003, featuring a keynote address on parenting and supportive leadership from Emily Mann, artistic director of McCarter Theatre Center. Childcare will be provided on-site for free for summit attendees at the Public and caregiver support will be provided for free at the A.R.T./New York Happy Hour, both events with care provided by Broadway Babysitters. The PAAL Summit will also host a Happy Hour that evening from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM, co-hosted by A.R.T./New York at the A.R.T./New York theatres at 502 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019, featuring a keynote fireside chat on motherhood and leadership from a soon to be announced guest.

The PAAL Summit conversation will focus on challenges and opportunities for institutional decision-makers, such as executive and artistic leadership, managers, producers, directors, and the like. Training sessions building on the work of the PAAL Summit will be available in the upcoming months to support both institutions and individuals on the path to an elevated national standard of parent support.

The PAAL Summit list of participating organizations include The Public Theater, A.R.T./New York, WP Theater (formerly Women's Project), The Playwrights Realm, Theatre for Young Audiences/USA, Elevator Repair Service, The TEAM, Theatre Communications Group, StateraArts, HowlRound Theatre Commons, North Star Projects, Latinx Theatre Commons, The Sol Project, Blackboard Plays, Simpatico Theatre Company, and more. Participants include experts on employee rights from Center for Reproductive Rights, Nicole M. Brewer of Concientious Theatre Training providing anti-racist theatre training, and more. The PAAL Summit steering committee includes Ariana Smart Truman, Producing Director & Vice President of Elevator Repair Service Theater, Devon Berkshire, Director of Conferences and Fieldwide Learning at Theatre Communications Group, Iris McQuillan-Grace, Senior Manager, Talent at Center of Reproductive Rights, Hannah Fenlon, Associate Director of Conferences and Fieldwide Learning at Theatre Communications Group (outgoing), Tiffany Vega-Gibson, President & Founder La Vega Management, Rachel Spencer Hewitt, PAAL Founder, Adriana Gaviria, Founder & Artistic Director of North Star Projects, Producer of Latinx Theatre Commons Miami Convening, Artistic Producer of The Sol Project/SolFest, and Amanda Spooner, Transport Theatre Group.

Registration for the PAAL Summit can be found on the PAAL website. Discount codes are available for TCG and A.R.T./New York members and can be requested by email at info@paaltheatre.com. Early registration prices are currently listed and available until November 25, 2019. Cost-neutral options are available by applying to volunteer at the events.

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ABOUT PAAL:

Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) is a national advocacy organization serving as a resource hub, community, and solutions generator for caregivers in the performing arts and media and the institutions who support them. PAAL created the first all-gender, all-discipline national PAAL Childcare Grants for individuals and institutions. PAAL has developed a National Handbook on Best Practices for supporting caregivers in the performing arts, the guiding resource for the first of its kind Radical Parent Inclusion Project at The Playwrights Realm. PAAL membership for institutions provides digital resources, training, and support for institutions engaged in inclusive caregiver support. PAAL membership for individuals engages through local chapter meetups, provides digital resources, training, and community for parent and caregiver artists and administrators. PAAL continues to develop the first national list of family-friendly theatres and organizations.

The PAAL National Handbook is a resource created to elevate the national standard of caregiver support in the performing arts and media. The PAAL Handbook is the culmination of PAAL's research, interviews, and replicable solutions already provided by a range of individual artists and leaders and institutions, and includes steps to generating additional solutions where needed. It is designed to provide diverse options so that leadership and institutions can curate support for their individual parent contributors that is also sustainable for the institution.

For more information on resources, including PAAL Childcare Grants for both institutions and individuals, visit the PAAL official website.

To support PAAL childcare grants and initiatives, donations can be made here.

For questions and/or press inquiries, please contact Rachel at info@paaltheatre.com.

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