Wingspace Theatrical Design And XO Projects Present A Free Salon On Surviving And Thriving In Summer Theater

Wingspace Theatrical Design in collaboration with XO Projects will present our first in person salon since the beginning of the pandemic on Summer Theater, How to Survive and Thrive on Thursday, September 22nd at 7:00pm at the Old American Can Factory, 232 3rd St, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

Wingspace members: Edward Morris, Barbara Samuels, Lee Savage, and Nicole Slaven will discuss their experiences from a variety of theaters including Williamstown, Chautauqua, Glimmerglass and Spoleto Festival USA, This panel will be in person (outdoors, weather permitting) and will be followed by light drinks and bites.

Edward Morris is a set and projection designer for live performance and a sustainability advocate. He believes in the power of art and design to increase empathy and facilitate progressive social change. He is a graduate of University of Michigan, Yale School of Drama, and a member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE. He has taught design and dramaturgy at Connecticut College and The New School. He is passionate about fostering conversations about design and activism and has curated panel discussions for Wingspace Theatrical Design on: Gender Diversity in the Theatre, Green Model Making, Trans/GNC Representation in the Performing Arts, Teaching to Take Down the Patriarchy, Intellectual Property in the Theater, Design Pedagogy, Production Photography, Sustainable Production, and The Black Experience in the Musical, after 1865. He is passionate about conserving our environment and co-authored The Sustainable Production Toolkit. He has lectured on sustainability at numerous universities and am a proud supporter of the Broadway Green Alliance.

Barbara Samuels is a queer lighting designer, organizer and producer residing on unceded Wappinger and Munsee Lenape land. Barbara is invested in creating design-forward live events that prioritize generosity, equity, representation, and collaboration. Working nationally and internationally, Barbara collaboratively creates intimate and explosive lighting environments for new plays, opera and dance, aiming to unearth the human condition and consciousness of our surroundings. Barbara received Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award nominations for her lighting of the immersive sci-fi folk concert, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future (Ars Nova). She has designed for several OBIE award winning plays including Dance Nation (Playwrights Horizons), Great Lakes... (New Georges/WP Theater) and Grimly Handsome (minor theater).Barbara co-curates and co-moderates a dramaturgically-driven, majority designer, playreading discussion group. She served as the General Manager of OBIE Award-winning 13P from 2008-2012. In 2016, in addition to being a Target Margin Institute Fellow, The Interval named Barbara a Woman to Watch. Barbara holds a B.A. from Fordham University and an M.F.A in Lighting Design from NYU. Proud member of USA Local 829. New Georges Affiliated Artist.

Lee Savage Broadway: The Lightning Thief (Longacre Theatre). Additional New York City credits include: Natural Shocks and Collapse (Woman's Project), Surely Goodness and Mercy (Keen Company), Somebody's Daughter (Second Stage), Twelfth Night, X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation and Julius Caesar (The Acting Company), The Lightning Thief (Lortel), Imagining the Imaginary Invalid (Mabou Mines), Satchmo at the Waldorf (Westside), Muscles in our Toes, Sunset Baby and Thinner Than Water (Labyrinth), Rx (Primary Stages), All-American (LCT3), The Dream of the Burning Boy and Ordinary Days (Roundabout Underground), Jack's Precious Moment (P73), Oohrah! (Atlantic), The Bereaved (Partial Comfort), The Seagull (NAATCO), punkplay (Clubbed Thumb), End Days (EST), Go-Go Kitty Go! (NY Fringe Festival), West Moon Street (Prospect Theater Company), The Private Lives of Eskimos and I Heart Kant (Committee Theater Company), and Harvest (La Mama).Regional credits include productions at: American Conservatory Theatre, Alliance, Asolo Rep, Baltimore Centerstage, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Chautauqua Theater Company, Cleveland Play House, Dallas Theater Center, Delaware Theatre Company, Dorset Theatre Festival, Glimmerglass Festival, Goodman, Guthrie, Huntington, Kansas City Rep, Long Wharf, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Merrimack Rep, Old Globe, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature, Philadelphia Theatre Company, PlayMakers Rep, Trinity Rep, Two River Theater, Washington National Opera, Weston Playhouse, Wilma and Yale Rep.Lee is the recipient of the Helen Hayes Award (Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream (nom), Richard III (nom), NAACP Award (Satchmo at the Waldorf), Connecticut Critics Circle Award (The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow), and has received nominations for the Irish Times Theatre Award (A Streetcar Named Desire) and the Suzi Bass Award (Smart Cookie). Lee is a founding member of Wingspace Theatrical Design. He holds a Master of Fine Arts (Yale School of Drama), a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Rhode Island School of Design), and is the Head of Scenic Design at Rutgers, Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Nicole Slaven is a costume designer and teaching artist from Chesapeake, Virginia. Nicole believes that the best theatre is made well; born through execution that lives up to its intentions, worthy of the precious resources that it costs. Activism and co-conspiracy are a core part of her artistic practice and she is seeking to share space with others who want to create an industry that is worthy of our efforts and inclusive of diverse voices. Nicole chooses to collaborate with artists who pursue the improbable; without these alliances, her work would likely remain unchallenged and limited. She has been fortunate to find employment as a designer at many off broadway, regional, and educational institutions. She does not feel defined by her show credits or award nominations, but would rather be measured by the solidarity created through these experiences that bridge cultural differences. Nicole is a proud participant in the Black Lives Matter and Abolish ICE movements and cherishes her time spent in the pursuit of racial and social justice through Riders for Black Lives, a Brooklyn-based community mutual aid group. She has received most of her training and knowledge through generous offerings from our community and holds a BFA in Costume Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. She currently lives in Flatbush, Brooklyn with her partner Alejandro.

Wingspace is an organization of theater artists that fosters conversations on design, strengthens our community, and furthers activism in the field. Formed in 2005 and with a membership composed of over 60 designers, directors, and dramaturgs, Wingspace looks at the theater landscape from a design point of view. By sponsoring public events and workshops, fostering early career designers in our Mentorship Program, and staging events for the design community as whole, Wingspace creates opportunities for theater makers passionate about design to come together, learn from one another, and grow together as a community. www.wingspace.com

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