What is being "on the road" like? Is your show better suited for touring internationally, or locally in Chicago? How do you get started? How do you make a professional and efficient tech rider? What IS a tech rider, anyway!?

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If any of these questions inspire you, join us at Physical Theater Festival's first International Touring Panel. We recommend this event for touring artists and theatre companies ranging from aspiring to experienced. Come discover and discuss details about one of the most exciting portions of theatre-making: sharing it.

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Admission is free!

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Order of Events

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7:00-8:00pm​

Touring discussion featuring touring artists and presenters from renowned Chicago companies: Angelique Grandone, Doreen Sayegh, Blair Thomas, Katie Mazzini, Dana Murphy, John Rich and Yolanda Cesta Cursach Montilla.

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Hosted by Marc Frost: Co-Artistic Director, Physical Theater Festival Chicago

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8:00-8:30pm

Breakout sessions on touring specifics

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• Budgeting, led by Angelique Grandone

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• Tech Riders, led by Doreen Sayegh

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Hardcopies of sample tour packets and tech riders will be provided at the event, and online copies will be available post-event. If you are unable to bring multiple representatives from your company, we plan to film both breakout sessions to make available to attendees.

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8:30-8:35pm

Wrap up. Continuation of the discussions at the bar and lobby of Stage 773 are encouraged!

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Panelist Bios:

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Angelique Grandone is an arts manager focusing on contemporary circus on the stage and in the streets. With a background in theatre making and social justice, she draws upon skills acquired in a wide variety of settings including work as a performer, a doula, a health educator, a community organizer and a production manager. She currently works with the Chicago Park District as the Managing Director of Theater on the Lake: Chicago's Summer Theater Festival and as a programmer in the Night Out In the Parks program.

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Doreen Sayegh produces Chicago Shakespeare’s international programming. Previously, Doreen was Festival Producer of Shakespeare 400 Chicago, Managing Director of the Seattle’s the Satori Group, and Arts Programming Advisor for The Next Fifty (Seattle Center). Doreen is the Board Vice President of Links Hall and the League of Chicago Theatres, and the Legacy Co-Chair for the 2019 Year of Chicago Theatre. She is an alumna of the European Festivals Association’s Atelier POZNAŃ 2014. BFA: Theatre Design/Technology, Syracuse University. MFA: Arts Leadership, DePaul University

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Blair Thomas is the Founder and Artistic Director of Blair Thomas & Company, a national and international touring puppet theater company that formed in 2002. BT&Co has created over a dozen original puppet theater pieces and has twice won international UNIMA awards for excellence in the art of puppetry. Blair is also the producer of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.

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Katie Mazzini and Dana Murphy are both company members of Walkabout Theater, an ensemble-based theater based in Chicago, IL. Walkabout produces world-premiere, touring performances created by the ensemble; original site-specific events motivated by developing new forms of public engagement and artistic collaborations; and actor training workshops investigating performance technique, individual research, and artistic exchange. Dana also serves as the company’s Marketing and Education Manager, while Katie serves as Grants Manager. 

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John Rich is the Dance and Theatre Coordinator for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events at City of Chicago. Previously, John was the Manager of Performance for the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s stage series of dance, theatre, and music. He was also the Director of the Guild Literary Complex, a cross-cultural presenting organization in Chicago, founded the Chicago Book Expo in 2011, and served as the last company manager for Goat Island Performance Group.

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Yolanda Cesta Cursach Montilla (Independent Curator and Artistic Director, High Concept Labs) works closely with artists, organizations and entrepreneurial environments locally and in the U.S. and abroad. At HCL, she directs the Artist Residency program, and her recent tenure as Curator of Performance with the Museum of Contemporary Art (1997-2018) was defined by supporting artists at every stage of investigation, creation, presentation, and touring.  Her sustained interest is cultural practice committed to equity, and she serves the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance as Curator.

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