Open Channels NY Inc (Dixon Place)

Description

ORGANIZATION PROFILE: DIXON PLACE is a performance space founded in 1986 with the goal of providing a space for artists to create and develop new literary and performance work in front of an audience. While other venues of its kind have since died off, or now only present established artists, Dixon Place remains at the heart of the New York experimental performance scene. In a 60-seat house, with a 20′ x 10′ stage area, artists such as RENO, DAVID CALE, HOLLY HUGHES, DEB MARGOLIN, PEGGY SHAW, and WALLACE SHAWN use Dixon Place as an incubator for new work, while others such as BLUE MAN GROUP, JAMES GODWIN, JOHN LEGUIZAMO, LISA KRON, and LINDA MANCINI actually created their first original works at Dixon Place. With five-to-seven diverse performances and readings per week, and all for admission prices ranging from free to $12, Dixon Place serves as a virtual laboratory with an audience. This is an essential service to not only the 400 artists who perform here each year, but to the 10,000 audience members who attend their performances. In 1989, Ellie Covan, founding Director, was a recipient of a “Bessie”–a New York Dance and Performance Award–for her service to the community; and in 1990 Dixon Place received a Village Voice Obie Award Grant.
Since remuneration of artists has always been a Dixon Place priority, performers’ fees represent over 25% of the organization’s total budget. Dixon Place also provides publicity, technical assistance, rehearsal space, and video documentation.
Programming consists mainly of literary readings and performance works-in-progress, which include performance art, theater, music, and dance. In addition to the continuing works-in-progress events, monthly events include an Open Performance Night; three literary series: Poetry & Fiction Series (primarily featuring persons of color), Homotext (new work by lesbian and gay authors), and NYC’s longest running Science Fiction Reading Series; a New Play Reading Series; three dance series: Brand New Dance, Under Exposed, and Crossing Boundaries; and The Big Broadcast: Radio Lives at Dixon Place!, featuring performance work and literary readings, and broadcast each month on WBAI 99.5FM.
In 1992, Dixon Place began presenting one show a month that was more developed and ready for continuous performance. This became the More Time, More Money series, in which the shows are given an extended run, giving the artists a chance to edit and perfect the final stages of their work with an audience.
Another significant program initiated in 1992 was HOT! THE NYC CELEBRATION OF QUEER CULTURE, a month-long festival of lesbian and gay performance, theater, literature, dance, music, and film. The festival runs six nights a week with seven or eight shows per week, and continues to be one of Dixon Place’s most popular programs.
Dixon Place sponsors benefits for people with AIDS and their care givers. So far, more than $25,000 has been raised and donated to dozens of organizations, including the AIDS Treatment Data Network, Safe Space, Upper Room AIDS Ministry, Northern Lights Alternative, Brooklyn AIDS Task Force, God’s Love We Deliver, Inc., GMHC Emergency Fund, PWA Coalition-Community Research Initiative, The Hispanic Aids Forum, ActUp, Women & AIDS Resource Network, HEAL, Chats & Tarts, Bailey House, The Names Project, and the Minority Task Force on AIDS.
LITERARY SERIES PROFILE: The POETRY AND FICTION SERIES features poetry and fiction by both emerging and established artists. The series is loosely focused on, but not restricted to, authors who are persons of color. The series is curated by Regie Cabico Writers have included EDWIDGE DANTICAT, THULANI DAVIS, JUNOT DIAZ, CORNELIUS EADY, REG E. GAINES, FRANCISCO GOLDMAN, HATTIE GOSSETT, OSCAR HIJUELOS, LAYDING KALIBA, TRACIE MORRIS, MINNIE BRUCE PRATT, SAPPHIRE, SEKOU SUNDIATA, LAURIE STONE, AMLIKA LEE WHITNEY, and NORMAN WONG.
The SCIENCE FICTION SERIES, now in its eighth year, is the only ongoing science fiction reading series in New York City. To gain maximum exposure for these artists and their works, the series, curated by Amy Goldschlager, is aired each month on WBAI.
The HOMOTEXT SERIES focuses on literary work by gay and lesbian writers. Michael Klein curates. Writers in this series have included JANNETT BAILEY, PETER CAMERON, MARY BETH CASCHETTA, KATE CLINTO, ALFRED CORN, TORY DENT, BEATRIX GATES, STEPHANIE GRANT, SCOTT HIGHTOWER, WALTER HOLLAND, JOAN LARKIN, HONOR MOORE, GERRY GOMEZ PEARLBERG, ROBERT E. PENN, DAVID PRATT, SARAH SCHULMAN, PAUL SELIG, CHERYL BOYCE TAYLOR, LYNNE MARIE WANNAMAKER, and MARK WUNDERLICH.