work | Shearwater Productions

Mystery & Adventure Agency cemetery photo

Celebrate Halloween with these unique and creative activities

October 31, 2022

Today is the day! The ghouls and goblins have populated the fronts of houses, the children are excited about “what to be,” and the parents are dreading the sugar crash while sneaking a few king-sized bars. Some of my friends and colleagues bemoan the hype, commercialism, and calories. I personally LOVE Halloween (I’m a theatre person, remember, with an active inner child), but this blog is dedicated to those who don’t. You can make this holiday about something more meaningful. Here are my recommendations for doing something for All Hallows that doesn’t have anything to do with haunted houses or

A group of students planning out their project

How does the collaboration circle work

May 7, 2015

As I write this, I pause to quickly grab a pencil and jot down one more thing on my “Bring” list, so I don’t forget when I leave for a foreign country at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. I have more anxiety than I typically do — normally I am happiest and most content moving through space (or preparing to), and love my collaborative-creative projects best of all. So what, I asked myself, was I worried about this time? I had done quite a bit of social, cultural, and language preparation, spent time with friends and colleagues from this country to

Interview with a Writer: Joan Reeves

June 22, 2014

I’m so honored to be interviewing writer Joan Reeves (we talk about writing tips, inspirations, and the whys of things)! Before I share her words with you, please take a moment to cruise around on the rabble.ca website, and support them if you can. It’s an amazing grassroots organization with real news and in-depth cultural content, and it’s not just for Canadians 🙂 June is Audiobook Month, and I personally love ‘reading by listening’. Whether I am cleaning or driving or doing paperwork, audiobooks delight me, inform me, comfort me, keep me awake, and so much more. Also, I am

Landing the next one: 3 tips for marketing yourself

April 27, 2014

I have had a rash of opportunities lately, both ones I applied for and some where they reached out to me. This may seem obvious, but as artists, educators, community leaders, we’re typically always looking for our next gig. But we too often forget that what begets success, even in the face of what looks like failure, is less WHO we are than HOW we are. Duh, right? Yet, I know that at least two of my current projects came to me, not because I was the “best” (most stellar, most talented), nor even because I am “very good” —

Funding Olympics, Cutting the Arts

February 5, 2014

It’s Olympic time! Here’s the crazy thing — yes, I love the Olympics. I love watching them. I love that occasionally, people I know are involved, and I can route extra hard for them. I love the power and grace of the human form focused with intention…it is so beautiful, and for me, so very artistic, and I don’t just mean figure skating. What an excellent opportunity for the youth of the world to see the connections between sport and art, between strength and grace! And since the Olympics are supposed to foster peace and understanding, it’s a great chance

Guest Blogger Mikel Moss speaks on Drama Therapy and Community

November 9, 2013

Mikel Moss is an Ithaca Native and Drama Therapy Alternative Training Student with the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA). He was recently awarded the “Student Volunteer of the Year” Award by the NADTA and he currently serves on their Diversity Committee. He is vice president and co-founder of the Affinity Group “Blacks in Drama Therapy.” He gave the below speech at the annual Drama Therapists’ conference this year. In it, the community to which he refers is that of Drama Therapists. I have very vivid memories of my childhood: Singing, playing outside, riding my big wheel, laughing, my favorite

Labor and creativity: Changing spaces changes where you are

September 1, 2013

This week, I want to remind you of what I have just been reminded of—that a shift in our physical working space or place manifests in a shift or working thinking and an increased capacity for creative problem solving. As an arts-in-ed fanatic, I know (thanks to neuro-research) that using arts modalities to teach academic content uses multiple neuro-pathways, creates emotional engagement, and is based in interrogative process, rather than passive information consumption. The amazing Gary Anaka, a leader in the area of brain research and thinking processes, says that when the body is moving, the brain is engaged, and

Holly holding a pistol for a mystery dinner

Making Your Arts Business Successful

February 9, 2012

So, there you are, gearing up for another busy month. As usual, “work on website” and “go to networking event” and “get business cards” move to the bottom of the “to-do” list. They can, right? Face it—your schedule is full! But then business trauma hits—a school loses its funding, a theatre has to hack at its budget, a community organization is cutting the department which contracted you. How do you turn these moments into success? First off, allot yourself no more than 10 minutes to spend on despair and the feeling of failure. I would say, “Skip this step”, but