As a fun addition to our annual Tailgate Party, OtB invited our peer arts-focused organizations to each submit a team to participate in Badminton Royale, a badminton round-robin tournament.

Well, it seems that the arts community is far from the touchy-feely portrait we have painted in the past and our peers are hard-asses with competitive badminton in their pasts.

Due to the high volume of smack-talking and request by some participants for things like “rules,” we have set up this blog to facilitate conversation about this exciting “community building” event. PARTICIPANTS AND VOYEURS, please come here for your one-stop for information on Badminton Royale.

THE DETAILS:

When: Tuesday, September 22nd from 5pm-9pm (if we have lots of teams, we may start a bit earlier)

What: A badminton round-robin tournament for teams of 2 players. (a final schedule and tournament rules will be distributed once we have a better sense of the participants)

Why:  For the last 2 years, On the Boards has kicked-off our season with a Tailgate Party in our parking lot. To celebrate we fence in the lot, serve $1 beers, eat hot dogs, sit in the back of pick-up trucks, do cheers and play games. This year we thought it would be fun to include all our friends & peers

Where: The On the Boards parking lot at the corner of 1st Ave. W and W. Roy (across the street from our theater)

Who: So far, the following organizations have submitted teams: 4Culture, ACT, Central District Forum, EMP/SFM, Frye, Giant Magnet, Henry, Intiman, Meany Hall, NW Film Forum, OtB, the Rep, SAM, Seattle Opera, SIFF, STG, The Stranger, TAM, & Town Hall. If you want to submit a team, please email md@ontheboards.org

Rules for the tournament will be posted soon…..

Want to watch that artist you read about in the NY Times on your iPod while flying cross-country? Want to show your aunt in Racine, WI that kick-ass performance by Tanja Liedtke from OtB last spring? Are you too cheap to see a live performance, but want to stay culturally hip? Do you like contemporary performance better when you are sitting around in your pajamas? Are you an insomniac?

In early 2010 OtB will launch OtBTV, the first-of-its-kind online pay-per-view series offering high quality and hi-def, full-length OtB-style performances. We’re creating the live art equivalent to the museum catalogue, providing access for those not able to see a show due to scheduling, geography or cost, and giving art fans the opportunity to revisit a favorite piece again and again. OtBTV will also host extra features like podcasts, audience blogs, artist voices and other contextual information. Filmed at OtB, as well as at peer theaters across the globe, the performances in this new initiative will present a snapshot of the best new works in dance, theater and music. OtBTV, funded with seed money from the Wallace Foundation’s Excellence Awards, allows us to test new ground and determine the best ways to record live performances, ensure artists get paid for the distribution of their art, and give new audiences the chance to experience contemporary art. Performances will be accessible in multiple formats @ ontheboards.org. Visit the site this fall for updated launch information and details on the project.

Our friends down at the Portland-based technical clothing company Nau asked us to spread the word on a great grant opportunity for folks (hello artists!) who are making a difference through their creative work.

More info at nau.com

to start thinking about your 12 Minutes Max audition! We just posted the 09/10 Season application and the first audition is coming up quick, on August 30th. Check out the 12MM info page for more details.

Remember, all applications are due in to OtB by the Friday of the week before the audition, so in this case, by August 21st!

Click on the image above to watch our very own TV show pilot.

Managing Director Sarah Wilke and Artistic Director Lane Czaplinski celebrate 1978 at our annual Spectacle Spectacular fundraiser dinner on June 18th.

Photo by Alison Mills