Authority, Power and Influence from Shaun Franks

Last week’s FAIR forum was very inspirational. The overall message was about more than just our experience here at OSF; it was about life. Where do we feel we have authority? Where do we feel we have power? Where do we feel we have influence? Although we were asked in the context of OSF, after debriefing I felt like we were really being taught that all of these concepts originate within ourselves.

I met with Alison Carey last week and we discussed the climate change survey that will be going out to the company. I’m really excited about it even though it is a fairly long survey. Who knows the impact of asking questions about the climate? This survey has the potential of going nationwide though TCG (theatre talk I don’t really know because I have no idea what the acronym stands for). Depending on the results of the survey, TCG might begin administering it throughout theaters across the country.

The past month at OSF I’ve been doing a lot of research on the Green Task Force and the sustainable practices within the company. I’ve only begin to scratch the surface and plan to continue my education through a more active approach. Yesterday, after the administration meeting, I scheduled time to meet with multiple individuals both internal and external to the organization to begin conversations on what they believe should be worked on.

Today, I met with Alison Carey, and multiple professionals across the country including TCG to discuss the creation of an Eco-theatre journal. I’m really excited about the future of theatre and hope to see it become greener as time goes on.

Independence Day from Shaun Franks

This week started off great I was able to attend the 4th of July Parade in downtown Ashland. Claudia Alick invited people to utilize the lawn in front of her house to see the parade. I brought my family and was able to spend time with a lot of company members, it was a very cool experience.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about the questions for the climate change survey scheduled to go out soon. I think it would be great to see how OSF company members view climate change. The possibility that TCG might distribute this survey throughout different theatre companies is also a big step towards awareness about environmental issues in theatre.

This week I attended the artistic staff meeting which I find very helpful in being informed about what’s going on at OSF. I was also able to attend the Archives First Friday Exhibit  in the Bowmer Theatre for Carl Ritchie and meet Carl Ritchie. I brought my wife and we had a great time learning about the historical preservation happening at OSF; I’m really excited about the $200,000 NEH grant they received.

I begun working on rewriting the Green Task Force Mission Statement, currently it reads more like a vision with a couple of goals associated with it. I’d like to establish a clearer vision so that we know what should be pursued. I also printed out all the minutes from the old green task force meetings so that I can begin work on a timeline on what has been accomplished thus far.

–Shaun Franks