Velocity aims to develop material in three mediums - stage, film and television - and does not discriminate between the mediums. From our perspective, strong dramatic narrative holds water irrespective of the medium. Playwrights can write screenplays; screenwriters can write plays. The overarching goal of LoNyLa is to empower artists to transit between mediums seamlessly as well as between geographic regions.
Each project (rehearsed reading) will be broadcast live over the Internet to the other cities. An interactive feedback session will be conducted between the cities via video conferencing, which creates an instantaneous feedback loop.
This development process enables the writer to receive script notes from diverse groups – i.e., local and remote audiences – in real time. Given the time zone differences between East and West, Velocity will record projects and post them online for 24/7 access.
Velocity will assign a director and a dramaturg to each project. We will try and schedule the project for a rehearsed reading/broadcast in the hub that lends the greatest benefit to the writer. For example, a British writer may want to forge stronger ties to the New York theatre community. An American writer may prefer to work with a British cast on a new play.
Note: Writers who have an ongoing relationship with a dramaturg may not want to disrupt that relationship. Velocity will respect, if not encourage, that choice.
The development of each project requires 12-15 hours (2 days), which includes rehearsal, a read-through prior to broadcast and a technical rehearsal in the venue (TBA).
Supported by a stage management/broadcasting team, the writer and director of each project will begin planning the rehearsed reading one month in advance.
Lab members can connect, collaborate and access lab materials on lonyla.com, a professional networking platform with social media functionality (i.e., a Facebook for artists). Velocity Lab and LoNyLa members can access recordings as well as email/message feedback to the writer at a later date.
