"I
just wanted to take a moment to compliment all the
Staff on a great job on so many fronts. The past few
months have given us an opportunity to get to know
AASD "up close." Our son became a professional
youth member, participated in the All Cities Auditions,
is performing on one of the Festival plays and is now
rehearsing for a show resulting from the All Cities
Auditions' exposure. We are so impressed with the professionalism
of all the staff members. Every time I have had contact
with anyone at AASD they have been thorough, sensitive,
and incredibly responsive. The website and newsletters
(electronic and printed) are fabulous resources for
the community. It is reassuring, especially as a parent,
to know there is a "professional" resource
team available to help us sort through the options
available in the local theatre community...and a team
we can trust.
Again,
thank you for all you have done and providing such
a valuable service to the community."
Karen Bohrer (mother to Matthew
Bohrer, AASD member since 2002) |
Mission
The Actors Alliance of San Diego (AASD) is a
non-profit, membership based service organization dedicated to
the advancement, exposure and education of the theatre artist in
San Diego and enhancing the good of the community through the
medium of theatre.
Goals
• To educate and inform
theatre professionals in preparation for job opportunities
as well as the
development and production of their own endeavors.
• To provide local and regional auditions, training,
and performance opportunities for actors.
• To support and enhance an environment which encourages
and enables theatre professionals to live and work
in the San Diego area.
• To support other
local non-profit organizations through collaboration.
History of AASD and
Major Accomplishments
The Actors Co-op was founded
in October 1987 to empower area actors by providing
increased employment
opportunities
and promoting professional growth. Co-founders Linda
Libby, Annie Hinton, David Novak, and Philip Sneed
were four “local heavyweights,” as the
San Diego Union referred to them, who perceived a
need for a professional support organization for
actors in their city, similar to those found in other
centers for regional theatre such as SHARES in Ashland,
Oregon and REACT in Seattle, Washington. Veteran
actors Sneed and Hinton had been involved with SHARES
and REACT respectively.
The first objective of the organization was to
secure more employment opportunities by arranging
visits
to San Diego from artistic and casting directors
from theatres across the country. In the first year
of operation, the organization also established a
regular monthly newsletter, maintained an actor hotline
with frequent updates on professional employment
opportunities, secured substantial member discounts
at fifteen area theatres, and provided free audition
workshops in addition to participating in collaborative
ventures with the San Diego Playwrights Project and
San Diego State University.
During the early growth of the organization, the
older, more established San Diego Theatre League
(now the San Diego Performing Arts League) operated
as our fiscal receiver and offered the organization
non-profit status.
1990 - A five-year plan was established and the
first annual All-City Auditions were held. The
organization
moved into a 5,000 square foot facility that housed
the office and the newly established Actors Center
containing a callboard, library and rehearsal space
available for members to rent for a nominal fee.
February
1991 - The first annual Actors Festival
was held, a two-week event featuring some thirty
one-act plays and employing sixty or more actors.
December
1991 - The organization
received its 501(c)(3) status and officially
changed it’s
name to the Actors Alliance of San Diego.
October
1992 - For it’s
fifth anniversary, the organization established
the OnBookOnStage Playreading
Series.
March
1993 - Following the five-year plan established
in 1990, the organization moved the Actors Center
uptown to their own Hillcrest location.
March
1998 - The Actors
Festival included a new feature, “Kids
Fest” evenings, programming developed especially
for children and family audiences.
April
1999 - The Actors Alliance moved to its
current home in Normal Heights.
August
2002 - Long time employees Rosina Reynolds
and Gerry Maxwell leave the organization to pursue
professional theatre careers, paving the way
for managing director Suzanne Oswald to re-organize
and hire two new employees- Erin Cronican and
Jennifer
Austin.
July
2004 - The
Festival adds a new feature "Best of the Fest"
to honor
September
2004 - Plans begin for establishing San Diego's first
International Fringe Festival, with proposed debut
in September 2006. September
30, 2004 - Ends their 17th year
with a record number of members (517) and
a record
budget of just under $100,000 annually. |
