Performing Arts Technologies Lab

Applications for the 2024 Performing Arts Technologies Lab are now closed.

The Performing Arts Technologies Lab is both a grant and a support system designed to expand access to and nurture new methods for creating, sharing and experiencing the performing arts. The Doris Duke Foundation (DDF) is looking for innovative ideas in jazz, contemporary dance and theater that make use of new digital tools and production methods.

Whether you are just starting to explore these ideas or have been working with emerging stage technologies and new digital tools for a long time, we’re interested in your unique artistic and technical proposals. DDF welcomes all performing arts perspectives and technical approaches from individuals, partnerships and organizations.

Selected projects will proceed through a series of development phases, beginning with the articulation of a basic concept and culminating, for some proposals, in a fully funded implementation. Support will combine financial resources with technical assistance. Participants will be expected to participate in a series of virtual and in-person meetings that will be programmed to facilitate shared learning and exchange.

Background

The history of the performing arts is also a history of technology. From theater design, lighting, rigging and sound to the integration of digital processes on stage, these innovations continually provide artists with new forms of expression and audiences with new forms of experience.

COVID-19 fundamentally accelerated the role of digital technology in the arts. In forcing the closure of in-person venues and experiences, many artists and presenting organizations developed creative ways to reconceive their craft and engage audiences from their homes. Some of these improvisations powerfully and compellingly opened new, previously unexplored pathways to reach and move audiences. In other cases, the dizzying pace of change led to unprepared or poorly implemented projects due to lack of access and resources. For some, the options for remote engagement were altogether impossible.

DDF hopes that support from the Performing Arts Technologies Lab will help to generate the conditions necessary for the fields of theater, contemporary dance and jazz to sustainably and effectively leverage the complete capabilities of digital technology in instances where it is artistically beneficial and creatively productive.

Opportunity

At the Doris Duke Foundation, we are dedicated to supporting the growth of performing artists and innovators, whether working independently, within institutions and nonprofits, or through partnerships and collaborations. We believe that advancements in digital technology and production methods can greatly enhance creativity in the performing arts and deepen audience experience.

In the realm of performing arts and technology, there are many questions to explore. Some are technical:

What new tools are emerging in the performing arts, and how are artists using them?
What skills and support do artists and arts professionals need to effectively use these tools?
What kind of setup is needed to integrate new digital and production technologies with performances, whether in-person, online or in hybrid settings?
How is digital technology changing the roles and requirements of those supporting arts production and administration?
Are the resources needed for the integration of new production technologies in the performing arts different from traditional methods, and how can we learn from one another’s experiences to enhance the creative process?

On a more fundamental level:

What creative possibilities does emerging digital technology unlock, and what are the limitations?
How can technology alter the dynamic between artists and their audiences, and what are the implications of such alterations?
Does technology align with or compete with the ways in which artists pursue their work and engage with the communities that assemble around it?
What does digital technology mean for the accessibility of performing arts for both artists and audiences?

To explore these questions, the Doris Duke Foundation is establishing the Performing Arts Technologies Lab. This initiative aims to support and nurture expansive ideas that seek to experiment with the potential of digital tools in the creation, presentation and distribution of performing arts. The lab is a space for individuals and organizations at all levels of technical expertise who seek to experiment at the intersection of technology and the performing arts.

Recognizing that emerging technologies can reshape the ways in which the performing arts are produced and presented, we welcome a broad range of approaches. This includes projects led by artists, organizations or creative partnerships, but also seeks to extend to those beyond the typical boundaries of the performing arts sector, and we encourage those who see new possibilities for technological advancements in the field to apply. DDF is eager to explore the power and potential of a diverse grantee cohort.

Finalists

The 40 artists and organizations whose proposals have been selected for the second-round external review by an independent panel are:

Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage, AK – Dance
Alley Theatre, Houston, TX – Theater
Ananya Dance Theatre, St. Paul, MN – Dance
Andrew Schneider, Brooklyn, NY – Theater
Ballet Hispánico of New York, New York, NY – Dance
Center for the Arts, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT – Multi-disciplinary
ChromaDiverse, Inc., San Francisco, CA – Dance
Contemporary Performing Arts of Chattanooga Inc., Chattanooga, TN – Multi-disciplinary
CultureHub, New York, NY – Multi-disciplinary
d. Sabela grimes, Los Angeles, CA – Dance
Electric Root, Torrance, CA – Jazz
ArtsEmerson and HowlRound Theatre Commons at Emerson College, Boston, MA – Multi-disciplinary
futurePerfect lab + Q Dance Company, Gainesville, FL – Dance
grisha coleman, Cambridge, MA – Dance
Guillermo E. Brown, Los Angeles, CA – Multi-disciplinary
HBarts Collective, Inc., New York, NY – Multi-disciplinary
HiiiWAV, Oakland, CA – Jazz
Indigenous Performance Productions, Olympia, WA – Theater
Junebug Productions Inc., New Orleans, LA – Theater
Kinetic Light, New York, NY – Dance
KKA Advisors, New York, NY – Multi-disciplinary
kosoko performance studio, Brooklyn, NY / Philadelphia, PA – Multi-disciplinary
Marcus Roberts, West Roxbury, MA – Jazz
Momentum Stage, Inc., Plantation, FL – Dance
National Performance Network, New Orleans, LA – Multi-disciplinary
Native Art & Cultures Foundation, Inc., Portland, OR – Multi-disciplinary
Non-Op, Inc., Chicago, IL – Multi-disciplinary
Open Circle Theatre. Inc., Rockville, MD – Theater
Paul Rucker, Richmond, VA – Jazz
Performance Space New York, New York, NY – Multi-disciplinary
San Francisco Jazz Organization, San Francisco, CA - Jazz
Scott Oshiro, Mountain View, CA – Jazz
Sélébéyone, Altadena, CA – Jazz
Sozo Impact, Oakland, CA – Multi-disciplinary
The Healing Project, New York, NY – Jazz
Toni Dove, New York, NY – Multi-disciplinary
University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL – Theater
Vision Into Arts Presents, Inc., Brooklyn, NY – Multi-disciplinary
Wexner Center Foundation, Colombus, OH – Theater
Wideman Davis Dance, Columbia, SC – Dance

The Doris Duke Foundation will announce its list of Lab grantees in September 2024.

Questions

For questions by email, please use artsRFP@dorisduke.org with “2024 Phase 1 Lab – [your last name]” as the subject line. Your questions will be answered within two business days.