History of Flux’s Creative Partnership
REMINDER: WHAT IS FLUX’S CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP?
Flux Theatre Ensemble is led by our Creative Partnership. As Creative Partners (CPs), we practice shared leadership through consensus-based decision-making, collectively held resources and labor, and artistic collaboration. There are no fixed executive or artistic director positions. Instead, CPs move in to and out of leadership roles depending on the project, with other CPs consenting to those temporary roles. In this way, the power of leadership is not fixed and exploitative, but rather relational and abundant—a resource we all contribute to and draw from. All major decisions are made through a voting process within the Creative Partnership.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF FLUX’S CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP
In the before time: In 2005, Corinna Schulenburg collaborated with Candice Holdorf, Kelly O’Donnell, and Jason Paradine to produce and stage her play Riding the Bull at Theater for a New City. When we were invited back in 2006 to stage Corinna’s Rue, we were joined by Heather Cohn, Joe Mathers, and David Renwanz as co-producers. Together, we (“The Seven”) co-founded Flux Theatre Ensemble that July and gathered for our first annual Flux Retreat at the Little Pond Arts Retreat in August 2006. Flux’s inaugural production was Life is a Dream in 2007.
The founding generation: The seven co-founders were joined by Associate Members Jake Alexander, Tiffany Clementi, Michael Davis, Felicia Hudson, Isaiah Tanenbaum, Christina Shipp and Cotton Wright. This founding generation of Flux produced a remounted Riding the Bull, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Other Bodies, The Angel Eaters Trilogy, Pretty Theft, The Lesser Seductions of History, and Jacob’s House. At our annual Retreats, we defined our mission, values, and practices. We also began key play development programs like Flux Sundays, ForePlay, Have Another, and Food:Soul. As this generation evolved into the next, David, Candice, Joe, Jake, Michael, Felicia, and Cotton moved back from the Ensemble, Tiffany and Isaiah become full Creative Partners, as did Matt Archambault, Kia Rogers, and Will Lowry.
The flood generation: Flux’s productions, programs, and people grew rapidly during this time. We produced Dog Act, Ajax in Iraq, Menders, DEINDE, Hearts Like Fists, Sans Merci, Honey Fist, Jane the Plain, Once Upon A Bride There Was A Forest, and Salvage. We strengthened our broader community through the Friends of Flux (“FoFs”) program. We co-created new ways of making work that responded directly to social justice issues facing our community, like Understand Our Ground, Breathe Free, and #SpeakUp. We launched values-based innovations like the Open Book and Living Ticket. We participated in our first residency at Loisaida Center and under the leadership of Sandy Yaklin came to call “The Sandbox” a home for rehearsal, storage and construction. As Matt, Tiffany, and Jason moved back from the ensemble, we welcomed Becky Byers, Sol Crespo, Rachael Hip-Flores, Alisha Spielmann, and Chinaza Uche as new Creative Partners.
The fire generation: Flux’s work narrowed its focus and staged work that more explicitly engaged with a world on fire. We produced Rizing; Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood; productions of World Builders in both New York City and Los Angeles; AM I DEAD? The Untrue Narrative of Anatomical Lewis, The Slave; The Sea Concerto; and Operating Systems. Two of those productions were the fruits of our FluxForward program, which deepened our relationships with playwrights writing plays specifically for the ensemble. We participated in our first educational residency at Lafayette College. We paused other play development programs, like Flux Sunday and ForePlay. Becky, Sol, Kelly, and Chinaza moved back from the ensemble, and Emily Hartford and Lori Elizabeth Parquet joined us as Creative Partners.
The next generation began with Corey Allen, Sienna Gonzalez, and Jason Tseng joining the Creative Partnership at the A Year to the Day fundraiser in November 2019. They took co-leadership of an increasingly hybrid approach to Flux’s theatre-making driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly geographically dispersed Creative Partnership. Working with other CPs, Jason, Sienna, and Corey helped launch projects like Core Work and Our Options Have Changed.
Creative Partner Emeritus:
Tiffany Clementi
Jason Paradine
GO DEEPER
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR IN CREATIVE PARTNERS? || HOW DOES THE CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP WORK?
WHO ARE THE CURRENT CREATIVE PARTNERS? || SEED: A PATHWAY TO CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP
