Tuesday, April 8, 2008

The Roundabout Theatre Company Connects the Dots: Sunday in the Park with George

The Roundabout Theatre Company was my first professional theatre job. I stayed for about a year, fresh out of undergrad. I have continued to follow their climb, and smile at their continued success. Todd Haimes is without a doubt a brilliant and masterful artistic director.

Though they don't blog, they have begun to venture into the world of social media with videocasts and YouTube pieces. Their production of Sunday in the Park with George is currently playing at Studio 54. The show's book was written by James Lapine, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat.

Composed of many tiny "pixels", the Roundabout has invited anyone and everyone to contribute their own photograph to be one of the many tiny images that will make up a re-creation of the painting's dots, a la Chuck Close. I love this because it asks people to contribute something specific and personal. As a community, we build something together and the Roundabout will send updates periodically to let us know how the progress is going. You can also leave messages for people who have contributed their photos.

In social media, there's a place for everyone to play, an opportunity for all of us to contribute to the conversation. It's all about telling your story in your own voice, in a way that makes sense for you organization. To contribute your photo to the Roundabout's project, visit http://www.sundaydots.com/

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