Idris Ackamoor and Cultural Odyssey
For The African American Theater Alliance For Independence (AATAIN) Project
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Amount$200,000
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Program
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Date Awarded9/17/2015
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Term24 Months
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Type of SupportProject
Strategies
Overview
The African American Theater Alliance for Independence (AATAIN) is a fiscally sponsored project of Cultural Odyssey. AATAIN is consortium of organizations based in San Francisco that create work that reflect the African American experience. Within the context of continued displacement of the African American community from San Francisco, this unique capacity building initiative will work closely with the AATAIN consortium, specifically the African American Art and Culture Complex (AAACC) and its resident companies: African American Shakespeare Company, PUSH Dance Company, AfroSolo Theater, and Cultural Odyssey (current grantee). The aim of this project is to develop AATAIN’s capacity to increase earned revenue by expanding audiences and increasing ticket sales. This capacity building project consists of two phases of work: 1) Technology Assessment and Implementation, and 2) Box Office Development and Marketing Planning. Phase one will ensure that all cohort member organization have baseline tech capacities that will allow them to develop a marketing plan and implement a shared "box office solution" for AAACC’s resident performing companies.
About the Grantee
Grantee Website
www.culturalodyssey.org
Address
Post Office Box 156620, San Francisco, CA, 94115-6680, United States
Grants to this Grantee
for general operating support
Idris Ackamoor and Cultural Odyssey produces original work rooted in African American music, dance, and theatrical traditions. The organization’s programming consists of five annual productions performed before 5,000 locals; thousands more see its work on national and international tours. In addition, Cultural Odyssey runs The Medea Project, a pioneering artistic process that transforms the lives of incarcerated women through storytelling and performance.
for general operating support
Cultural Odyssey is the creative collaboration between its two founders, musician Idris Ackamoor and theater artist Rhodessa Jones, who together create, produce, and present work that reflects the contemporary African American experience. In addition to touring locally, nationally and internationally, Cultural Odyssey’s programming includes long-term theatrical work with incarcerated women. As spokespersons for late-career artists, Ackamoor and Jones have co-written resource books and articles about retirement planning for artists. New releases of previously recorded music honor the continued relevance of the artists’ careers. A renewal grant will support the continued development of Cultural Odyssey’s legacy and the development of an archive, as it expands its marketing capacity, and maintains its seasonal offerings.
