How It All Works

All new artists in Theatre Louisiane are brought in as Associate Artists, which are participants who are included in our supplementary pool of artists. Associate Artists are not included in the decision-making processes of the organization, and they are not eligible to direct projects, or have their original scripts produced. They can work in any other capacity on any project, and they have the right to meet with the Directorate at any time to voice concerns and make requests. After major participation in two consecutive projects, Associate Artists then become eligible for Resident Artist status. Resident Artists are those core artists of Theatre Louisiane who are consistently and currently responsible for, and at the forefront of, new ideas and projects. Residents Artists are entitled to attend planning meetings and have major input in the artistic and organizational processes of Theatre Louisiane. Our projects are fairly centered around our Resident Artists, but Resident Artists must remain reasonably active within Theatre Louisiane's creative activities, or they will be reclassified as Associate Artists until they are again fully active. This system allows us to focus on the creative efforts of our core artists, while remaining inclusive toward potential new artists.

All Theatre Louisiane artists are expected to participate in multiple ways in the organization, and versatile applicants who have a professional attitude toward their work are best suited to the group. Ability to both follow direction and take creative initiative are necessary, and the diversification of an individual's efforts is highly encouraged. Both Resident Artist and Associate Artists are provided highly flexible hours, which range from five to twenty hours per week during the creation of a project.

Theatre Louisiane is an emerging group comprised solely of artists, rather than an established production company or institution that has plenty of resources.  The artists of the group are of a professional focus, are committed to actively building a vibrant collective, and are aware that while Theatre Louisiane strives for professional levels in all that it does, it will continue to be in the process of pursuing those levels. The group does not currently sustain (nor has yet been able to sustain) the conditions and pay required by Actor's Equity or any other professional union.  Salaried artist positions, as well as other standards and conditions, are ideals that we are aggressively building toward, but they have not yet seen a living incarnation.  One of our major objectives is to one day pay our artists a living wage, so that dedicated theatre artists can live in Louisiana and still continue to pursue their art.

We ARE accepting Apprentices at this time, on a selective basis. Apprentices are part-time personnel (always unpaid) with little or no theatre experience and a desire to learn about professional theatre intensively. Apprentices can be academic or non-academic in nature. The apprenticeship program is free of charge to accepted applicants, and provides a unique and valuable opportunity to receive hands-on professional theatre experience. As part of their training, apprenticeship personnel will be given various assignments to complete with the organization, including creative, technical, and administrative work during their term. Apprenticeships require a minimum of six months in residency with the organization, and are designed by the organization according to the apprentice's personal goals. Apprentices' work hours are highly flexible, typically ranging from ten to twenty hours per week. At the completion of their term, apprentices are awarded a certificate of training and can receive credit from any scholastic institution that they attend, pending approval of that school. Apprenticeship personnel may become eligible for Associate Artist positions after the evaluation of their training with Theatre Louisiane. Please note that apprenticeship applications will be assessed primarily according to the nature of their Letter of Intent. Due to limited resources, Theatre Louisiane can only accept a fixed number of Apprentices at any given time, so applicants may be placed on a waiting list.

After FULLY reading this page and the "About Us" page, all applicants should submit the following items:

1) A Letter of Intent (outlining: your plans, your reason for wanting a position with/training from Theatre Louisiane, and what you can give to the group, and a description of any intended creative ideas with Theatre Louisiane or otherwise),

and

2) A Current Artistic Resume (you may supplement this with non-artistic data should you be significantly lacking in creative experience).

We accept submissions through Email or U.S. Mail.  All written materials must be typed.  Emailed submissions must be included in the text of the email, not as an attachment. Please understand that we will delete your attachment, unread.

Once you submit the above materials, an interview will be arranged following our Artistic Directorate's review of your initial submission. At the time of interview, you may be asked to provide samples of work.

Applicants are also encouraged to read through Theatre Louisiane's project history in our Online Archive, since our work leans heavily toward the cutting edge and the explorational. Newcomers should be comfortable with the creation of visionary, vibrant theatrical art, and be able to embrace revisionistic fringe work. Those seeking an outlet for highly traditional theatre will rarely be suited to Theatre Louisiane. An applicant's optimal path would be to attend a Theatre Louisiane production and witness our work firsthand before seeking out participation in the group.