Infrared is a theatre collective that aims to meet in a collaborative capacity to elevate the written work of creative students at Arizona State University. This involves readings, staged readings, scaled-back productions, and full-scale productions based off the work written by the students.
We believe healthy and productive collaboration is the root of all successful pieces of fine art. We strive to invigorate and innovate the theatre field at ASU to get students communicating, working, and creating with one another on a more frequent basis. We aim to facilitate space to gather creators and writers who are looking to professionally develop their work, as well as establish a firm sense of community and togetherness which are incredibly important when creating art.
ASU currently offers a few mainstage productions with somewhat limited opportunities for people in the theatre space. Students often feel discouraged about being involved in full-scale productions throughout the years because of time commitments deemed demanding and implausible, as well as not feeling qualified to take on a position in the arts. Many members of the ASU theatre company look for production opportunities and subsequently feel unseen when their own work doesn’t see the limelight or receive the recognition it deserves. Infrared aims to remove the stigma against theatre involvement as we invite creators of all kinds to join us, regardless of identification and experience in the field. This aids both the total involvement with Infrared, as well as encouraging students to audition and get involved with the mainstage theatrical positions that initially seemed distant but are actually theirs for the taking. It’s all about encouraging the student’s involvement with the arts.
Furthermore, we aim to create a space for academic and professional success. We expect many students to bring us class projects that require the insight from other theatre creators in order to progress and be successful, as well as have potential to be developed outside of the classroom setting. We aim to meet once weekly and check in with fellow creators to see how their work has progressed and if they need any help with editing, performance tactics, and thematic values. Both of the founding members of Dramatic Writing MFA students who have credible experience within the field and can offer valuable to anyone who seeks. This will aid in furthering the cohesion within Infrared as well as the theatre field at ASU as a whole.
Members will be responsible for attending group meetings, which will occur at minimum once per week, barring any rehearsals that are scheduled for any upcoming performance. Members are not required to be involved in every performance, but to be considered an active member, will need to be involved, in some capacity, in at least one performance per academic year. At present, no membership dues or fees are required.
