On Site

On Site: Methods for Site-Specific Performance Creation is a practical book for artists and students at all levels who create or are learning to create making sited dance works. Author Stephan Koplowitz covers specific, hands-on strategies for an array of issues to consider before, during, and after embarking upon a project, including site selection, procuring permits, designing the audience experience, researching and exploring a site for inspiration and content, differences in urban and natural environments, definitions of key production roles, building effective collaborations with artists, and techniques to generate site-inspired production elements such as sound/music, costumes, lighting, and media. He also offers helpful chapters on project budgeting, contract negotiation, fundraising, marketing, documentation, and assessment.
Based on the author's career spanning over 30 years of site-specific creation, the book also includes the voices of over 24 other artists, producers, and writers who share their perspectives and experiences on the many topics covered. A guide designed to make site work practical, intentional, and attainable, On Site will become a well-worn reference for anyone interested in the creative process and discovering the power of site-specific works.

Stephan Koplowitz is an award-winning director/ choreographer/media artist working on stage, film, and site. He has created 92 works produced in the US, Europe, and Asia. Awards include the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, Guggenheim Fellowship, New York "Bessie" Award, six NEA Fellowships, and a Rockefeller Bellagio Fellowship. After 23 years in NYC working as an educator and artist, Koplowitz was appointed dean/faculty of dance at the California Institute of the Arts (2006- 2016). Koplowitz has a degree in music from Wesleyan University and an MFA in choreography from the University of Utah. He currently resides in NYC.

- Preface
- Introduction: Motivations and Definitions
- 1. How Do We Start?
- Chapter 1 What Motivates Site Selection
- Chapter 2 Permissions, Permits and Insurance
- Chapter 3 Designing the Event, Staging the Audience
- Chapter 4 The Site as Inspiration for Your Work
- 3. Fueling Your Vision
- Chapter 5 Staffing Key Production Roles
- Chapter 6 Negotiating Fee and Contract
- Chapter 7 Planning Your Planning Budget
- Chapter 8 Fundraising for Your Artistic Plan: A Short Primer
- 4. Creating/Generating Content
- Chapter 9 Staging, Placing Your Work in a Site (one method)
- Chapter 10 Site Content and Process
- Chapter 11 Collaboration and Collaborative Elements
- 5. Creative and Production Challenges
- Chapter 12 Rehearsal Process
- Chapter 13 Rehearsal Safety
- Chapter 14 Creating for Physically Integrated Casts and Accessibility
- 6. More Challenges from the Real World
- Chapter 15 Working with a Set Budget after Fundraising
- Chapter 16 Promoting and Marketing the Work
- Chapter 17 Documentation
- Chapter 18 Assessment
- 7. Epilogue
- Chapter 19 Last, Last Thoughts
- Appendix
- Acknowledgements
- Index
- About the Author