How To No Shame:
A Self-Starting Manual for Creating and Maintaining a No Shame Theatre
by Todd Wm. Ristau and Jeff Goode
Arts Administration
56 pages

No Shame was started in 1986 in the back of a pickup truck at the University of Iowa. It is designed to be a low-risk performance venue for new and original work by emerging artists. It continues at Iowa, as well as additional locations across America from New York to Los Angeles, Fairbanks to Miami.

This complete manual provides everything you need to know to start and maintain a No Shame of your very own. Loaded with information on structure and format for on- and off-campus venues, administration and publicity models, the history of No Shame, and resources to draw upon to ensure success. A great book for anyone interested in starting a theatre, writers, actors, or performance artists. (For more information see www.noshame.org).

#31-001

Table of Contents:

PART ONE: THE BONES
What the heck is No Shame?
   It's a place where people can take risks
   It's a theatre in a truck (or bar, or courtyard, or even a theatre)
   It's a convoy of theatres parked all over the world
How did the first one start?
   First there was this thing called Midnight Madness
   Then there was this truck with an audience around it
How do you do it?
   The rules
   The basic structure is simple:
      Show up on Friday (or whatever night you do it)
      Take the first 15 scripts that arrive
      Read the order
      Do the pieces
      Clean up afterwards

PART TWO: THE FLESH
Who do I get to do it?
   Forming your core group of writers
   And your core group of performers
   And your core audience
Where do you do it?
   No Shame is a parasite
   Choosing a host theatre
      On-campus
      Off-campus
What else do I need?
   The Staff Structure, a necessary evil
      The Holy Trinity (your Staff)
      Other jobs
      The Board

PART THREE: THE CLOTHES
Good to go? Well, not quite...you're not dressed!
   Publicity
Anything else I should know?
   House Rules

APPENDICITIS
No Shame As an Emergent System
Photo Scrapbook
No Shame Who's Who
Acknowledgements and Suggested Reading