Help Biz Bellows go to the LMDA Conference

My name is Biz Bellows and I am a working class, disabled, queer theater maker from Portland, OR! I am asking $1000 to go to the LMDA conference on June 26th-28th.

I have an amazing opportunity to attend the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America (LMDA) conference in San Diego/Tijuana and network with amazing theater makers and scholars, as well as build a stronger relationship with a really cool professor who is going with me, and I really need your help in making it happen.

Above: Fat Clown from Portland State University's 2024 devised production of "Y/Ours". Character and clown routine written and created by me.

When I was 29, I decided I had enough of giving up my dreams to pay the bills and went back to school to complete my degree. There, I remembered my passion for script analysis and dramaturgy. I worked on several shows through the school, as well as working as a company member of The Original Practice Shakespeare Festival, and was inspired by amazing professors and colleagues who said it was a challenging career but one I am fully capable of making happen. Two years later and I'm so close to graduating -- and now I have to think about actually working as a dramaturg!

The LMDA conference is the annual meeting of literary managers and dramaturgs from all over the Americas, and is a chance to learn how the industry works, contribute to how it can be better, and to network with the theater artists who would actually hire me. Additionally, one of my professors wants to go with me to introduce me to her friends, all of whom are professionals and mentors. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one I can't let get away.

Above: Me "prompting"/dramaturging "The Misadventures of Missy Black" by Riley Anna in it's second workshop production

If you support theater, literacy, and artistic freedom, please donate.

Under this current administration where theater is seen as threatening and is defunded and shut down for simple things like representing trans folks, supporting queer theater makers is increasingly important. I want to make theater as diverse as the real world, and put on plays that tell queer, disabled, BIPOC, and working class stories. I want to help those stories get told in a way that connects with audiences. Your donation is a long term investment in queer theater.

I have loved theater for as long as I can remember. When I was three, I became obsessed with Shakespeare, and the dramaturgical die was cast. Fast forward through years of theater camps, three different university theater programs, eight years giving it a go as an actor, and too many day jobs to count, and I'm back to that same love I had when I was three -- but this time, I love Shakespeare and new works. I want the world to love words and the worlds they create as much as I do.

Above: Evil Queen in the Original Practice Shakespeare Festival's 2024 production of "Cymbeline"

What does the money go to?

As an early career dramaturg, my pass for the conference is only $150 if I order by May 15th. The bulk of your generous donations will cover travel and fees, including but not limited to:

I'm a pretty frugal person so I hope I can do it for $1000, though I will continue to fundraise until I leave so I might be able to buy an important person a drink! Any and all contributions are welcome and will have my eternal gratitude.

Thank you for your support!