Relaunch preview, part 2: Service

Matthew Foster is a brilliant graphic designer, and I won't spoil the surprise of his new design by trying to describe it here. I can, however, describe more of the services he's had to figure out how to fit onto the home page. In addition to providing information and perspective that we hope you can use for inspiration, and practical and financial reward, we've also beefed up our classifieds section. Striking the set but don't want to waste the beautiful flats you built? Need help striking the set? Need volunteer help to build the set? Or ushers? Or, you could really use a ratty old couch for the heroin addict play you'll be doing in January? We're adding a "Volunteers and free stuff" section to our classifieds where you can call out to your community to help you solve these problems and more. The best part? As long as you won't be making money off of someone else's participation, labor, and creativity (ie as long as you aren't holding auditions, promoting a fundraiser, looking for scripts, or carpenters, or technical directors, etc.), you can post as many ads as you like FOR FREE. We're keeping the Featured Artists section where we highlight performing artists, designers, directors, etc., who have a talent profile on our site and have a show running right now. It's excellent advertisement for both yourself and your show (as well as making a handy drinking game). With the improved calendar listings, this will be easier than ever to participate in. Speaking of the Talent Profiles, we've heard from many a director (casting and otherwise) around town that our talent list is a wonderful service for searching performers when they're preparing for auditions. "If only more people were on it," they say. . . We've been thinking that too. A part of our purpose is to build a place where the many diverse parts of this community have a voice. "Ah, community," we thought, "That's what we should really do." In the Killing-Two-Birds-With-One-Stone category: We want you to become a Member of MinnesotaPlaylist. For only $20 a year, you'll receive significant discounts on many of the things performing artists need or want -- massages, acupuncture, yoga classes, and drinks. Plus, you'll get some members-only content in your inbox -- like what Bain had to say about the new plays during our interview in March or how Jeffrey Hatcher thinks New York and Minnesota actors compare. AND, you're invited to our monthly cocktail parties where you can create community (otherwise known as schmoozing or networking, or just drinking) with MinnesotaPlaylist contributors and other members. For only $35 a year, you get all that plus FIVE DOLLAR last minute tickets to shows all over the Twin Cities from the Guthrie to Walking Shadow to the Ordway to Park Square to Gremlin. AND, a free talent profile! (For those of you who said in our September survey that you were too lazy to do it yourself, we'll even input your resume for you the first time.) At the same time, at whatever level of membership, you'll help us make the talent list comprehensive enough to be of the greatest benefit to theaters around town. Plus, you'll actually be buying better arts journalism. Seriously, do the math - if only 500 of you join, we can hire more part time staff. If 1000 or more join, that's full time arts coverage.