Circle Up!

We don't retreat; we CIRCLE UP to share what's working; to solve what's broken; to route tours together. We're stronger when we circle up.

The Professional Development Sessions at this year’s conference will be co-developed or commissioned by the Professional Development Committee via a letter of interest process to ensure high quality relevant sessions aligned with this year’s conference subthemes or Circles. In addition to professional development, each Circle will also feature an in-person networking session and a themed showcase.

• Family: Serving multigenerational audiences with intentional engagements that don't start or end at the matinee — or the stage.
• Arts & Entertainment: Mastering the art of pleasing the crowd and delivering on your mission a.k.a keeping it real and paying the bills.
• Beyond the Circle: Contextualizing those works that defy boundaries rather than define them, ensuring you can answer the 5 W’s, and even the how.

 Each Circle at this year’s conference will include: 

• The 101: An Online summer session and Written white paper to set the table and provide a base set of knowledge for each Circle so we can make the most out of our time in-person. Note: The PD Committee is curating The 101 via direct research and an invite-based commissioning process. However, you may submit a Letter of Interest if you are still… interested. 
• Nuts & Bolts Workshop: An In-person conference sessions that provide demonstrable skill building with quantifiable outcomes or takeaways that are proof-of-work or focus on embodiment or experiential/participatory based learning/engagement
• Strategy Session: An in-person conference session focused on a higher-level conversation giving insight on the internal systems and implementation within the chosen Circle. This can take the form of a case study, forum, or other conversation that leads to in-person engagement or reflection.

For more on the conference’s thematic Circles click here.

Criteria

Given the limited opportunities for in-person sessions and the curated nature of the program, the PD committee will prioritize proposals that take advantage of being face-to-face. Not only will the session tie closely to this year’s conference themes and format, but successful proposals should have the following characteristics:

• The learning will be clear, timely, with tangible takeaways
• The exchange between attendees and the speaker will be rich
• The experience is tailor-made for professional adult learners.
• The session is aligned to WAA’s values of: Informed, Inclusive, Innovative

 Compensation & Commitment

This year, as part of their work, the Professional Development Committee will be more hands on through the selected proposals by directly working with session proposers to ensure quality. Each Circle will have a sub-committee focused on curating and focusing the topics of import for each one. 

Breakout leaders and white paper writers will not be required to register for the conference or become members; however, both are highly encouraged. WAA will not be able to provide direct travel or accommodations support for selected applicants beyond the provided cash stipend for their work with the committee.

• In-person sessions: $500 cash stipend or conference registration waiver.
• The 101: $1,000 cash stipend or conference registration waiver.

Additional necessary speakers for a session are eligible for conference registration waiver of 25% as part of their participation. This year we are hoping to reduce the amount of panel discussions focusing on direct presentations, hands-on learning, or forums or salons focused on solutions instead of reflections.

Note: If your Letter of Interest is selected you should be prepared to work with the Circle Subcommittee to finalize the proposal, either synchronously through meetings or asynchronously from March through April. The time commitment in peer review will likely be ~3-4 hours of work in preparation.

Tentative Timeline

• Open Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026
• Deadline: Friday, February 6, 2026
• March: Notification of Selection &  Initial Feedback
• April: Second Committee Review & Finalization of Titles, Description, and Information.
• May: Sessions Published for Conference Attendees

Inquiries/Questions

FAQs: Click Here

For membership or general application questions please contact membership@westarts.org 

WAA will host an online Q&A session with information on applications for independent showcasing, juried showcases, and professional development sessions on January 27 at noon PST (1p MT, 2p CT, 3p ET). Register for the application info session at this link 

WAA OAK 2026 Juried Showcases 

Applications for our 2026 Juried Showcases in Oakland, California, are now open! 

WAA’s Juried Showcase is a core element of our annual conference, shining the spotlight on a wide variety of artists to discover and uncover the next great performance. We encourage applications from all performing arts suitable tour - whether that’s turfing or spoken word; jazz, hip hop, classical, or a range of related music; experimental theatre for audiences of all ages, street art, or circus; as well as tributes, spectacle, and Broadway shows. 

As a traveling conference, WAA seeks to highlight the unique performance culture and identity of each city and region we temporarily call home. This year, given Oakland’s unique arts landscape – and that of the wider Bay Area – we hope and expect to see a wide variety of applications representative of the diverse and fertile local/regional ecosystem. 

The Juried Showcases will all take place at the conference hotel, the Oakland Marriott City Center, with production, staging, and backline provided by WAA. The annual WAA conference attracts presenters, promoters, agents, managers, as well as self-represented artists from across the West, and beyond. 

The Showcase Committee, comprised of arts practitioners and administrators from a broad range of disciplines, aesthetics, and identities, adjudicates applications through a carefully considered application and selection process.  

As part of our ongoing efforts to expand the Juried Showcase program, encourage discovery, and highlight the next great performance, in 2026, showcases (as well as pitches and professional development sessions) will be presented thematically. Four showcase sessions, each featuring 4-5 15-minute performances, will be scheduled throughout the conference; each session will be guided by one of 3 themes, or Circles: 

• Family: Works serving multi-generational audiences with intentional engagements that don't start or end at the matinee. 
• Arts & Entertainment: Tribute shows, nostalgia, holiday, Broadway, and more find their home here. 
• Beyond the Circle: Work that defies definition, crosses boundaries, and goes... beyond. 

Juried Showcase applicants must select at least one Circle into which their performance fits, and have a compelling narrative for why they have done so. It is possible to select multiple Circles, but submissions materials must clearly demonstrate suitability for each Circle. The jury will ultimately determine in which Circle each artist will perform. 

The WAA Juried Showcase provides enormous value to our community, impacting careers on all sides of the stage. Some of what we’ve heard from our community:

• “(As a presenter) the juried showcases have always been important for me to learn about new artists.”
• “Showcasing (in 2024) was a key component in putting together a half-million dollar tour for one of our artists in 2025.”
• “I booked 3 (2025 jury-selected) artists for 2026, and have an offer out to a fourth – as well as to an artist I chatted up on the escalator." 

While you do not need to be a WAA member to apply to showcase, all successful showcase artists must either be members or represented by a member (agent/manager).

For more info, and a look through previous Juried Showcase Artists, see our website. We also encourage you to visit our Showcasing FAQs page and to carefully read the Juried Showcase application.

Deadline to apply: Friday, Feb 6, 2026 at 5pm PT. We expect to notify all applicants of the results by mid April. 

Showcase Schedule 

WAA provides tech and soundcheck time for each artist/ensemble. Each showcase is fifteen minutes in duration, with a five-minute turnover between performances. 

Because each showcase session is organized thematically (by Circles) there is little flexibility in the schedule. 

Wednesday, September 9, 2026 

• Performance 1: 4pm - 5:30pm  

 Thursday, September 10, 2026 

• Performance 2: 4pm - 5:30pm  
• Performance 3: 9pm - 10:30pm 

All timing is subject to change, in conversation with selected artists, producers, and WAA.

To Apply 

Non-refundable application fee: 

• $95.00*  

Showcase fee: 

• $1,500  

All selected artists are required to pay a showcase fee, which includes two complimentary artist passes* to attend the conference, as well as inclusion in WAA conference materials, in the conference app, and on the WAA website.    *These two complimentary passes are for performers within the selected acts and are not registration waivers for agents, managers, or other administrative staff associated with selected acts. *If selected, WAA will apply your application fee to the showcase fee.  

Your complete (in English) online application form will include the following: 

• Submitter contact information including, email address, phone number, and WAA membership status or affiliation.  
• Artist/Ensemble contact information and mailing address.  
• Optional: Artist/Ensemble demographic questionnaire. 
• Artist/Ensemble Discipline and Subgenre. 
• Statement of Intent, a maximum of 250 words. Express why the WAA Juried Showcase matters to you, and what you aim to bring to the opportunity. Highlight your motivations and artistic vision. Share your unique perspective, readiness, and enthusiasm. 
• Showcase Proposal, a maximum of 250 words. What can the audience expect from your showcase? If you intend to include excerpts from multiple bodies of work, please let us know. 
• Touring History/Itinerary. The history does not have to be comprehensive, but it should include an absolute minimum of three engagements. We’re interested in all aspects of your practice, with special attention paid to touring performances. Please Include dates, locations, presenting organizations, and any relevant contact information. 
• Technical Requirements. A stage plot and technical rider specific to the proposed showcase.  
• Current Artist Bio / Electronic Press Kit (EPK). Include production photos, brochures, and feature articles. WAA recommends including at least one review (in English) published within the last year, including the name of publication and date OR a testimonial letter from a presenter that speaks to the artistic quality of the performance work, if possible. 
• One high-resolution press photo. Upload files that include the artist's name, representative or agency name, and the photographer's credit, e.g. “Group Name_Agency Name_Photographer’s Name.”  
• Include video samples of a live performance featuring current works that you will tour. Please do not submit promotional videos. 

NOTE: WAA expects the showcase jury will review approximately 150 applications. Please give careful consideration to your artistic samples—first impressions are critical! The jury will not consider promotional videos, TV news features, TED Talks, sizzle reels etc. as part of the artistic assessment.

Less is more. The jury likes to see a variety of work from each artist with a live performance video. However, you are best served by capturing a range of your best work in a single video. The jury will spend about three minutes listening to or watching your sample(s); this is the minimum amount of time we request of the jury to spend with the materials in the initial application review.

This is not a recommendation for your work samples to be a maximum of three minutes. 

We recommend you include a longer and shorter sample of your work, open to your interpretation, as that differs between genre, discipline, and style.

If you run into any issues or have any questions about the application or process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to WAA staff for assistance. While we will not give you direct feedback on the content of your materials, we are more than happy to provide clarity on form and general resources to assist in constructing your application. As a reminder: WAA staff does not adjudicate applications, a carefully considered peer jury of arts practitioners does.

Eligibility Requirements 

• WAA membership is not a requirement to apply for the showcase. However, if selected, the artist(s) or their agent/manager must join WAA or be a current WAA member and register for the WAA Conference by June 27, 2025 
• Applicants must produce evidence of at least two years of touring experience. 
• You must complete the application form and submit all required materials. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the panel 
• Artists selected for last year’s Official Showcase may not apply for a second consecutive year. 

Selection Criteria

• Artistic excellence — the quality of the artist, ensemble or organization's work.  
• Artistic merit — the potential impact on the artistic and cultural heritage of the West and/or the field. 
• Demonstrated ability to tour — evidenced by the touring itinerary , tech rider, and press kit. 
• Thematic Fit: Suitability for at least one of the three thematic Circles. The jury will determine which Circle artists will participate in. 

Showcase Provisions 

• WAA provides showcase artists with tech rehearsal/soundcheck, basic technical equipment, backline, and all staffing related to the production of showcases. Special equipment or backline will be available at an additional rental cost to the artist. WAA will outline details in materials sent to the selected artists/ensembles. 
• The showcase fee also includes two complimentary artist passes* to attend the conference, as well as a listing and showcase description in WAA conference materials and eternally on the WAA website.  

 *These two complimentary passes are for performers within the selected acts and are not registration waivers for agents, managers, or other administrative staff associated with selected acts. 

NOTE: Please remember that this is a showcase, not a complete performance. The WAA showcase team will do their best to meet your production needs, but we may not be able to accommodate all requirements of your regular tech rider. Due to time constraints, equipment, sets, and props must be set up and struck within a to be determined time. 

Terms and Conditions 

• Incomplete applications will not be considered. 
• This application does not represent a commitment by Western Arts Alliance to showcase the applicant. 
• All fees are non-refundable. 

 If selected, the following conditions and limitations will apply:    

• All showcasing artists must be Western Arts Alliance members or represented by a member by June 1, 2026. In addition to this, the artist representative must be registered to attend the conference by June 1, 2026. 
• The time restriction will be strictly enforced; WAA will end the performance by lowering the lights, sound, and announcement if time is exceeded.
• Generally, WAA will showcase no more than two artists from one agency. 

Inquiries/Questions

FAQs: Click Here

For membership or general application questions: please reach out to membership@westarts.org

WAA will host an online Q&A session with information on applications for independent showcasing, juried showcases, and professional development sessions on January 27 at noon PST (1p MT, 2p CT, 3p ET). Register for the application info session at this link 

Call for Onsite Independent Showcase Producers 

WAA seeks to partner with three independent showcase producers to expand showcase opportunities for our members during the WAA Annual Conference in Oakland, California, September 8-11, 2026.

Purpose

Independent showcases bring attendees together around performance and encourage discovery and bookings. Alongside Juried Showcases and OFF WAA (shows open to WAA delegates occurring in venues outside the hotel, across Oakland and the Bay Area), the Independent Showcase Program expands the variety of options for programming needs of many kinds and provides opportunities for more artists to be seen. 

The Opportunity

Independent Producers can activate three spaces on the second floor of conference HQ – Oakland Marriott City Center – on Tues Sept 8 (730p-midnight), Wed Sept 9 (2-4pm + 530p-midnight), and Thu Sept 10 (2-4pm + 530-9p). 

Requirements 

• Access to the room beginning at 7am on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 
• Load-out will need to be completed by 11pm on Thu, September 10, 2026 
• Space planning, audio/visual and other equipment rentals, staffing, and promotion for individual showcase performances are the responsibility of the producer 
• Ability to produce 3 nights of showcases (see above for timing) in the room of choice 
• Minimum-15-minute showcase slots 
• Must carry liability insurance of at least $1 million and be able to name WAA and the Oakland Marriott as additionally insured 

Space Details & Costs 

Each room includes a (separate) Green Room; capacity is based on theatre-style seating. 

1. Room 201: 648 sq ft, Capacity: 57 - $5,000

2. Room 208:1250 sq ft, Capacity: 152 - $7,500 

3. Junior Ballroom: 2749 sq ft, Capacity: 240 - $10,000

Selection   In-hotel showcase producers will be selected through a proposals process based on conference priorities and sustainability. WAA staff will identify and work with potential producers, and, with the Board of Directors, review and recommend proposals. 

Eligibility 

• Producers do not need to be WAA members at the time of application. However, to accept an offer to produce an independent showcase room at WAA, selected producers must be a WAA member by March 16, 2026 
• Producers must be registered for the 2026 WAA Annual Conference by April 1, 2026, to secure the room rental. 
• A certificate indicating proof of insurance will be required before contracting. 

Criteria 

• A track record of producing live performances, ideally with quick changes between acts, i.e. showcases or festival programming. 
• While not required, producers who have experience programming multi-disciplinary work including theatre and dance or multi-genre shows will be prioritized. 

Timeline 

Jan 7  Proposal submission begins   

Jan 9-12 WAA @ APAP available for consultation – Booth #119   

Feb 9  Online Onsite Independent Showcase Info Session   

Feb 20  Proposal deadline   

March 16 Final selection

Inquiries & Questions

FAQs

For membership or general application questions please contact membership@westarts.org

WAA will host an online Q&A session with information on applications for independent showcasing, juried showcases, and professional development sessions on January 27 at noon PST (1p MT, 2p CT, 3p ET). Register for the application info session at this link