The heart of Director Collective is the Monthly Challenges. Each month, two of us present work to the group and sometimes, an audience. This is followed by a no-holds-barred, loving, analytical feedback session (often in a bar).
The Challenges are gauntlets that we throw down to ourselves; to finish a dream project, to begin a dream project, to ask that playwright or actor or designer to try something with us, to leave our bag of tricks at home and see if we can make some new ones, to tackle a new text or a new way of working that is far outside our usual artistic fare.
The Challenges are also avenues to production. They are a way to invite other producers in, to develop producing partnerships with theaters or to develop a piece that we will produce at festivals or independently.
What is director generated work?
It depends on which one of us you ask. Sometimes it’s deconstructing an existing text, sometimes it’s adapting a novel or an opera or a video game, sometimes it’s devising and generating, sometimes it’s asking a playwright for their most impossible-to-stage plays and then staging them.
The consistent criteria are that the work is visionary, necessary and seems impossible on the page and inevitable on the stage.
Why do we need Director Collective? (aka “aren’t there enough theater companies!??!”)
Because directors need ways to challenge themselves to try big and fail bigger. This makes them better directors. Because directors need space for trial and error, and this often takes longer than three weeks. Time and space to create and learn from mistakes makes better directors.
Because directors, like other artists, need a safe space to test out and refine their work. This helps them develop their unique artistic voice, which makes them better directors.
Because directors, while typically lone wolves, also benefit from a supportive community of like-minded artists. This makes them better directors.
Because Director Collective makes better directors. And better directors make better theatre.
And who doesn’t want that?
Wow, that’s a compelling argument. I’m totally in. How can I be a part of it?
We’re so glad you asked! There are three magical ways. Click here to view them:
