Directors on Directing

Posted by DCA Theater on July 30, 2009 in Other, DirectorsLab Chicago

We had a fantastic turnout for Monday night’s panel discussion presented in association with DirectorsLabChicago. The event kicked off a week of workshops and presentations for directors from around the globe, but we were pleased that not only directors came out to hear the discussion. Over 150 theater-goers and general arts patrons were also interested to hear some of the city’s most prominent directors share stories of their professional lives.

Some provocative questions came from the moderator, Mark Sutton, and the directors (Ron OJ Parsons, Mick Napier, Henry Godinez, John Sparks, and Charlie Newell) offered insightful comments and moving anecdotes.

Mark Sutton, Ron OJ Parson and Mick Napier
Photo by Anita Evans

Henry Godinez, John Sparks and Charlie Newell
Photo by Anita Evans

Questions ranged from “How do you prepare to start a new project, do you have any rituals?” “Is it more difficult to take on an established script [like “Our Town”] or to put up a completely new work?” “How are you affected by the notion of authority?” “Do you lay ground rules down at the start of a rehearsal process?” “What kind of work excites you right now?” and finally, “Name one memorable movement from your experience as a theater-goer.”

The answers ranged from poignant (Henry Godinez recounted his incredible experience directing Luiz Valdez’s “Zoot Suit” at the Goodman with Valdez’s brother in a lead role) to humorous (Mick Napier admitted he goes into rehearsals with a carefully conceived methodology, but then makes it appear as though he’s made it up on the spot for the benefit of the improv actors with whom he works). Overall, the night was very engaging and we look forward to hosting another free public program in association with DirectorsLabChicago 2010.

DirectorsLab to Auction Director’s Memorabilia

Posted by DCA Theater on July 15, 2009 in Other, DirectorsLab Chicago

DirectorsLab Chicago Benefit to Auction Autographed Memorabilia by Some of the Biggest Names in American Theater

DirectorsLabChicago, founded in 2005 by Chicago-based directors Elizabeth Margolius and Karin Shook, has grown into an international yearly event at the Chicago Cultural Center where directors from around the world gather to exchange ideas and discuss what it means to be a director.  This year, the inaugural event on Monday, July 27th at 7pm at the Chicago Cultural Center in the Cassidy Theater, open to the public, brings a frank and in-depth conversation with some of the city’s most prominent stage directors as they discuss the varied approaches to their work.  But the excitement doesn’t end there!  Immediately following the event there will be a reception and benefit silent auction, to assist their mission of bringing the highest level of quality to the Lab.

In the spirit of directing for the theater, items up for auction are pages of notes written during the rehearsal period of some of the most important productions by some the rising stars of American theater, as well as autographed memorabilia by some of the biggest names in theater.  Items to be featured include autographed notes (notes actually written on-stage during a performance!) from the off-Broadway production of Our Town, directed and starring David Cromer, signed notes from Tony© award-winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Barbara Gaines-directed production of MacBeth, autographed notes from Charlotte Moore’s Irish Repertory Theater off-Broadway production of The Yeats Project, and signed notes from the Tony© award-winning Mary Zimmerman’s original 1996 and 2009 revival of the currently running and much-praised Lookingglass Theater production of The Arabian Nights.  But the centerpiece of the evening is a poster from the recent one night only Lincoln Center event A Life in the Theater, a One on One Conversation with Stephen Sondheim, Hosted by Frank Rich, autographed by both Mr. Sondheim and Mr. Rich! 

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