DirectorsLabChicago

DirectorsLabChicago stands in support with those who rightfully call out White American Theater for systemic racism in our industry. We have, as an organization and individuals, sustained white supremacy in our words and actions. We need to do better. We share this to lift up the voices of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists and administrators in our field, and to hold ourselves accountable for our past and future actions.

We See You W.A.T.

DirectorsLabChicago condemns the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless other victims of police brutality. We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and with those across the country and throughout the world raising their voices in protest.

As a mostly white institution, DirectorsLabChicago commits to doing the work of educating ourselves and our non-black colleagues, and of leveraging the platform we have to speak up. Though DirectorsLabChicago welcomes artists from around the world, we as an institution and our Lab cohorts have failed to accurately reflect the true racial diversity of this country. We as a steering committee commit to reevaluating the practices that have maintained this imbalance for over a decade. In the coming weeks, we commit to establishing actionable goals for our organization to better serve our community of directors and theatremakers, as well as the Chicago and global communities in which we are based.

Below are resources for anti-racism self-education that our committee has assembled as well as places to focus donations and volunteer efforts. We will continue to share resources moving forward. If you have a resource you would like to contribute, please email [email protected]

With love and action,
The DirectorsLabChicago Steering Committee

If you are a director who lost work, here is a resource!

Apply Now! We are delighted to annouce the Directors Emergency Relief Fund (DERF) application is now live! Stage Directors impacted with lost income during the COVID-19 crisis can apply for rapid micro-grants up to $599. See link in bio for requirements and application information.The amount of grants awarded is limited only by funds raised, generously supported by the Howard Gilman Foundation, along with donations from Alumni, Members, and Donors of The Drama League and our Ghost Light Campaign.

-19

Fellow Directors! The Drama League needs your information about COVID-19 impact -- please fill out this survey!

Drama League Since the earliest days of the outbreak of COVID-19, The Drama League has been working to set up new avenues of financial support to meet the needs of stage directors who have suffered financial loss and impact in the wake of the pandemic.

Hello fellow directors and theatre community members. We are very sorry to say that we will no longer be hosting our upcoming Masterclass with Oliver Butler, but we are confident in the decision to prioritize health and safety.
We very much hope to have him join us in Chicago another time this year.

Stay home, stay safe, and take care of yourselves.

Want to make sure you hear first about how to register for this awesome, FREE Masterclass with Oliver Butler?

Sign up on our e-mail list ASAP!
https://www.directorslabchicago.com/events/2020masterclasses

Since last summer, DirectorsLabChicago has been brainstorming, planning, and dreaming about what is to come this year to pair with our 2020 Masterclasses in partnership with Haven Chicago and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

To restructure our committee, build plans for new programming, and to reexamine the why behind the lab, we have decided that we will not be hosting a summer Lab this year.

We understand that this news comes as a disappointment to prospective applicants. Our goal is to take our allotted time spent on our yearly lab to focus on the Masterclasses, initiate (or create) more accessible, short-term programming throughout the year, take stock of our role in the Chicago theatre community today, and to set up our Steering Committee for successful programming in years to come.

Please make sure to sign up for our special e-mail list here (https://www.directorslabchicago.com/events/2020masterclasses) if you are interested in our upcoming Masterclasses in 2020, and our general mailing list here (https://www.directorslabchicago.com/contact-us) to stay tuned about new programming throughout the year.

For our next summer lab, make sure to visit our website towards the start of 2021

OPPORTUNITY ALERT! Directors Lab West is accepting applications for this year's lab!
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The Directors Lab West Steering Committee is pleased to announce the 21st annual Directors Lab West, once again in partnership with the Pasadena Playhouse, Artistic Director Danny Feldman, and Boston Court Pasadena, Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky, both contributing to host this eight-day theater intensive conference.

Each year, Directors Lab West brings dedicated emerging and mid-career theatre directors and choreographers together with master artists, enabling them to inspire each other to dream and create the future of the American Theatre. This year's lab will take place Saturday, May 16 through Saturday, May 23, 2020.

Approximately 50 artists are selected from a large pool of interested applicants. Those selected participate in workshops, lectures, panel discussions, roundtables, and collaborative artistic explorations with one another and with a slate of esteemed theater-makers. There is no cost to participate and attendance is by application only.

Applicants must have professional experience as a theater director and/or choreographer. The Lab is not open to students or those returning to school, but current students are encouraged to apply for an internship.

The 2020 Directors Lab West application deadline is Friday, February 21, 2020 at 5 pm PST.

For more information and to complete an application, visit https://www.directorslabwest.com/

"Human beings are story factories"

It was such a dream to have had Jessica Thebus lead our very first Directing Masterclass of 2020! Many thanks to all of our directors who participated, and of course to our partners in these Masterclasses, Haven Chicago and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Don't want to miss out on the next one? Make sure to head to our website and join our special Masterclass 2020 Mailing list!
https://www.directorslabchicago.com/events/2020masterclasses