Unify the Stage

Fascinating article about China's leading theater director,  Lin Zhaohua,  and also says a lot about the legacy of theater in China since communism. Bet you don't think about that much. A must-read. http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2012-09/22/content_15775537.htm

Romeo Castellucci

Seriously, Lyric tickets for $20. https://www.lyricopera.org/next/index.aspx Go. Learn things.

A journal about theater in America, plus a blog, plus ongoing discussions on other social media, Howlround is where to go to know what theater artists are thinking about and are concerned with here and now. Updated daily. http://www.howlround.com/

I have a first rehearsal tomorrow for Neighborhood 3 at Strawdog Theatre. Right now, I’m in the middle of crafting my first day address. I am of the opinion that the first day address is a crucial point in a director’s process. This is for two major reasons (although I have more secondary reasons): 1.   This talk will get your cast, company, and anyone else in the room all at the same launching point for rehearsals to commence. It also re-establishes and solidifies the work that you’ve done with designers to get to this point. It is the opportunity to declare to everyone what your production of this play will be about, what it will look like, feel like, and why they should be excited about it. (And you hopefully expel their fears about the production, if they have any.)       2.   The crafting of this talk forces the director to articulate what the play is about, what the world of the play is, and why not only to the group but to themselves, and in...

I originally wrote this post for the Goodman Theatre's educational outreach blog when I was the Michael Maggio fellow there in 2009-10. They wanted me to write about what it is to be a director, and perhaps a bit about how I've gone about my career. This was my response: I’m often asked what it is a theater director does.  “Do you tell everyone what to do?” my mother asks me.  Others nod their head with some sort of recognition, but then ask me about working on movies.   And most people I encounter assume that a young woman like myself who is involved in theater must be an actress.  I kindly smile and reply that I direct, and they give me a sideways glance and say something polite but non committal.  I assume it is either their lack of knowledge about what a director does or their disbelief that this petit woman before them could actually hold that important-sounding title.  I’m used to it.  I’ve been a director for more than ten years, and wh...

And for those of you not familiar with Francesca Zambello, here is her website: http://www.francescazambello.com/