new directors

last produced fall 2003
For more info, e-mail Adam Mazer '08 or Albert Huber '09

new directors is a long-standing pw project that does pretty much what you think it might do: give people without much experience directing at brown the opportunity to direct.

basically, new directors is going to be a short, intense and amazingly fun process, in which you can direct a short play or scene - from casting to performance - while being part of a group of directors, new and old, that eats pizza and talks about the challenges of directing.

am i a ‘new director’?
good question. we don’t expect everyone applying to new directors to have no experience whatsoever - having anywhere from no experience at all to a lot of directing experience is fine. the new directors project is, however, mainly aimed at folks who haven’t directed a major project on a main brown stage - like senior slot, pw, musical forum, rites and reasons or shakespeare on the green. if you’ve never directed at any of those places - or if you’ve never even heard of those places - new directors is probably perfect for you. but if you have directed at one of those places and still want to do new directors, don’t be afraid to apply! just understand that directors with less experience at brown may have a bit of an edge in the application process.

application process?!? what’s that about?
don’t worry! the application process is not very scary at all. to apply, you’ll just have to pick a piece to direct and then answer a few simple questions. if you email emily, the chair of this project, she’ll email you back the application questions. if you decide to apply (which you should, because this is going to be a blast!) someone from the board will be your mentor, which means they’ll be around to help you with your application and answer any questions you might have.

what kind of piece should i choose?
your piece should be about ten minutes long, no less than five and no more than fifteen. we recommend that you select a short play (ten minutes) by an established playwright, rather than a scene or a part of a play. (a short play will probably allow for an experience that is the most relevant to putting on a full length play.) lots of established playwrights have written lots of wonderful short pieces - so head over to the becker library in the theater department, search around on the internet, ask your friends, or best of all, email your guru emily for suggestions on pieces. one very important piece of information: all pieces will be performed in three quarter round, so try to pick a piece that will work for or be enhanced by setting it in the round. (’three quarter round’ means that there will be audience sitting on three sides of the actors.)

what can i expect to get out of participating in new directors?
a lot of money.
kidding.
completely kidding.
what you can expect? by the end of new directors, you will have

• written a proposal for a piece you want to direct;
• held auditions and cast a show;
• had conversations with designers that resulted in a design for your show;
• directed actors;
• participated in a workshop that brainstormed millions of ideas about all the challenges of directing;
• eaten a lot of food;
• hung out with awesome, intelligent, fun people, and met some new ones;
• and watched the show that you directed being performed in front of a whole buncha people!