Slow down, there! Yes. You will be REQUIRED to direct a reading of one of the plays and we know that means you have a lot of questions, but some of those questions are best asked in the classroom on campus and not answered in a sheet like this. Trust us, we have a plan.
Our playwrights generate an astounding amount of work in the classroom each summer, and we’re proud to say that a pretty fair percentage of that work has been presented in readings and even produced and published. In addition, every playwright is required to submit a brand new full-length play or two thematically related one-acts by April 15 every year. From the entire body of work, our New Works Advisory Board reviews around 60-70 plays every year and selects 10 for inclusion in the festival as staged readings, which are announced on May 15. Every playwright will be told that in order to be included in the festival, they must agree to have the reading directed by one of our certificate directors. They must also commit to coming to the Monday morning meetings of the Directors and Playwrights in Collaboration course.
All 10 plays will be sent to each certificate director, who will read them and put together a short list of notes on each script–a kind of pitch of a concept for the play. Each director should (without telling the playwrights) rank the 10 plays in the order of preference as a directing project. The playwrights will all be sent the bios of the 10 directors.
On the first day of the summer session, the Collaboration course will meet and we will have a session that is a little like speed dating. Each director will sit down with each playwright and discuss that play. After about seven minutes, a bell will ring and directors will rotate to the next playwright. After every playwright has discussed the play and concept with each director, we’ll talk a little as a group about how to interview each other for further collaboration. By Wednesday morning, playwrights will ask a director to do their reading. The director may decline, if they wish, but must do so politely because they still may end up having to direct that play if they are not given the opportunity to direct their first choice.