The 2000 Directors Lab was devoted to a single issue-that of interpretation. Over three weeks, directors, actors, designers and dramaturgs explored the interpretation of classical plays using Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM as the central text. Nine directors (Matt August, Drew Barr, Jesse Berger, Alice Gatling, Nancy Jones, Pam MacKinnon, Robert O'Hara, Ruben Polendo and Alison Summers) led nine rooms in interpreting the play.
In addition, Lab participants participated in sessions devoted to enriching a classical interpretation of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM led by such master directors as Mark Lamos, James Lapine, Daniel Sullivan and Tina Packer (all of whom have staged productions of the Shakespeare classic), designer John Conklin, fight director B.H. Barry and dialect coach Ralph Zito on Shakespeare scansion. The work of great interpretative directors of the century such as Peter Brook, Peter Stein, Harley Granville-Barker, Ariane Mnouchkine, Giorgio Strehler and Ingmar Bergman were also examined. Guests such as actress Barbara Sukowa recalled working on classical plays with Strehler from an actress' perspective. In July, the Lab presented twelve short plays directed by Lab directors at the American Living Room Festival at HERE.
Lab Directors
Adler, Lisa
Allah, Mwalim
Allen, Gregory Lamont
Allen, Robert
Alltop, Michael
Amburg, Eric
Anderson, Leigh
Apontes, Rafael Quiles
Beaune, Richard
Beckerman, Ellen
Bejar, Marissa
Bersley, Tracy
Boulay, Philip
Byrn, Tom
Cabrera, Margaret
Calnek, Kiebpoli
Canestraro, Mike
Cantor, Carolyn
Cullens, Heath
Day, Dan
De Campos, Natalia
Domingo, Colman
Dratewka, David
Duffy, Alec
Ector, Keisha
Eusebio, Miriam
Feinberg, Amy
Frank, Josh
Fromm, Keira
Goldhaber, Michaela
Gregory, Jyana
Grilli, Gabriel
Grumich, Rob
Hackman, Laura
Henderson, Monica
Huff, Matt
Kaplan, Russell
Kawahara, Sonoko
Kilburn, Kappy
Kimmel, Richard
Kirkman, Tania Inessa
Knechtges, Dan
Kush, Karamuu
Larson, Jeff
Lawrence, Blake
Leidholdt, David
Leigh , Lona
Lille-West, Biba
Long, Melanie Martin
Lopez, Alexandra
Maeshiba, Naoko
Markowitz, Jennifer
Mayers, Shannon
McDonald , E. Wayne
Middlebrook, Coy
Morett, Maria
Morgan, Ian
Moroney, Kathryn
Mosse, Benjamin
Nastro, Caroline
Nickell, April
Ondersma, Heather
Passion
Pastorek, Whitney
Ploof, Katrina
Poitier, Barbara
Rembisz, Jennifer
Samuel, Tunde
Shani, Leoni
Sod, Ted
St. Peter, Richard
Stromer, Lila
Taylor, Dominic
Todaro, Paul
Trainor, Sebastian
Valdez, Mark
Vega, Eduardo
Ward, Jennie
Ward, Mike
Waring, Stacy
Wilkins, Dwight
Wimberly, Michael
Wolfe, Richard
Zadara, Michal
Zeiger, Jonah
Ziegenhagen, Eric
Lab Master Artists
Mark Lamos
James Lapine
Daniel Sullivan
Tina Packer
John Conklin
B.H. Barry
Barbara Sukowa
Lab Actors
Anderson, Stephen Lee
Bryant, Brienin
Campbell, Rob
Carpenter, Jennifer
Carter, Adrienne
Corbett, Winslow
de la Peña, George
Deeker, Aubrey
Demery, Brandon
Denmark, Brenda Thomas
Diaz, Natascia
Graham, Enid
Harner, Jason Butler
Hayenga, Jeff
Hugot, Marceline
Isola, Kevin
Kelly, David Patrick
Kwon, John Woo Taak
Lampley, Oni Faida
LaVecchia, Antoinette
Lieber, Mimi
McKinney, Chris
Miller, Yusef
Murray, Mary Gordon
O'Neil, James Joseph
Pilar, Susan
Quintero, Joe
Saldivar, Matthew
Schall, Thomas
Sella, Robert
Sesma, Thom
Van Dyck, Jennifer
Walker, Jonathan
Ward, Tony
Wolf, Rita
Wolos-Fonteno, David
Lab Playwrights
Anton Chekhov
Colman Domingo
Keisha Ector
Peter Hedges
Melanie Marnich
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Joyce Carol Oates
Douglas Post
Peter Sis
William Shakespeare
Sam Shepard
Lab Designers and Other Collaborators
Abrash, Victoria
Adelson, Matthew
Allen, Gregory Lamont
Bryan, Emily
Bunin, Keith
Catlett, Mallory
Chiang, Dawn
Corliss, Olivia
Edkins, Sarah
Eno, Will
Hoffman, Miranda
Lewis, Jim
Loewith, Jason
Mueller, Ryan
Mullins, Brighde
Macquarrie, Ross
Rizzi, Trefoni Michael
Owens, Catherine
Svilar, Gordana
Lab Staff
Lab Director: Anne Cattaneo
Lab Coordinator: Susie Cordon
Lab Assistant: Amy Conant
Using the Stage, led by B.H. Barry
Take Out Exercises, led by B.H. Barry
Ralph Zito on Scansion and Verse
Mark Lamos: Finding Yourself in a Play
James Lapine, and Daniel Sullivan on A Midsummer Night's Dream
Barbara Sukowa on Giorgio Strehler
What To Do the First Day of Rehearsal, led by Rick St. Peter, Shannon Mayers, and Matt Huff
Classical Tips, led by Richard Beaune, Paul Todaro, and Monica Henderson
Finding Artistic Collaborators, led by Blake Lawrence, Gabriel Grilli, and Lila Stromer
Starting a Theater, led by Josh Frank, Dan Day, and Amy Feinberg
Warmups and Physical Exercise with Actors, led by Dwight Wilkins, Mwalim Allah, and Tracy Bersley
Anne Cattaneo: 5 Things Needed to Take Your Work to the Next Step
Tina Packer on Shakespeare's Celtic Connection
John Conklin on Director/Designer Collaboration: Thinking about A Midsummer Night's Dream
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM by William Shakespeare
The Midsummer Fairy Project at The Duke on 42nd Street Theater (June 19-21)
The American Living Room at HERE (July 11-21):
A VERY OLD MAN WITH ENORMOUS WINGS by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; directed and adapted by Melanie Martin Long
LOOKING FOR TIBET: THROUGH THE RED BOX directed and adapted by Tracy Bersley; inspired by a story by Peter Sis
IZUTSU, a Japanese Noh Drama with music by Rika Iino; directed by Jyana S. Gregory
THE BLESSED APPLE TREE, a Dutch Medieval Morality Play in a translation by Nevill Denny; directed by Heather Ondersma
IN MOSCOW, a monologue by Chekhov; directed by Blake Lawrence
ACTION, by Sam Shepard; directed by Jonah Zeiger
UP JUMPED SPRINGTIME by Colman Domingo; directed by Colman Domingo
OREGON by Peter Hedges; directed & designed by Gregory Lamont Allen
ESCAPE FROM GROOVYTOWN by Douglas Post; directed by Keira Fromm
BLACK WATER by Joyce Carol Oates and James Jacobs; directed by Lona Leigh
GOD'S MOTHER by Keisha M. Ector; directed by Keisha M. Ector
QUAKE by Melanie Marnich; directed by Amy Feinberg
