The 1997 Lab featured solo performance, musical pieces, and scripts in development, collaborating with PS 122, New Dramatists and the National Black Theater. In a tri-part Lab, the directors chose to investigate new developments happening among young artists in the field - the growing influence of solo performance, new forms in musical theater, and plays written for specific communities. In addition to seven plays explored in reading format during the Lab, four new works including one musical were rehearsed for a month, and given a week of performances in spaces near to Lincoln Center Theater. Julie Taymor and her two Lab Director assistants brought a scene from her new musical THE LION KING, coming into New York from out-of-town previews into the Lab for discussion and presentation. The Lab began to explore establishing outposts in other cities. Twelve directors presented plays at the American Living Room Festival at HERE.
Lab Directors
Aponte, Rafael Quiles
Araujo, Antonio
Atabi, Kaymar
Austin-Williams, Jaye
Ax, Mark
Bradley, David
Brezovich, Mary
Campbell, Cathleen
Campbell, Colin
Campbell, Debbie
Carrasquillo, Jose
Caskey, Kristin
Coleman, Michele
Cook, Dwight R.B.
Cottrill, Suellen
Cummins, Mary
Cusick, Sarah
Decina, Robert
Deneys-Tunney, Anne
Deser, Abigail
Ebrahimian, Babak
Epstein, Abby
Farrell, Timothy
Fields, Dan
Fondakowski, Leigh
Fontecilla, Camilo
Ginty, Robert
Goldman, Judy
Gray, Sarah
Gross, Monika
Ha, Simon
Hamberg, Julie
Harrington, Alexander
Hayes, Aleta
Herron, Elizabeth
Holderness, Rebecca
Kaats, Rod
Klein, Carla
Kruszewska, Meg
Kurtz, Marcia Jean
Lenz, Matt
Levine, David
Lewis, Ralph
MacKinnon, Pam
Magruder, Lewis
Maharaj, Rajendra
Mann, David
Margid, Elizabeth
Marshall, Robert Neal
Martinson, Leslie
Matthews, Pamela
McGinley, Mary
Mee, Erin
Merchant, Kiran
Milch, David
Mileaf, Maria
Mirescu, Doris
Mladenovic, Milos
Moriarty, Kevin
Morse, Emily
Moyse, Joshua
Nelson, Easton
Novinski, Stefan
Ochoa, Jules
Parison, Jr., Richard
Patterson, Rebecca
Phelan, Eileen
Phelan, Tony
Philippi, Renee
Pinkney, Leon
Portes, Lisa
Reisman, Michael
Rendell, Carolyn
Resnick, Amy
Rizk, Joumana
Robinson, Terry
Saks, Eva
Sanchez, Olga
Santpietro, Thomas
Schneider, Bob
Shaffner, Ted
Southerland, David
Taichman, Rebecca
Talijancic, Ivan
Tauber, Matt
Taylor, Rona
Thoron, Elise
Tiberghien, Lucie
Vazquez, Adolfo
Villegas, Sandra
Wainstein, Mariana
White, Randy
Wimberly, Bridgette
Wooden, Jesse
Zipay, Joanne
Lab Actors
Buckley, Candy
Campbell, Amelia
Dretzin, Julie
Garcia, Johnny
Gerrity, Peter
Giobbe, Anney
Harada, Ann
Hernandez, Mary M.
Isola, Kevin
Marcoux, Ted
Mimosa
Nelson, Novella
Osian, Matte
Peters, Todd
Port, Michael
Potts, Michael
Rickets, Jeff
Scranton, Damen
Selvaratnam, Tanya
Shaw, Cathy
Steer, Rick
Taylor, Myra
Thompson, Jeffrey V.
Tojio, Melanie Mariko
Lab Master Artists
Cuilei Liviu
Julie Taymor
Lab Playwrights
Kirsten Ames
Doyle Avant
Neena Beber
Stephen Belber
Stephen Brantley
Bertolt Brecht
Cathleen Campbell
Bridget Carpenter
Genevieve Castelino
Kipp Erante Cheng
Jeremy Dobrish
David Dreyfus
Mike Epps
Simon Fill
Hattie Gossett
Rob Handel
Jeff Hardy
Aaron Landsman
Deb Margolin
Carlos Murillo
Joyce Carol Oates
Tony Phelan
Catherine Rogers
Sapphire
Christopher Serkin
Wallace Stevens
Jane Warrick
Michael Wiener
Matthew Wilder
Lanford Wilson
Bridgette Wimberly
Rae C. Wright
Catherine Zimdahl
Lab Staff
Lab Director: Anne Cattaneo
Lab Coordinator: Erica Schwartz
Lab Assistant: Therese Ducey
Greek Drama Roundtable (Alexander Harrington)
Indian Theatre and Gesture Workshop (Erin Mee)
Dramaturgy panel and exercises (Emily Morse and Renee Philippi)
Lily adapted from Jane Smiley: A day session on adaptation (Tony Phelan)
Puppetry (Monika Gross)
P.S. 122 Solo Performers Event (led by Maria Mileaf: Kirsten Ames, Stephen Brantley, Mike Epps, Aaron Landsman, Deb Margolin, Rae C. Wright
Julie Taymor Session on THE LION KING (Julie Taymor, Dan Fields & Kamyar Atabi) Composer/Lyricist/Director Symposium (led by Rod Kaats)
Randy White / Greg Tate
Kevin Moriarty / Mark Miller
Pam MacKinnon / Michele Rosewoman
RJ Maharaj / Derek Bermel
Richard Parison / Tim Battle
Eugenio Barba and the Odin Theatre (Sara Cusik and Milo? Mladenović)
National Black Theatre project (Easton O. Nelson and Jesse Wooden, Jr.)
Post WWII Polish Theatre (Meg Kruszewska)
Lab Outposts in Atlanta, Minneapolis Bay Area and Chicago (Peter Ganim, Sarah Gray, Leslie Martinson and Kristin Caskey)
Liviu Cuilei on Directing
New Dramatists Collaboration
Writing Workshops with Cerylene Lee, Mary Gallagher and Eduardo Machado
Writers on Writing with August Baker, Mac Wellman, Edgar Nkosi White, Doug Wright, Stephanie Fleischmann, Ruth Margraff and David Greenspan
THE DEATH OF THE FATHER OF PSYCHOANALYSIS by Bridget Carpenter; Directed by Simon Ha
N.W.W.Y.P. by Carlos Murillo; Directed by Jose Carrasquillo
MIDDLE CLASS GIRLS LOVE OASIS by Michael Wiener; Directed by Mary Brezovich
BLINK OF AN EYE by Jeremy Dobrish; Directed by Debbie Campbell
A COMMON VISION by Neena Beber; Directed by Lisa Portes
THEME WITH VARIATION by Chris Serkin; Directed by Joshua Moyse
LILY by Tony Phelan, adapted from JANE SMILEY; Directed by Tony Phelan
American Living Room Series at HERE (July 8 - 18)
EVA HESSE by Catherine Rogers; directed by Michele Coleman
LUX IN TENEBRIS by Bertolt Brecht; directed by Ted Shaffner
BOWL, CAT AND BROOMSTICK by Wallace Stevens; directed by David Levine
TONE CLUSTERS by Joyce Carol Oates; directed by Abigail Deser
STICKY AND SHARY by Rob Handel; directed by Abbey Epstein
VALENTINE by Bridgette Wimberly; directed by Bridgette Wimberly
A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS by Genevieve Castelino; directed by Kiran Merchant
THE GREAT NEBULA IN ORION by Lanford Wilson; directed by Jules Ochoa
THE STAR-SPANGLED MIDDLE PASSAGE by C. Campbell; directed by Cathleen Campbell
LAABHSHANKAR THAAKAR; directed by Kiran Merchant
THE SCRIVENER by Herman Melville; directed by Joshua Moyse
"DISFIGURATION OF A DIVA" by Hattie Gossett; directed by Elizabeth Herron
FAMILY RUNNING FOR MR. WHIPPY by Catherine Zimdahl; directed by Elyse Singer
CHINESE WAITER AT THE FUNERAL by Matthew Wilder; directed by Stefan Novinski
WIND by Stephen Belber; directed by Lucie Tiberghien
GWEN JOHN by Jane Warrick; directed by Leigh Fondakowski
Workshop Productions
The 1997 Lab presented four month-long, professionally produced workshops of new plays open to invited audiences.
POST PUNK LIFE by Simon Fill; directed by Julie Hamberg
A VISIT TO THE FOOTBINDER musical by David Dreyfus (book & lyrics) & Jeff Hardy (music); directed by Elizabeth Margid
WOYZECK OF SARAJEVO by Doyle Avant; directed by Ivan Talijancic
THE RIDDLES OF BAMBOO by Kipp Erante Cheng; directed by Rebecca Holderness
Choice Cuts (at HERE; February 11 - 26, 1997)
GRIND by Stephanie Berry; directed by Celia Braxton
CORRESPONDENCE adapted by Jack Cummings III; directed by Jack Cummings III
RESTITUTION by Steven Sater; directed by Adam Davidson
IMMIGRATING INTERLUDES by Anne Garcia-Romero; directed by Leah Gardiner
FLUKE by Perry Souchuk; directed by Rebecca Holderness
SURE THING by David Ives; directed by Trent Jones
MR. BLUESMAN by Cedric Turner; directed by Lorna Littleway
BEFORE BREAKFAST by Eugene O?Neil; directed by Michael Sexton
PLAY STRINDBERG: ROUND ONE by Friedrich Durrenmatt; directed by Elyse Singer
DROWNING by Maria Irene Fornes; directed by Alison Summers
SPRINGTIME by Maria Irene Fornes; directed by Robert Urbinati
THE MAN IN A CASE by Wendy Wasserstein; directed by Daniela Varon
Big Art in Small Spaces (at the Judson Memorial Church; April 20, 1997)
THE H.R. PROJECT; directed by Alexandra Aron
THE LADY WITH THE TOY DOG adapted by Sari Bodi; directed by Jacqueline Berger
THEME WITH VARIATION by Christophen Serkin; directed by Joshua Moyse
OPEN EYES by Paulo Nunes-Ueno and Ronaldo Macedo; directed by Paulo Nunes-Ueno
PEEK-a-BOO! by Steven Dean; directed by Steven Dean
