2015 Salon: Q&A with “Fake-Ass Mickey…” playwright Kevin R. Free

We are beyond excited to be working with playwright and performer extraordinaire Kevin R. Free  – a longtime friend of the Salon! While Kevin is making waves at Humana, his short play “Fake-Ass Mickey and “Fake-Ass Minnie Take a Real-Ass Break” will be performed TONIGHT on the Wild Project stage, directed by Christopher James Weihert and performed by Mandi Masden and Kareem M. Lucas. 

Check out our Q&A with Kevin below, and join us tonight! We have a full house but it is very likely that we can get the whole waitlist in.

2015 Salon: Q&A with “Brooklyn Bound” Playwright Riti Sachdeva

It’s the night of the Hat Director plays, and we’re honored to bring you TWO blog posts today featuring playwrights Riti Sachdeva and Kevin R. Free. Both of these plays are two of SEVEN inspired by the prompt “To Serve and Protect” that you can see tonight at The Wild Project at 7:30pm! The bar will be open, tickets are suggested donation (online or at the door) and we are almost sold out so we encourage you to RSVP!

Without further ado, Riti shares her thoughts on the director/playwright relationship and tells us about her inspiration for “Brooklyn Bound.”

2015 Salon: Q&A with Panelist Daniel Jáquez

SALON WEEK IS HERE! Join us at our Directors’ Roundtable tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17th at 7pm, for a peer-led discussion by the Curators about how we can create our own opportunities as directors, and what kind of challenges we face in doing so. Then, come back to The Wild Project on Wednesday, March 18th at 7pm for our Q&A Panel with professional directors Rachel Chavkin, Alec Duffy, and Daniel Jáquez – directors who we feel have successfully forged their own paths in very different ways. 

Panelist Daniel Jáquez, a freelance director and translator (INTAR’s UNIT52, The Lark Play Development Center’s US/Mexico Playwright Exchange, Calpulli Mexican Dance Theatre) with a background ranging from mathematics to Mexican folklore, took the time to answer a few questions about his work and his advice for emerging directors. Join us on March 18th to be able to ask him your own questions! 

Q. You’ve studied and practiced in several other fields before becoming a theatre director – how have these other areas of experience informed and furthered your work as a director?

A. I assume you are referring to my careers in Mathematics, Choreography, and Mexican Folklore. I wouldn’t know what kind of director I would’ve been if I didn’t have all those experiences. I just know that having “a lot” of “life” experience is always a great thing to bring into the creation of theatre. It allows you to dive deeper into the worlds and characters you are putting on the stage.

2015 Salon: Q&A with Panelist Rachel Chavkin

The Salon is underway, and we’re kicking off next week with a Directors’ Roundtable on Tuesday, March 17th at 7pm for a peer-led discussion by the Curators about how we can create our own opportunities as directors, and what kind of challenges we face in doing so. The Roundtable will act as a precursor to our Q&A Panel on Wednesday, March 18th with professional directors Rachel Chavkin, Alec Duffy, and Daniel Jáquez – directors who we feel have successfully forged their own paths in very different ways. 

We had the pleasure of asking Rachel Chavkin – the founding Artistic Director of the TEAM as well as a constantly-working freelance director of new plays and musicals – a few questions about her work and her advice for emerging directors. Join us on March 18th to be able to ask her your own questions!

2015 Salon: Q&A with “MAN. KIND.” playwright Don Nguyen

It’s the night of the party, y’all! We’re kicking off #year5 of the Salon tonight (and hope to see you there!), and bring you this Q&A with playwright Don Nguyen as his response to our theme “To Serve and Protect” – both personal and in his writing – really excites us.

 Q. In writing for the Directors Salon, how did you interpret the prompt “To Serve and Protect” and how did it inspire “MAN. KIND.”?

A. I was really drawn to the question of what separates service from servitude and who are we obligated to serve and who are we obligated to protect. I wanted to interrogate these notions through the lens of what’s currently been going on in our country and write a timely piece that explore these events, but I gave up and wrote about cave people instead.

2015 Salon: Q&A with “Rebel Judy” playwright J. Julian Christopher

After a hiatus in 2014, the Working Theater Directors Salon is back for its 5th Anniversary, and back with a vengeance! We’re thrilled to launch our Artist Q&A series with playwright J. Julian Christopher, whose short play Rebel Judy will be part of our night of 7 short plays inspired by the theme “To Serve and Protect” and performed on Sunday, March 22nd at 7pm at The Wild Project.

Q: In writing for the Directors Salon, how did you interpret the prompt “To Serve and Protect” and how did it inspire your play, Rebel Judy?

A: Interestingly enough, the prompt chose me. When first given the prompt, I was clueless on what to write. A few times I tried to force words out and it just wasn’t working. As an exercise I decided to just write whatever I wanted to write, and suddenly the prompt infiltrated my brain and the theme presented itself in a different way than I had first interpreted. What came out, was how people within a minority group tend to protect each other at all costs, which in turn, serves that particular minority community. The characters, Tito and Allyn, connect by being part of the fringe of society. There is a commaraderie along with a mentor and student relationship. It’s essential to their continued existence.

2013 Salon: Q&A with “The In-Between” director Kareem Fahmy

We are 5 days into the Salon and our directors are rehearsing at spaces all over the city!  Not only do we have 7 directors and 10 actors rehearsing 7 short plays, but 3 director-driven projects helmed by Katherine Brook (Transcripts), Kareem Fahmy (The In–Between), and Shana Solomon (Si Nos Dejan: If They Let Us).  What does “director-driven” mean?  We are interviewing all three directors about their processes to find out their definitions of “director-driven.”  Make sure to check out their works-in-progresses on Saturday, June 22nd at 7:30pm and keep reading for a Q&A with Kareem Fahmy about his piece, The In-Between.

2013 Salon: Thanks to our Artistic Director/Industry Leader Q&A Panelists!

Panelists Jennifer Cook (The Field), Ellen Rusconi (SDCF), and Susan Bernfield (New Georges), along with Working Theater’s Producing Artistic Director Mark Plesent, shared their insights with us on a number of topics – networking, self-producing, resources for emerging artists, the director/artistic director relationship, and how make an application stand out.  Thank you so much to our panelists for being a part of the 4th Annual Working Theater Directors Salon and leading such an engaging conversation!

2013 Salon: Thanks to our Directors Q&A Panelists!

2013 Directors Q&A Panelists Nelson Eusebio, Daniella Topol, Tamilla Woodard, and Ken Rus Schmoll with Working Theater Producing Artistic Director Mark Plesent

2013 Salon: Photos from the Opening Night Kick-Off Party!

Last night was a success!  Thanks to the abundance of Directors Salon supporters past and present who came to drink, party, and network with us!  Check out the photos from last night (thanks to 2012 Salon Playwright Tim J. Lord for playing photographer!) and make sure to come back to the Salon – we have a Directors Q&A Panel tonight, an Artistic Director and Industry Leader Panel tomorrow night, and performances this weekend!  

 

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