Geva's Director of Artistic Engagement Set for Playwriting Seminar in Estonia

Sean Daniels, Geva's newly appointed Director of Artistic Engagement/Artist at Large, will head off to Estonia this week for "Stage Island" the International Seminar on Contemporary Playwriting on Hiiumaa Island. The seminar gathers a director, playwright, and dramaturg or literary advisor and team of actors from the USA and each of four Baltic nations: Estonia, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland, to develop new scripts from the participating countries and secure English translations for the plays developed during the conference. The conference will also establish new artistic contacts and collaborations between countries.

Mr. Daniels is one of ten American artists attending the conference on behalf of the Eugene O'Neill Center, which pioneers the workshop/reading model on which the conference will be based. The delegation will be developing a script by Jake Jeppson with a group of five actors under Mr. Daniels' direction with the dramaturgical support of Ilana Brownstein. Also in attendance are Jill Anderson, General Manager of the O'Neill Center, and George White, founder of the Eugene O'Neill Center. A special guest of the conference is Grigory Neryesen, longtime O'Neill collaborator, who was instrumental in the Center's early collaborations with Russia. During the week-long conference, each artistic group will prepare and present a staged reading of a play in English translation from their country of origin.

"I'm beyond thrilled to go direct and represent the United States at the first ever Baltic-American Playwrights Conference," commenTed Daniels. "One of the things that attracted me to Geva was its sustained and continued support of new voices and new work - so what better way to spend week two on the job, then to fly to Estonia to make new international connections and spread the good word about the way that Rochester does new work."

Mr. Daniels assumed his post as Geva's Director of Artistic Engagement/Artist at Large in early August and will be responsible for creating and fostering relationships that allow Geva artists and the work to directly connect to the theatre's local patrons, and national communities. He will also direct the Geva Theatre Conservatory production of 44 Plays for 44 Presidents which will be presented as part of the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival, and The Book Club Play, part of Geva's 40 Anniversary Mainstage Season. This is actually a return to Geva for Mr. Daniels who was instrumental in establishing Geva Comedy Improv in 2002.