DirectorsLabChicago Announces 2018 Lab

Artistic Director Wm Bullion is pleased to announce the 2018 DirectorsLabChicago to be held Sunday, August 19, through Friday, August 24, 2018, at Victory Gardens Theater on Chicago's north side. The theme for this year's Lab is All Art is Political: Empathy, Identity and Intention in the Theater.

"In a time of acute political awareness and cultural change, the actions of art makers are seen through a distinctly critical lens," says DLC Director of Programs & Curriculum Management Aileen McGroddy. "As issues of representation, equality, and accessibility are coming to the forefront of the conversation, the questions why, why not, and why now are becoming even more important for directors. We hope that this year's lab will provide space and tools for directors to be conscious cultural leaders, diving headlong into a complicated conversation."

DirectorsLabChicago offers this annual week-long Lab as its flagship program. Now in its fourteenth year, the Lab has hosted 185 U.S.-based and 43 international directors, exploring themes such as The Language of the Stage, The Power of Myth and Ritual and The Kinetics of Directing. Previous presenters have included Robert Falls (Goodman Theatre), Martha Lavey (Steppenwolf), Leon Ingulsrud (Siti Company), Anne Cattaneo (Lincoln Center Theater), Chay Yew (Victory Gardens), and many more.

The Lab gathers directors from all over the world for a week of in-depth investigation of a single topic from multiple angles. It is geared toward professional directors in early- to mid-career stages, who are selected through a rigorous application process. As in years past, the Lab will consist of workshops and panel discussions with master artists, peer-led sessions, and visits to various Chicago productions.

DirectorsLabChicago was founded in 2005 by stage directors Elizabeth Margolius and Karin Shook as a result of their experience at the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab in New York. The artist service organization is very generously supported by the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, as well as by Victory Gardens Theater, our primary host for the 2018 Lab.

More information about this year's theme, including details about eligibility and the application process, are available at directorslabchicago.com/this-years-lab. Applications will be accepted through Sunday, May 6, 2018.

Questions about the Lab may be directed to Bullion at billy@directorslabchicago.com. Learn more about DirectorsLabChicago at directorslabchicago.com and facebook.com/DirectorsLabChicago.

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