Forward Theater Will Launch Directors Lab

Forward Theater Company is announcing the establishment of the Wisconsin Directors Lab (“The Lab”), which will support education, artistic exploration, career development, and networking for early- and mid-career theater directors in our state.

The Lab will launch in January 2025, with an in-person event hosted by in-kind partner Madison College. This weekend gathering will run January 4-5, 2025 and include panel discussions, breakout seminars, open rehearsals, and networking sessions led by some of the state’s most experienced professional directors.

Admission to the Lab will be open to all Wisconsin residents, with modest sliding-scale fees charged to cover the cost of meals and other services during The Lab. Aspiring and working directors throughout the state are encouraged to attend, whether they are interested in working in theater in professional, community, or educational settings.

Forward Theater Artistic Director Jen Uphoff Gray said, “In our years of producing theater in Wisconsin, one need in the field has become increasingly clear: there is very little support for theater directors in our state, at any career level. Having benefited early in my own career from participating in the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, I knew what a local version could provide here. The Wisconsin Directors Lab, as we are envisioning it, will begin as a two-day symposium hosted here in Madison to serve early- and mid-career directors from across the state.  Experienced directors will also benefit, both by being paid to come and lead conversations and open rehearsals, and by spending a weekend in conversation and camaraderie with peers.  Topics covered might include career paths, what assistant directors do, working with designers, intimacy direction, best practices in developing new works, directing for high schools and colleges, classical work, etc. There will be hosted meals and other networking times to facilitate relationship building.”

Gray continued, “We do not intend to gate-keep this program, and will make it available to anyone who wants to participate and learn more about directing (though we will require attendees to have completed college or equivalent experience). Fees will be minimal and tiered to prioritize access.  By investing our resources in the creation of The Lab, we hope to contribute not just to Forward Theater’s pipeline of talent, but to the benefit of the entire state’s theater ecosystem.”

Registration for the 2025 Wisconsin Directors Lab will open in September 2024. Further details on the Lab schedule will be posted as they are announced on Forward Theater’s website (forwardtheater.com/wisconsin-directors-lab).  Questions about The Lab can be sent to info@forwardtheater.com.

The Wisconsin Directors Lab is supported by funds from Forward Theater Company, a grant from the Madison Community Foundation, and Nancy Ciezki & Diane Kostecke. Madison College is the Lab’s in-kind sponsor.