Chicago Directors Workshop

The Chicago Directors Workshop gives five Chicago based directors the opportunity to develop and hone their unique vision. We believe that directors are critical to the creation of the next canon of new art and seek to offer them the opportunity to experiment outside of the crucible of production.

The Directors Receive

• Pitch Coaching with Prop Thtr Artistic Director Olivia Lilley & Producer in Residence Tara Branham

• Grantwriting Mentorship 

• Personal Branding Workshop

• Artistic Statement Development

• Self-Promotion and Project Marketing Coaching

• Fundraising Mentorship

• Staged Reading (9 rehearsal hours)

• Workshop Production (25 rehearsal hours, 6 tech hours)

Public Viewings

The Staged Reading will happen over two Sunday/Monday timeframe dependent upon director availability. 

1st weekend: November 24 & 25

2nd weekend: December 15 & 16

Scripts, music stands, no tech, actor to read stage directions.

The Workshop Production will follow a 25 hour rehearsal process. These will culminate in a one weekend presentation of all 5 directors’ workshop productions. These must have script in hand, but beyond that can have staging with limited technical support. This weekend will be April 17th-19th.

The Directors Commitment

• Attend monthly cohort meetings wherein all 5 directors, Producer in Residence Tara Branham, and Artistic Director Olivia Lilley, will provide peer feedback on the development of directors’ visions. 

• Attend the work of at least 3 storefront theatres in Chicago. Prop Thtr will assist in obtaining tickets to these three productions.  

• Attend Chicago Directors Workshop centered fundraiser to support their project and the projects of their fellow directors. As one of the featured artists, directors will be expected to speak about their project in casual conversation and formally throughout the event. While directors have no ticket minimum or funding goal requirements, they expected to promote this fundraiser to their own individual networks via social media, word of mouth, and e-letter campaign. 

• Attend all events during the Chicago Directors Workshop Festival April 17th-19th and participate in panel discussions and post show conversations.

The Pitches

Directors must pitch one revitalization of a “classic play" and may either pitch an additional revitalization or a “new work”.

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1. Revitalization of a “classic play”. We define classic as any play in the canon written prior to the year 2000.

2. A “new work”. We define a new work as any theatrical presentation or play that has not yet received a world premiere. This can include a play that you have written, adaptations of works that you have been granted permission to adapt or are in the public domain, devised plays, and new plays written by a Chicago based playwright. Please note if this is a devised play, there should already be some development that has resulted in a script.

Eligibility

Directors must reside in Chicago or Chicagoland suburbs beginning November 2019 and ending May 2019 and will be expected to attend meetings at Prop Thtr. That's it. Otherwise, if this workshop sounds like it's for you that's because it is.

Submissions open September 1st and close October 4th at 11:59pm (CST).