Camp instructors Will Davis and Michael Rau.
The Directors' Center
Through the Directors' Center, The Strand provides a home for directors to study and practice their craft. In today’s theatrical landscape, there is a dismal lack of mentorship and very few paths for artistic and professional development for young directors. These paths can be particularly difficult to access for white women and artists of color. When the Directors Guild of American surveyed their new members in 2009, under 20% of the 967 new members were women. Less than 4% were women of color. MFAs have become the best way to raise your profile; however, these programs require extensive prior experience and are frequently prohibitively expensive without a guarantee of work after graduation.
The Strand is committed to offering professional development opportunities for emerging directors as an alternative to these often narrowly prescribed pathways.
Snow Camp & Summer Camp are week-long intensives at the Strand that offer theoretical conversations about the role of the director in concert with practical exercises in the craft of directing. These sessions empower directors to claim their artistic voice in the rehearsal room and invest in a community of like-minded artists across the country. Sessions are affordable ($150 for the entire session or $25 a day for drop-ins) and accessible (sessions run in the evenings and on weekends to allow those who support themselves with day jobs to attend).
Developmental Residencies offer directors two weeks of time and space to develop their dream projects free of charge. Throughout the new play field, script workshops are the norm, offering playwrights time to develop a script. The Strand’s residencies aim to offer directors time to explore various elements of a new project, whether working on movement, working with designers, collaborating with a playwright, etc. These sessions offer a place for artistic exploration that is rarely found elsewhere. More information on the application process coming soon!
Through the Directors' Center, The Strand provides a home for directors to study and practice their craft. In today’s theatrical landscape, there is a dismal lack of mentorship and very few paths for artistic and professional development for young directors. These paths can be particularly difficult to access for white women and artists of color. When the Directors Guild of American surveyed their new members in 2009, under 20% of the 967 new members were women. Less than 4% were women of color. MFAs have become the best way to raise your profile; however, these programs require extensive prior experience and are frequently prohibitively expensive without a guarantee of work after graduation.
The Strand is committed to offering professional development opportunities for emerging directors as an alternative to these often narrowly prescribed pathways.
Snow Camp & Summer Camp are week-long intensives at the Strand that offer theoretical conversations about the role of the director in concert with practical exercises in the craft of directing. These sessions empower directors to claim their artistic voice in the rehearsal room and invest in a community of like-minded artists across the country. Sessions are affordable ($150 for the entire session or $25 a day for drop-ins) and accessible (sessions run in the evenings and on weekends to allow those who support themselves with day jobs to attend).
Developmental Residencies offer directors two weeks of time and space to develop their dream projects free of charge. Throughout the new play field, script workshops are the norm, offering playwrights time to develop a script. The Strand’s residencies aim to offer directors time to explore various elements of a new project, whether working on movement, working with designers, collaborating with a playwright, etc. These sessions offer a place for artistic exploration that is rarely found elsewhere. More information on the application process coming soon!