TRU Writer-Director Communications Lab February 19, 2011

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the TRU Writer-Director Communications Lab on Saturday, February 19, 2011 from 1pm to 7pm at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, Studio 3C. If accepted into the lab, the cost is $75 ($60 for TRU members). Writer applications are available at www.truonline.org/DirectorLabFeb11.htm. Interested directors may email TRUnltd@aol.com and attach a brief resume. The lab will be taught by producers Pam Koslow ("Jelly’s Last Jam", "Jane Eyre", "Yank!") and director Robert Kalfin, former artistic director of Chelsea Theatre ("Yentl", "Strider", "Candide").

One of the most important - and most sensitive - relationships in theater is between playwright and director. In some ways, the entire success of a show can hinge on the shared understanding, trust and mutual respect between these two artists. TRU Executive Director Bob Ost explains, “The director and the writer need to see the show with the same eyes, otherwise their collaboration won't work.  This is important to establish in the initial meetings. TRU has created a brand new, experimental program that will train theater artists in the crucial skills of communication.”

In this Lab, ten directors will be teamed with ten writers prior to the Lab itself. Playwrights will send a synopsis, pitch and production history, plus 3-5 sample pages of a script; directors will select a project from those submitted, then request and read the script and prepare for a preliminary guided director-writer discussion about the play.

Participants will:
• Discover personal communication styles;
• Learn to identify the style of the director and adjust to it for maximum mutual understanding;
• Explore non-threatening ways of discussing text, communicating and listening; and
• Identify domain of authority to determine protocols.

To apply as a writer, download the application from www.truonline.org/DirectorLabFeb11.htm and email to TRUnltd@aol.com with 3-5 sample script pages from the project to be considered, pasting the script sample at the end of the application. Directors will choose projects; if playwrights are not chosen at this time, they will submit you for future labs. The cost is $75 if accepted ($60 for TRU members).