(Boston, MA, October 22, 2019) Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), the theatrical Union that represents over 4,000 professional stage directors and choreographers, and SDC Foundation (SDCF) are co-hosting a panel discussion entitled Collaboration on New Plays: Shaping New Voices for the Stage on Monday, November 11th at 6:00 PM, Stage Source 15 Channel Center Street, Suite 103, Boston, MA. This event is free and open to the public.
Moderated by Lisa Rafferty, panelists Benny Sato Ambush, Melinda Lopez, and Kate Snodgrass will discuss how directors and playwrights collaborate on creating new work for the stage, both in Boston and nationwide, and how they continue to foster the development of new voices for the theater throughout their careers.
“Boston has an incredibly rich and diverse history of creating new work that has a profound impact on the Boston community as well as the industry, in both the non-profit and commercial sector,” states Laura Penn, Executive Director of SDC. “We are excited to partner with SDCF to bring this conversation to the Boston community and discuss how new work is developed, the art of collaboration, and what to look forward to in the future.”
“Directors and choreographers from the greater Boston area have been generous mentors to SDCF,” states Rebecca Hewett, Executive Director of SDCF. “We are excited to continue to expand and deepen our relationship with Boston’s vibrant theatrical community.”
The Boston panel discussion is made possible by a planning committee comprised of local SDC Member directors and choreographers including Benny Sato Ambush, Judy Braha, Joey Frangieh, Russell Garrett, Daniel Gidron, Ted Hewlett, Jim Petosa, Lisa Rafferty, Misha Shields, Larry Sousa, and Robert Walsh.
This event is free but space is limited. All attendees should RSVP by sending an e-mail to BostonRSVP@SDCweb.org.
If you are a local director or choreographer interested in learning more about all of the Boston events, please contact Maegan Morris at MMorris@SDCweb.org.
Panelists:
Melinda Lopez was the inaugural Playwright-in-Residence at the Huntington Theatre, 2013-2019, and part of the Mellon Foundations National Playwright Residency Program. She is the recipient of the 2019 Mass Cultural Council Award in Dramatic Writing and the 2019 Elliot Norton Award for Sustained Excellence. Recent work includes: Yerma, (Huntington Theatre) Mala (Arts Emerson, The Guthrie Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, also available to download on Audible in both Spanish and English), Back the Night, Becoming Cuba, Sonia Flew, and many others. Melinda is also a performer and teaches Playwriting at Boston University.
Benny Sato Ambush, a proud 28-year member of SDC, is a former Artistic Director of three theatres, an educator (MFA, BFA, BA levels), consultant, former National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) panelist/site evaluator, and published commentator. He has numerous directing credits at professional regional theatres and universities throughout the U.S. In 2018, he was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. MFA – University of California, San Diego; BA – Brown University.
Kate Snodgrass is the Artistic Director of Boston Playwrights Theatre and the Director of the MFA Playwriting Program at Boston University. She was designated a “Theatre Hero” by StageSource in 2001 and was awarded the Elliot Norton Award for “Sustained Excellence” in 2012. Among other awards, her plays have won a Heidemann Award, two IRNE Awards, and been nominated for the Steinberg New Play Award. She co-founded the Boston Theater Marathon in 1999 (now in its 22nd year) and is the recipient of a 2015 Tanne Foundation Award for her passion and commitment to the theatre.
Moderator:
Playwright, director, producer Lisa Rafferty creates documentary plays which celebrate the strength and resiliency of heroic women and men including an unforgettable and courageous First Lady, a 9/11 hero and survivors of domestic violence. She is very proud of her work with Joey Frangieh creating Boston Theater Company’s Finish Line, about the 2013 Boston Marathon, which had its world premiere at the Shubert Theatre in Spring 2017. Her comedies – The MOMologues (1, 2 and 3), published by Samuel French – have appeared in 26 states and six countries. Lisa is the producing director of the Elliot Norton Awards and loves teaching theater at Bridgewater State University. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. www.birchtreeproductions.company