One of the joys of SDC Executive Board and at-large committee service is that you get to spend time with other directors and choreographers, thoughtful and passionate folks working for the SDC Membership in a variety of ways. At the Board level, we are charged with seeing that the contractual and artistic rights of directors and choreographers remain protected and that their leadership in the field continues to advance. We’re perpetually examining the current theatrical terrain for what might impact our Members’ lives and livelihoods with the goal of being prepared for what’s to come.
As artists ourselves, we look, as do our colleagues across the country, for what can ensure the health of the field. We consider how, through our work, we can make a difference in the cultural and political landscape and how the vitality of our storytelling can address the present moment in ways that are truthful, provocative, astonishing, nourishing, mind-blowing, heart-expanding, relevant, community-building.
I find a similarly critical sense of connection and inspiration each time I pick up SDC Journal. From Anne Bogart’s riveting conversation with directors Moisés Kaufman and Michel Hausmann—both of whom were born in Venezuela—on the occasion of the world-premiere stage adaptation of Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard (written and directed by Kaufman from the novel by Jonathan Jakubowicz), to Jennifer Chang’s conversation with Brian Kite and playwright Paula Vogel’s with Jared Mezzocchi, this issue of the Journal features articles in which directors and choreographers ponder the state of the theatre and how we might better forge meaningful relationships with our audiences by engaging them with stories in which they can find themselves or challenging them to bring their imaginations to complete a theatrical event. These artists bring their inquiry and insights to aesthetic and societal questions. As Hausmann states: “It’s not just the idea that theatre needs to have a space at the table, it’s that theatre should help lead the conversation.”
This issue also marks the debut of four new columns in the Journal:
MUSES & MUSINGS — Members share their current sources of inspiration.
INNOVATIONS — Members working on the leading edge of production, process, and technology share their experiences.
HOW WE MET THAT CHALLENGE — Members share their approach to creative problem-solving in the rehearsal or production process.
THEATRICAL PASSPORTS — Members reflect on working internationally/interculturally.
At the current moment, when theatres face daunting economic and existential challenges and we struggle to find potential remedies—even as there is no clear agreement as to the cause—it’s more important than ever for individual artists to sharpen their purpose. The stimulating discussions in these pages reveal directors and choreographers—and writers, artistic directors, and academics—grappling with necessity and authenticity, responsibility and inclusivity, with aspiration and with craft. Through these accounts of personal artistic exploration, we find common threads and continuities with our own journeys and a sense of hopeful solidarity. We find a bit of cheer to see us through these chilly and uncertain winter months.
In Solidarity,
Evan Yionoulis
Executive Board President