All this week LA Stage will present coverage of Directors Lab West 2010 with reports from DLW Steering Committee Associate Producer Cindy Marie Jenkins, Production Coordinator Rachel Jenkins and DLW intern Doug Oliphant. Each year the Lab chooses a theme around which all their sessions are based and a play around which many group workshops are organized. For 2010 the theme is “Balance” and the play Measure for Measure. Click here to view all DLW 2010 updates.

Cindy Marie Jenkins

(From Cindy Marie Jenkins)

Speaking from my time as an Alum, Day 5 of the DLW begins the delirium. With short stints for sleep, most Labbies are present 12 hours a day and mental fatigue begins to show. It doesn’t last beyond the breaks, however. Every new session injects at least a quarto espresso of inspiration and adrenaline into those brave enough to stick through all that the lab has to offer.

Rachel Jenkins

BALANCING THE WESTSIDE

Speaker: Gil Cates
Moderator: Brendon Fox
By: Rachel Jenkins

“I never met a director who got better not working.”

Gil Cates is the current Producing Director of the Geffen Playhouse as well as an extremely successful director with a career spanning decades in theatre, film and television. He spoke on topics ranging from the balancing of the Geffen’s season, their plays, their artists, the LA Theatre scene, to his own ambitions and mission as a director, peppered throughout by anecdotes and tips for our emerging directors. He spoke on his role at the Geffen, equating himself to a shopkeeper. Sometimes, he just “had the wrong thing on the shelf.” Explaining, a flop did not necessarily mean a bad show was presented, it just wasn’t the right thing to have out right now with these customers. With so much experience and so much to share we could not help but find our noses in our notebook scribbling words of wisdom as we listened to him talk. “It’s just always about the work.” “If something speaks to you. DO IT!” “There is NOTHING like enthusiasm.” A vast source of knowledge, experience, enthusiasm & inspiration, Gil Cates gave us a peek into the world of the Geffen, his life and what it takes to be a director who is always asked back

Joann Yarrow, Marlene Forte and Oliver Mayer

COMPANY OF ANGELS

Panel: Marlene Forte, Oliver Mayer
Moderator: Joann Yarrow (DLW ‘00)
By: Cindy Marie Jenkins

Although short a Co-Artistic Director due to conflicts, Marlene Forte and Oliver Mayer delivered nothing short of a fascinating journey. Through Company of Angels’ history to the present day, there can be no doubt this ensemble lasted 50 years in Los Angeles because of its deep commitment to the stories of its city. As Forte kept reminding us, “We are the Company of Los Angeles; it’s in our name.” With member and former Artistic Director Tony Gatto attending the Lab, he contributed to the telling of their rich history that landed Company of Angels in the historic Alexandria Hotel. As part of their agreement with the hotel, the non-dues-paying ensemble conducts classes with the residents, often ending with material the residents write themselves. With such an exciting season ahead of them, Forte described filling the house (”Whatever a Twitter profile is, sure, let’s use it!”) to group discounts for local schools and displaying art as part of the Downtown Art Walk, thus guaranteeing traffic to their space: “Have you seen [the Downtown Art Walk]? It’s like Mardi Gras!” exclaimed Mayer. Their complete devotion to small theatre and the stories CofA tells - “giving voice to those in LA who have none,” as Forte paraphrased the mission statement - invigorated the Lab and sparked many the conversation on how downtown transformed itself.

Ernest Figueroa, Joann Yarrow and Oliver Mayer

LOST IN TRANSLATION: Translating and Transforming Theater
Discussion: Oliver Mayer, Joann Yarrow (DLW ‘00)
Moderator: Ernest Figueroa

Speaking of transformation, the story of Mayer and Yarrow’s joint-adaptation and translation of Mayer’s play Blade to the Heat must have only be topped by seeing the production itself. Taking a literal translation and proceeding to collaborate for days at a time, often relying only on their guts and the musicality of the words/stories, Mayer and Yarrow used every tool and obstacle at their disposal. The balancing act they experienced on this process alone could have taken up the entire theme of this year’s DLW; different cultures, training non-actors and non-boxers to simultaneously be successful at both, a vibrant singer/actor who left the hospital every night and performed with an IV tube and through immense pain, a live band, audience around all four sides of a boxing ring….an incredible endeavor that clearly still affects the artists. When asked about the difficulty of translating for a mixed cultural audience, both agreed it always has to come back to character and story.

TOWARD A TESSERACT THEATER
Exploration: Nick Abruzzo
Moderator: Jess Bard

It’s difficult to describe this session except through a cliche: mind-blowing. Nick Abruzzo was an original member of the DLW Steering Committee and has since moved into the role of Math Department Chair at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Coming from both worlds, he explained, he can’t help but make connections between the two. If you know the idea of a tesseract or have the slightest idea about the fourth dimension, then you can comprehend his thoughts on this topic, beautifully expressed through images and Abruzzo’s own scribbles as he worked out his theories before sharing them with the Lab. Starting with the deux es machina, and ending with an idea for Hamlet’s father’s ghost that would make H.P. Lovecraft’s skin crawl while simultaneously tingling with possibility, you can be sure no one in that room will look at space the same way. Ever. It won’t be long before the TED Talks organizers come knocking on his door.

Doug Oliphant

MEASURE FOR MEASUREMENT
Lab ‘10 Directors:  Ellen Koivisto, Richard Tatum
Moderator: Brendon Fox
Actors:  ISABELLA - Sarah Zimmerman ANGELO - Chris Guilmet LUCIO - Lauren Lovett
By Doug Oliphant

“You’re not putting any of this up on YouTube, are you?” - Sarah Zimmerman

Sometimes, we (directors) need to remind ourselves just how amazingly generous and giving actors are, and how much respect they deserve for it. This workshop was a key example of actor generosity and the tremendous benefit we all receive.  In short, we took a three-person scene from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure and assigned two lab directors to work with the actors on the scene.  Simple enough.  The tricky part is that there were TWO DIRECTORS. Never a good situation. But, fearlessly (or at least hiding it very well) Sarah, Chris and Lauren acted on, switching modes every time the directors switched control. Each director had about half an hour with the actors before handing the scene over to the other, then switching back for another session each. While lab directors Ellen and Richard claimed to have shared the same vision before the workshop began, everything from the set-up of the room to their interaction with the actors couldn’t have been more different. By the end of the 2.5 hours of work though, the scene was run in full and was truly a successful merging of the two directors’ staging and vision, coupled with powerful performances and seamless fluency in language. Some great comedy came out of the scene too, especially as Lauren made discoveries along the way. We all discussed the actor’s ability to switch/adapt/translate with each director as well as what effect it had by having a woman in the role of Lucio. Perhaps the evening’s greatest moment of comedy came in observing 15 directors sitting in the audience trying with all their ability to not speak their opinion, stand up, or have any other kind of reaction while Ellen or Richard were working. Maybe if everyone ADs a show or two again they’ll remember what it’s like to not be able to express your opinion!

Directors Lab West is a unique forum which brings Theater Directors together with peers and seasoned professionals for an opportunity to collaborate and grow together as artists. Directors Lab West is modeled after the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab in New York City. Like its NY counterpart, the Lab is a series of discussions, working sessions, panels and symposia with some of the nation’s and region’s leading directors, playwrights, designers and other theatre practitioners. DirectorsLabWest.com