Every theater director will oversee a new play process in their career: here is what to expect and how to prepare.
Drawing from over 20 years of experience as a freelance director, and as the Artistic Director of LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater, Evan Cabnet combines the creative with the pragmatic to provide an honest, useful, and entertaining look at the art of directing a new play.
Integrating practical advice with personal experience, Directing New Plays demystifies the process of directing a new work. From developing a creative vision to navigating the challenges of collaborative art-making, this book offers a comprehensive look at the director's role in the process and the tools they use at every step,
including development (readings and workshops), pre-production (casting and design), rehearsal (staging, working with actors, rewrites, and run-throughs), tech, previews, and opening a world premiere production. Incisive, supportive, and clear, this book is an indispensable resource for theater directors looking to begin- or to sustain- a career in new play development.
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New plays need directors who can translate their passion and creativity into clear plans and thoughtful communication. Evan Cabnet's masterful text on directing embodies just this, seamlessly melding inspiration with structure. This immersive guide, perfect for both novices and professionals, equips directors to bring new work to the stage with artistry and impact * Christopher Shinn * Few artists know the American theatre and the new play process as well as Evan Cabnet. This book distills his experience, guidance, and wisdom into a crash course for novice and experienced directors alike. An invaluable road map for any director who wants to bring new plays to life! * David Henry Hwang, playwright and professor * Directing New Plays is the most relevant and brilliantly written book on directing new plays Ive encountered. A vital guide for directors interested in working on the cutting edge of new play development and production. Cabnet is able to offer keen and clear insight into the often unseen work directors do, and to paint a bigger picture of the qualities that distinguish truly great leaders in the American theater. * Lear deBessonet , director * Evan Cabnets Directing New Plays is necessary reading for anyone who wants to learn the craft or better their approaches. Cabnet provides unpretentious practical advice and real world scenarios, applicable to any rehearsal room. Leading a new play process, or any play process for that matter can be a lonely endeavor, Directing New Plays not only demystifies the work but also provides solidarity from the encouraging voice of a colleague. * Jennifer Chang, director and professor * I highly recommend anyone interested in what a theater director does to read Evan Cabnets smart, succinct and invaluable book. * James Lapine, playwright and director *
Muu info
A practical guide to directing a new play, offering a step-by-step manual of the process using personal examples from 20 years of new play development experience.
Introduction
Part 1: Beginnings
Chapter 1: What Does a Director Do, and How Do They Do It?
Chapter 2: Finding and Reading a Text
Chapter 3: Meeting with a Writer
Part 2: Development
Chapter 4: Readings
Chapter 5: Workshops
Chapter 6: Getting the Play Produced
Part 3: Pre-Production
Chapter 7: Assembling the Creative Team
Chapter 8: Casting
Chapter 9: The Design Process
Chapter 20: The Producing Organization and Production Meetings
Part 4: Rehearsal
Chapter 11: The First Rehearsal
Chapter 12: Tablework
Chapter 13: Building a Rough Draft
Chapter 14: Preparing and Organizing a Rehearsal Day
Chapter 15: Actors
Chapter 16: The Stumble-Through and The Next Draft
Chapter 17: Rewrites
Chapter 18: Run-Throughs
Part 5: The Space
Chapter 19: Preparing for Tech
Chapter 20: Tech
Chapter 21: Dress Rehearsal
Part 6: The Audience
Chapter 22: Previews
Chapter 23: Preview Rehearsals
Chapter 24: Final Previews and Freezing a Production
Chapter 25: Opening, The Run, and Closing
Conclusion
Evan Cabnet is an NYC-based theater director specializing in new plays. He has directed new works by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Gloria, Pulitzer Finalist, 2015), Helen Edmundson (Therese Raquin on Broadway for the Roundabout Theater Company), Christopher Shinn (Teddy Ferrara), Steven Sater & Burt Bacharach (Some Lovers), Bekah Brunstetter (Oohrah!), Liz Meriwether (The Mistakes Madeline Made and Oliver Parker!), Kenneth Lin (Warrior Class), David West Read (The Dream of the Burning Boy and The Performers on Broadway), Zayd Dohrn (Outside People), Daniel Pearle (A Kid Like Jake) Julia Brownell (All-American) and has collaborated with Stephen Sondheim, Edward Albee, John Guare, Donald Margulies, and Theresa Rebeck. As an Artistic Director, he has developed and produced plays by Jackie Sibblies Drury (Marys Seacole, Obie Award, 2019), Martyna Majok (queens), Aya Ogawa (The Nosebleed, Obie Award, 2023), Zoe Kazan (After the Blast), Bryna Turner (Bull In a China Shop and At The Wedding), Miranda Rose Hall (Plot Points in Our Sexual Development), and Antoinette Nwandu (Pass Over, Lortel Award, Best Play, 2019). He is a founding member of the Ars Nova Playgroup, where he developed or directed works by Annie Baker, Beau Willimon, Liz Flahive, Carly Mensch, and many others. He is a former Associate Artist with the Roundabout Theater Company, a Resident Artist with Richard Foremans Ontological-Hysteric Theater, and a Performance Consultant for the Metropolitan Opera (Die Fledermaus). He has directed for NYUs Graduate Acting Program and the Juilliard School and has guest lectured at Columbia and Yale University. From 2017 to 2024 he served as the Artistic Director of LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater.
