|
| |
So you want to direct at Elden Street...
Every year (by March 1), it is the job of the ESP artistic director to put
together our next balanced season of shows, helmed by qualified directors.
Rather than reading/selecting shows and then trying to find interested
directors, ESP invites directors to submit shows which they wish to direct at
ESP.
To submit a show, the artistic director would like to receive:
 | An e-mail about what show(s) (including playwright and/or translator
names) you would like to direct at ESP (preferably no more than three ideas,
and by the way we get a lot of "heavy and/or unusual stuff", good comedies
are an easier path to directing for the first time at ESP), |
| Attach your directing resume', |
| Provide a brief statement (think paragraphs, not pages) about why you
think the show is "right" for ESP. Not just "this is a great show that no
one in the area has done." A.) Every director thinks the shows they are
submitting are great, and B.) most directors haven't really researched how
much the shows have been done (for example, you can pretty much stay away
from Neil Simon, A.R. Gurney and Ken Ludwig). In many cases, directors have
submitted shows ESP has already done. We have only repeated one play in 19
years, we are not inclined to repeat others. Rather, think about how ESP
would sell this show to an audience. What are the "selling points" of the
show? Sometimes the plot isn't the selling point, sometimes it is the beauty
of the language, or the relevance to current events, or the awards it has
won, or the playwright's other works, etc. Try to provide the
paragraph/blurb that could go into our season brochure. |
| Why you want to do it as a director and what are the major challenges
you see in the production... difficult casting, large/intricate
set/sets/costumes/lights, special effects, length of the show, content and
subject matter, nudity, accents, staffing concerns, brand new/availability,
restricted rights, expensive rights etc. If you don't know the answers to
some of these questions, you may want to consider them. |
| An idea of the resources you believe you could bring with you (producer?
stage manager? designers? etc). This is community theater, to expect ESP to
provide you a full team is naive. |
| Your calendar availability in the upcoming season. Take a look at the
current season. ESP's calendar doesn't change much from year to year. The
five main stage show slots open about the same time every year, and casting
typically would occur about 10 weeks before open (a little extra time is
provided for the show that rehearses across the holidays and for the
musical). Provide which slots you are interested in and which you can not
do. Consider your vacations, bad seasons of the year at your job and other
family events. We expect directors to be upfront about any "conflicts" they
have in planning for their show, then into casting and rehearsals, through
to production and strike, just as they would want to know the same from
actors. If you are committed to another show (acting or directing) that
"overlaps" or is back-to-back with an ESP slot, consider that a conflict for
"appropriate production planning". |
| For any musicals, it would also be great (i.e VITAL) if you already had
at least a tentative commitment from a "very interested" music director.
With musicals, we get extremely nervous picking a show unless a music
director is already lined up as well. Too many shows in the area get
to auditions without finding one of these elusive folks. |
| If you are directing in the area, please let us know when/where so that
we can see your work first hand. We cannot recall a time that a first-time
director made their debut at ESP without first working on other ESP
productions in a different capacity, unless the artistic director has seen
their work elsewhere. |
The artistic director will balance your submission(s) with any others
received between now and the March 1 deadline for submitting a finalized season
to the board for approval. The artistic director will read them if not familiar
(no need to provide scripts) and let you know if your show (or one of your
shows) made the slate. Some immediate feedback on any shows rejected
will be provided, but final determination often doesn't occur until late
February as the artistic director weighs all of the factors for next season
(marketability, number of dramas to comedies, male-heavy shows to female-heavy
shows, number of "risky" shows, content considerations, resources and personnel,
too many tech heavy shows, etc).
Prospective directors are encouraged to keep the following points in mind:
| Elden Street produces plays (and musicals) that challenge both the artist and the
audience. |
| Don't judge any play as being too big or complex for Elden Street... if we can do
"The Who's Tommy" in the Industrial Strength Theatre, we believe we can do
anything. |
| While not a rule, Elden Street selects plays and musicals that have not been produced in
"the area" by any other theatre company within the last five to ten years. |
| Producers, Designers and Technicians are in short supply at Elden Street, just as they
are at every other community theatre in the DC area, so if you have a "team" you
want to bring with you, please let us know that. (particularly, producers and stage
managers) |
| The Elden Street Players are committed to maintaining the level of quality our audiences
have come to expect from an "Elden Street Production", so experience and
references will be considered heavily when selecting directors. |
| Several directing opportunities exist at Elden Street beyond the main stage productions.
The ESP Theatre for Young Audiences is
a great way to get into directing at Elden Street. |
ESP tries not to produce things that other companies are producing or have
recently been over-produced. ( i.e. Proof - we would have loved for ESP to do
that show, but in the 2 years after it became available it seems like there were
about 7 productions of it). Also, we love doing new stuff, but it is always a
gamble as to whether we will see it on multiple other seasons before we announce
ours or if the rights will be available. By the way, "new stuff" does not
mean "original works". We are not opposed to considering an original work, but
it would probably need to be on a "two-year consideration" plan, rather than for
"next season". Please do not bother to send in any shows that have been
"marketed" via the internet/e-mail, none of those have been considered.
(Dear playwrights... if you want your show done at ESP, then find a director
that likes your script enough to submit it for consideration).
We are proud of the fact that ESP has mounted successful productions of many
plays and musicals that other companies wouldn't even consider for various
reasons. We want to continue to produce challenging works (both for our audience
and our artists), but please understand we cannot select five unknown works, by
unknown authors every year. Our goal is to balance the season with comedies (or
at least lighter dramas) and dramas, produce a classic work every year
(Shakespeare is always welcome along with other masters), and at least one
musical (large scale musicals are usually produced in the summer show slot, for
many reasons). One-person shows are discouraged. Two person shows aren't a
lot better, but EXTRA justification would need to be provided.
That is the process. E-mail the webmaster if you have questions.
P.S. - ESP does not select shows and then directors, we select shows and
directors together. If you submit it, it will be considered with you as the
director. However, in the case of two (or more) directors submitting the same
show, the artistic director will weigh the qualifications of the two directors
and select the most qualified (usually based on directing history/experience in
the area and at ESP). Being first in line doesn't count.
|
