Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in this year's convening
(DG) Convening: The Universality of Art-Making
Connecting the power of universal artistic experiences
How can directors recognize the universality of art-making in various mediums and learn from them?
This fall, the 2023 (DG) Convening to explore how theatre directors have the power to enrich their humanity and artistry through exposure to varied expressions of artistic practice.
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 1, 2023
Gathering Virtually
Connecting the power of universal artistic experiences
How can directors recognize the universality of art-making in various mediums and learn from them?
This fall, the 2023 (DG) Convening to explore how theatre directors have the power to enrich their humanity and artistry through exposure to varied expressions of artistic practice.
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 1, 2023
Gathering Virtually
We want to create an inclusive, dynamic, centralized, and welcoming environment fortheatre directors to convene with their community of peers and colleagues to connect the parallels within the universality of art-making for artists across mediums.
Learn about Nataki Garrett
Nataki Garrett (she/her/hers) natakigarrett.com A change-maker and trailblazer, and nationally recognized Artistic Leader at Large, Nataki Garrett was the sixth Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), one of the few women of color in the country to lead a major theater company and OSF’s first Black female in this role. Born and raised in Oakland, into a family of artists and civil rights organizers—she garnered a deep appreciation for theater and for centering cultural justice through theater making. Prior to her role at OSF, she served as Acting Artistic Director at the Denver Center Theatre Company, as well as Associate Dean and Associate Artistic Director at CalArts Center for New Performance. Additionally, she was the co-head of the undergraduate acting program at CalArts School of Theater. Garrett’s vision is to support artists; to manifest innovation; to inspire creativity and to ensure the future of theater industry by centering artists as thought leaders and change makers who transform culture. Garrett has served on nominating committees for the MacArthur Award, the Kilroys, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Distinguished Playwright Award, Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship panel, Mellon Foundation Playwrights Award Panel, the Hermitage Greenfield Prize, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, several NEA panels, and countless juries supporting artists around the world. While at OSF Nataki created and produced “Quills Fest,” the first of its kind fully immersive digital event intersecting XR and Theater. Garrett served as executive producer for the Sundance award winning film “YOU GO GIRL!”, and the film ASHLAND both by Shariffa Ali. Her leadership in this new frontier has garnered her several awards including the Telly Award, and the Young Howze Award. Garrett is frequently sought voice for her thought leadership and expertise, Garrett can be read, watched, or listened to regularly across regional and national news media. |
We are deeply honored to share that Nataki Garrett will be this year's Keynote speaker.
Watch her (DG) Coffee Chat with Sisi Wright, (DG) Director of Membership & Engagement Here is a sneak peek of the Coffee Chat. Watch the full video here
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MEET OUR (DG) CONVENING GUEST ARTISTS
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Jude Sandy - (DG) Seminar instructor
Jude Sandy is a Trinidad & Tobago-born, Philadelphia-based director, teacher and performer. Since 2016 he has been a member of Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI, where he has directed productions of August Wilson’s Gem of The Ocean, Radio Golf, and Marcus Gardley’s black odyssey. Also at Trinity Rep, Jude has choreographed six productions and appeared in twelve, playing Othello in Othello, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, and Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. On broadway, he was an original company member of the Tony Award-winning War Horse at Lincoln Center Theater, and has appeared off-broadway at The Pearl, Barrow Street and others. Regionally, he has movement- and associate-directed at Cleveland Play House and performed with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, The Williams Project and Bread Loaf Theater Ensemble. Jude is an alumnus of Brown/Trinity Graduate Programs in Acting and Directing (MFA); Brown University (AB, Africana Studies); American Dance Festival; and Dancing Legacy. He has been a faculty member and directed productions at Amherst College (Bad Jews) and Connecticut College (We Are Proud To Present A Presentation… and 7/25), and has taught at National Theater Institute, Middlebury College and others. He is currently a visiting assistant professor of theater at Swarthmore College and a co-creator of Denizen Arts Project, an African diaspora- and queer-inspired performance collaboration alongside dance artist yaTande Whitney V. Hunter. Jude is also currently working on his first commission as a playwright for Trinity Rep and directing Sylvia Khoury’s Selling Kabul for Philadelphia’s InterAct Theatre Company. CJ Miller - (DG) Pick Up class instructor
CJ Miller (he/him/his)
cjmiller105.com Follow on Instagram - @cjmilleratti Follow on TikTok - @childlessparent CJ is middle school theatre teacher and comedian dedicated to disrupting white supremacy in all its forms. CJ specifically aims his activism towards the immoral but legal systems that feed into the continuing cultural genocide of people of the global majority. Some CJ's activism can be found on tiktok @childlessparent where he current has about 13,000 followers. Isaiah M. Wooden - (DG) Circle Contributor
Isaiah M. Wooden (he/him/his)
Isaiah M. Wooden is a director-dramaturg, critic, and assistant professor of theater at Swarthmore College. |
Amber Emory - (DG) Roundtable guest and (DG) Convening Indigenous Culture Advocate
Amber Emory (she/her/hers)
Amber is a creative Innovator and community advocate for cultural institutions based in the Lehigh Valley. She is currently on staff at the Manufacturing Resource Center as the Workplace Initiatives Specialist, building and supporting programs created for client-identified needs. She is also lead developer for the visitor experience in the new living Lenape Village at the Museum of Indian Culture, slated to open in Fall 2025. She previously worked as the Education Outreach Specialist at PBS39, the Director of Education and Community Partnership at the National Museum of Industrial History, and as an Education Assistant at the American Swedish Historical Museum. She has also built community engagement platforms at the National Constitution Center and Philadelphia Zoo. Her first love was theater which she continues to foster in her spare time and incorporate into her community outreach initiatives. She worked as a freelance theater artist and entrepreneur, founding two companies and engaging with over 15 theater companies in the NY, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia areas in various capacities, with a focus on ensemble devised theater and new work as a director. She is always looking for new ways to incorporate her theater director skillset and big visions into new careers and pathways of artistic expression. William Boles - (DG) Roundtable Guest
William Boles creates spaces that bridge theater and nature. As a scenic designer William has traveled extensively around the United States and Internationally creating environments for new plays and operas. William's work in landscape marries storytelling with nature, creating spaces that invite communities to reconnect with the earth through the creation of dynamic public parks. William has a BFA from the University of Central Florida, an MFA from Northwestern University and is a Master of Landscape Architecture candidate at Harvard University. See more of his work at wbdesigns.carbonmade.com Doc Burford - (DG) Roundtable Guest
Doc Burford is a Kansan game designer and writer who runs Mischief, a fully remote game development studio. He works as a narrative consultant on everything from indie to AAA titles and is currently directing an unannounced project at Mischief. Macey Mott - (DG) Roundtable Guest
Macey Mott (she/her/hers)
maceymott.com Riot Act, Inc. - www.riotactinc.org Follow on Instagram - @riotactinc Follow on Facebook - facebook.com/riotactinc Macey Mott is a Wyoming based theatre director, producer, and costume designer. A few of her previous projects are The Rocky Horror Show, Living Dead in Denmark, Hamlet, She Kills Monsters, Tribes, Passion Play, and The Chalk Boy. She is a founding member of Riot Act, Inc. and proudly serves as its Executive Artistic Director. An associate member of the SDC, Macey holds degrees in Theatre and German from U of Utah. She obtained a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration from UCONN in 2019 and continues on her journey to become a certified intimacy director. |
2023 (DG) Convening in the Press
(DG) CONVENING SCHEDULE
Day 1 - September 30th
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A special welcome for (DG) members to the Convening and an offering of space and community, to reflect on a wide range of director-centric topics. |
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A (DG) Studio experience that offers skills for directors to take with them into their processes. Theatre directors and makers are storytellers. We want to offer another creative tool for sharing stories and stretching the directors craft by taking a dive into the world of content creation using TikTok as an example. CJ Miller is a middle school Drama teacher as well as a professional dramaturg and director primarily in the Philadelphia area. Entering his tenth year as an educator, CJ has directed numerous productions including Into the Woods Jr. and Antigone for grades 5 - 8, and Romeo & Juliet for grades 2 - 5. CJ has also began venturing into the world of Tiktok and has been a content creator for about two years. In that time he has created over 200 artistic posts of varying styles, has acquired over 13,000 followers and has even survived a beef with Rosie O'Donnell. As someone who enthusiastically searches for and finds inspiration in everyone and everything, CJ enjoys diving into Tiktok as it gives him a direct link to an infinitely diverse stories and communities, becoming a more conscious and entertaining director and storyteller. |
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The Keynote address will set the tone for this year's theme at the Convening and offer a prompt to arouse discussion and action amongst the attendees. The (DG) Gathering at the Convening, directly following the Keynote, is a social event meant to gather theater artists and offer an opportunity for facilitated conversation in response to the Keynote speech. |
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Day 2 - Sunday, October 1st
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Special release - Monday, October 2nd
*Release delayed due to technical difficulties |
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A reflection from Jill Harrison, Brey Ann Barrett and Sisi Wright on the (DG) Convening. |
(DG) Convening Partners
Interested in becoming a (DG) Convening Partner? Learn more below on how becoming a (DG) Convening Partner will offer opportunities for direct engagement with the (DG) Mighty Networks platform and the ongoing (DG) Convening community.
Please click here
Interested in becoming a (DG) Convening Partner? Learn more below on how becoming a (DG) Convening Partner will offer opportunities for direct engagement with the (DG) Mighty Networks platform and the ongoing (DG) Convening community.
Please click here
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This year we are thrilled to be partnering with Swarthmore College’s Department of Theater to deepen and diversify the impact of the Convening conversation with multi-generational artists. The Swarthmore Theater community of faculty, staff, and students will be in collaboration with (DG) Convening programming and amplify this year’s conversation centering the universality of art-making on their social and community platforms. We look forward to gathering with the Swarthmore Theater community this fall and grateful for their partnership!
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Follow Directors Gathering for all news on
(DG) Convening 2023!
Check out our media from last year's convening.
2022 Howlround Theatre Commons article
2022 American theatre magazine feature
(DG) Coffee Chat: Special Blend