27th Annual
La MaMa Umbria International Symposium for Directors / Theatre-Makers
Session One | August 12 – 21
Workshops include:
Devising Civic Theatre Projects | Michael Rohd
From Images to Evocative Theatrical Worlds | Sylvia Costa
Session Two | August 23 – September 1
Workshops include:
playing ancient futures | Daniel Alexander Jones
Theatre of War and Rebirth | Vladamir Shcherban
Check out the WORKSHOPS tab for Descriptions and Bios of Workshop Leaders
During the two 10-day sessions, directors and theatre-makers alike will take workshops with distinguished, internationally renowned artists, visit Spoleto and other Umbrian cultural sites. Accommodation, meals, and local transport are included in the fee.
Fee includes all workshops, meals, accommodation, excursions, performances, local travel*, etc.
SPACE IS LIMITED
*Transportation to and from La MaMa Umbria is not included.
The Symposium consists of two 10-day sessions. During a session, directors and theatre-makers will take workshops with distinguished, internationally renowned artists, visit La MaMa Spoleto Open and other Umbrian cultural sites.
WORKSHOPS: A training program for professional directors, choreographers and theatre-makers. Internationally renowned theatre artists conduct workshops and lecture/demonstrations.
Participants will be exposed to a variety of theatrical perspectives during the Symposium, from instructors who will expand their sense of what is possible in the theatre. Directors attending the Symposium see how prominent artists on the international scene create their unique productions. The workshops are participatory, and it is expected that all attendees will engage actively in the processes of the various teaching artists.
EXCURSIONS: While most of the time will be spent in workshops at La MaMa Umbria, at least one day has been set aside for excursions to nearby cities. We will attend at least one performance event at a local arts festival. There may also be opportunities to see additional performances on an ad hoc basis. The group will visit nearby towns such as Perugia, Umbria’s capital, Deruta, famous for ceramics painted by hand or Assisi, to see the famous Cathedral of St. Francis, Orvieto, etc. In addition, we may participate in other cultural events such as an Italian tradition, a sagra, or community celebration of the specialties produced by small Umbrian villages (such as truffles, olive oil and wine.)
SHARING YOUR PROCESS: In addition to our internationally renowned guest teaching artists, there will be an opportunity for you and your colleagues to share exercises and techniques with each other in late night sessions. You may propose a special workshop to offer in one of the late (after dinner) sessions. Use the space on the registration form to describe what you would share. Not all proposals will be accepted based on time and space availability. [Whether you choose to present something or not, will not be a factor into whether your application is accepted.]
SESSION ONE
Devising Civic Theatre Projects
Michael Rohd
You’re beginning a project. You have a central inquiry, or an issue. You have some potential collaborators, and you’re seeking partners in community. What steps help you move towards purpose with intention? What questions help you focus in on aesthetics and strategies? What considerations help you shape process? From partnership building to project design, from developmental practices to workshop structures, from cross-sector approaches to rehearsal room public engagement, this session will help you think through and imagine a project you’ve begun, or build tools for projects yet to come. Based on approaches director Michael Rohd has learned/used to develop projects such as Witness Our Schools, How to End Poverty in 90 Minutes and State of Mind, Devising Civic Theatre Projects will leave you more prepared to center curiosity, engagement, participation and change in your work.
About the session leader
Michael Rohd is a theatre maker, process designer and facilitator who co-founded Sojourn Theatre, serving as its artistic director for 23 years, and co-creating over thirty original productions during that time. He’s premiered new work with partners that include: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Steppenwolf Theatre, Ping Chong and Company, House of World Culture in Berlin and Turku Festival in Finland. In addition to his production work, for 35 years he’s been designing and facilitating process around complex public issues across
the nation, supporting and training arts, municipal and non-profit staff in developing effective community programs, convenings and public engagement work. He founded/led Hope Is Vital (theatre-based HIV Prevention work in DC and nationwide in the ‘90s) and co-founded/co-led Center for Performance and Civic Practice (artist collective consulting on institutional and system change work nationwide 2012- 2024). He recently served four years as Civic Collaborations Director with One Nation One Project, a national arts and health initiative, and he is a process-designer and facilitation trainer for national Veteran led bridge-building organization More Perfect Union. He is author of the book Theatre for Community, Conflict and Dialogue (Heinemann Press). In 2022, he founded Co-Lab for Civic Imagination at University of Montana where, as a tenured Professor ,he serves as Co-Lab Director and as a University-Wide System Dramaturg/Artist-in-Residence. His most recent work includes: State of Mind, a play & community residency about behavioral health that has, over the last 18 months, toured to 30 rural Montana communities and is now launching a national initiative; and facilitation design/training for The Mayor of New York City’s Office of Civic Engagement.
From Images to Evocative Theatrical Worlds
Silvia Costa
Silvia Costa’s work begins with images—using visual research, physical exploration, and collaboration between these elements to build performances that emerge from the interaction of bodies, objects, sound, and the space itself. Moving fluidly between directing, writing, performing, and designing, she develops interdisciplinary processes that invite artists to think beyond traditional staging and discover new theatrical languages. In this workshop, directors will explore her approach to generating performance material through experimentation, visual thinking, and the transformation of simple stage elements into evocative and symbolic theatrical worlds.
About the session leader
Silvia Costa is an internationally acclaimed theatre and opera director known for her
visually poetic and interdisciplinary approach to performance. Her work has been
presented at major European festivals and institutions including the Festival d’Automne
à Paris, Ruhrtriennale, and Salzburg Festival, and she has directed productions for
leading venues such as Staatsoper Stuttgart and Opéra national de Paris. A longtime
artistic collaborator with visionary director Romeo Castellucci, Costa has developed a
distinctive body of work that blends theatre, opera, visual art, and installation,
establishing her as one of the most innovative European directors working today.
SESSION two
playing ancient futures
Daniel Alexander Jones
an invitation to practice rooted in layers of history, embodiment, and speculation interdisciplinary artist daniel alexander jones will lead a cohort in a series of focused contemplations and creative exercises in dialogue with personal pasts, the land, and imagined futures participants will write, move, and assemble through daily group experiences and individualized assignments culminating in a processional sharing.
About the session leader
Unpredictable & unbound, Daniel Alexander Jones appears at the crossroads of interdisciplinary
& experimental performance, music, literature, & traditions of art as civic practice. Accolades include a TED Fellowship; the Doris Duke Artist Award; a USA Artists Fellowship; a
Guggenheim Fellowship; and the Alpert Award in the Arts. Jones’s collection of performance
texts, LOVE LIKE LIGHT, is published by 53rd State Press. Projects include BLACK LIGHT
(Public Theater); DUAT (Soho Rep); RADIATE (Soho Rep & national tour) & PHOENIX FABRIK (Pillsbury House Theatre). Alongside over thirty years of artistic practice, Jones is a respected educator and has been a Professor at Fordham University, CalArts, Goddard College, and UT Austin, in addition to over two decades as peer mentor for artists across the nation. Jones lives in Los Angeles where he is at work on WZRD, a project about grief, mysticism, and memory, and WAVES, a memoir. Recent project: Ephemeral Altars, Lasting Impact
Theatre of War and Rebirth
Vladamir Shcherban
How do you move when a gesture could cost you your freedom?
How can you remain creative when reality slips away?
How can you express yourself when words are forbidden?
Based on one of the most notable contemporary anti-war plays, this workshop will take
you on an exciting journey through various theatrical practices and techniques. You will
rediscover the power of professional skills, metaphors, live theatre and self-expression.
You will also learn how to create theatre from scratch and make art from improvised materials.
About the session leader
Vladimir Shcherban is an award-winning theatre director with a multicultural
background. Born in Ukraine, he grew up in Belarus and has lived in London, UK
since 2011. He worked at the National Theatre in Belarus and became a
founding member of the Belarus Free Theatre in 2005. In 2018, he established
the London-based international HUNCH Theatre Company. He has directed
over fifty shows. His productions have toured internationally to critical acclaim,
won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival, an Obie Award, and been
nominated for a Drama Desk Award in New York City. During the 2020
lockdown, he took part in the online Art Challenge, recreating works of art at
home using improvised materials. This endeavour was highly appreciated by
professional artists and art lovers alike, leading to a collaboration with a
museum. Vladimir recently published the book Re-creations: An Immersive
Journey Through Art, featuring artists and theatre makers from around the world.
La MaMa Umbria Symposium and Retreat FAQ
How is it decided who will be accepted into the Programs?
The applications are considered on the basis of the responses to the questions on your resume and the Application Form: why is this Program appropriate for you and what do you hope to get out of it? Once the Application has been vetted, and approved, the participants will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. If the Program is filled up, there is a Waiting List you can join.
How does the Waiting List work?
If a Program fills up, we will let you know and put you on the Wait List. If someone drops out, we will go to the next person on the List and offer them that spot. This could happen any time up to a week prior to the start of the Program. If you decide not to wait, please let us know and we will remove your name from the List.
Should I wait until I have been accepted prior to sending in my deposit?
You can wait until you receive an acceptance letter, but we will not reserve your spot until we receive your deposit. If you send your deposit and are not accepted, you will receive a full refund (except for credit card fees.)
What is the Application deadline for the Playwright and Directing programs?
Please check with us to see if there is still space. We will have a waiting list for those who wish to wait to see if someone who applied decides not to attend.
If I pay the Deposit and find that I cannot attend, willI get a refund?
You will get a full refund if you cancel by May 15th, except for the credit card fee.
When is the Full Payment due?
Full payment is due by June 1st.
If I pay the Full Payment and then I find I cannot come, will I get a Refund?
You will get a Full Refund (except for Credit Card charges) if we have a Waiting List and we can find someone to take your spot. If not, you will get a 50% Refund if you let us know by June 15th. After June 15th, there are no Refunds.
Is there a way to pay where I won’t incur Credit Card charges?
Yes, you can pay by check, made out to La MaMa ETC and mailed to: La MaMa ETC, Umbria Programs, 66 East Fourth Street, New York, NY 10003, USA. There are no additional fees. You can also pay by bank transfer or Zelle. There are no additional fees to us, but your bank may charge you a fee. Speak to our Business Manager to arrange for a bank transfer: kiku@lamama.org.
Many of our international artists cannot afford to make the trip to Umbria. We offer limited financial assistance to disadvantaged artists from countries that have had little to no representation in our residency programs. It costs approximately $5,000 for the entire trip, which includes admission fee, accommodation, meals, workshops, and international travel for one participant. All donations will help us achieve this goal. In addition, we are continually upgrading our facilities to provide the best possible experience for the attendees. We need funds to cover the cost of maintaining La MaMa Umbria, a 700 year-old structure, while adding modern technology to allow more diverse performance creation.
