The Festival acknowledges its history of colonizing culture and is working diligently to understand its complicity in unjust systems that have excluded many from participating fully in the work on our stages. We are committed to continuously evolving our understanding of equity, inclusion and anti-racism and we acknowledge that the work of reconciliation is an ongoing journey. The Workshop actively seeks to partner with artists from equity-seeking groups and theatre makers whose talent, energy, commitment and creativity will shape the future of theatre, both at the Festival and across the country.
About the Program
The
Langham Directors’ Workshop wants to nurture exciting directorial talent and
provide you with the resources to explore, play and hone your craft. We want
to help you create inspired and boundary-pushing work, not only for our
stages but for your career and beyond. We offer emerging and mid-career
directors the opportunity to explore innovative Shakespeare and classical
works, lead large-scale productions at one of the largest stages in the
country, and birth new plays with Canada’s finest playwrights. Throughout these
explorations, we hope to provide mentorship opportunities, help grow your
networks and provide a space for authentic creative exploration. We aim to
give you practical knowledge of the workings of this Festival and hope to see
your work on our stages in the near future. It is our expectation that:
- Participants will work as Assistant or Associate Directors
on Festival productions. (Responsibilities may include assisting on
understudy rehearsals and attending additional design and production
meetings before the official residency in Stratford.)
- Participants will attend regular group meetings during
the season from guest artists and talk with fellow Langham
participants and program alumni.
- Participants will take
part in an
intensive during the season and near the end of October,
consisting of seminars, panel discussions and other creative workshops to
help prepare them for working at theatres like the Stratford Festival.
- Participants will create a final presentation where
they will choose and direct a scene/project that best represents their
aesthetic. The Directors’ Workshop Presentations are usually held in the
Studio Theatre in November (three weeks).
What We Offer
- Langham Directors are paid a
fee, a housing subsidy and travel expenses. Depending on the length of
the rehearsal process and other factors, fees for the Assistant/Associate
Directors usually start at $8,500 (this is a full-time commitment ranging from approximately 9 to 16 weeks
consecutively between February and August).
- The Directors’ Workshop
Presentation is a paid full-time contract of approximately $2,500. (Three week commitment.)
- Participants will be able to
engage in a collaborative mentorship with established Festival directors,
and have the opportunity to learn from guest artists and their Workshop
peers.
- Participants can also take
advantage of everything the Stratford Festival offers: tours, special
events, tickets to productions, the Festival’s Archives and libraries,
company classes taught by the Festival’s coaching staff, and both formal
and informal opportunities to speak with senior staff and visiting
artists.
Who We're Seeking
- We are committed to finding
directors working in all types
of theatre who wish to share their knowledge and skills at the Festival.
- We strongly encourage applicants
who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Mad,
D/deaf, Disabled, and the 2SLGBTQ+ community. If you have any questions or
concerns about your experience in this program, please email Esther Jun, Director of the Langham Directors' Workshop, at langham@stratfordfestival.ca or call Bonnie
Green, Associate Producer, at 1.800.561.1233 ext 2290.
- This program is designed for
artists who have acquired foundational training (either from a training
program OR through experience) and have worked as a theatre artist for at least three years. Preference is
given to those who have been working outside of MA/MFA program for at
least one year. We are looking for artists who are committed to working as
theatre directors and have shown commitment to their craft.
- Participants will need to be
available on site full-time
from the first day of rehearsals until the opening or the understudy run
of the show, whichever comes later.
- Participants will have to
return to the Festival in the late fall for a weekend intensive and to
then direct their chosen piece at the Directors’ Workshop Presentation for
an invited audience.
- The Workshop is only open to
those who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
- Please
Note: Special care will be taken in pairing possible Langham participants with
directors of productions. In addition to interviewing with Program director
Esther Jun, you may also be interviewing with directors of the productions. The
participant’s specific interests and the director’s requirements will be taken
into account and both the participant and the director must first consent to
working together.
How to Apply
The call for 2024 applications is now closed. Please check back in summer 2024 for applications for 2025.
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This call for submissions was written in consultation with Artist Consultant Angela Sun.