Directors Lab Mediterranean, a sister Lab to Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab in NYC founded by Anne Cattaneo in 1995, was launched in July at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
Hosted by the Theater Initiative at AUBs Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) and the Department of Fine Arts and Art History, DLM aims to bring forth the voices of Mediterranean countries on an artistic level and create a place for directors from all over the world to exchange knowledge and ideas and come in touch with the artistic and dramaturgical heritage of the Mediterranean area.
In this first edition, the lab brings together emerging and mid-career stage directors from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Greece, Jordan, Lithuania, Serbia and Russia in a fascinating 10 days program that includes workshops, shared sessions, rehearsals and discussions with major guest artists from around the Mediterranean.
“I am very honored and proud to launch DLM at AUB. This could not have been possible without the Theater Initiative's and Fine Arts and Art History department’s support in the first place, in particular, Dean Nadia Cheikh and Professor Robert Myers", said Dr. Sahar Assaf, DLM Artistic Director.
This initiative started In January 2018, when a group of Lincoln Center Theatre (LCT) Directors Lab alumni from the Mediterranean region met with the founder of LCT Lab Anne Cattaneo, and with theater makers from Lebanon, USA and London, at the American University of Beirut, and together they laid down the groundwork for a Directors Lab Mediterranean.
The aim of this lab is to create common artistic grounds at organizational and institutional levels on which Mediterranean artists can communicate and exchange their theatrical methods and traditions. The Lab focuses on exploring the Mediterranean as a source for themes, stories and theatrical traditions and to explore the region as an artistic and not only a political entity.
AUB's Sahar Assaf is leading DLM as Artistic Director with steering committee members Annita Capousizi from Greece, Juan Carlos Martel Bayod from Spain, Mohammad Bani Hani from Jordan and Lisa Nava from Italy. After its inauguration in Beirut, DLM aims to rotate around the Mediterranean cities in the near future. Next year the Lab will take place in Barcelona in a collaboration between the Theatre Initiative and Theatre Lliure, one of the most prestigious theaters in Catalonia.