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Directing New Plays: Tools for Art and Collaboration
Every theater director will oversee a new play process in their here is what to expect and how to prepare.
Drawing from over 20 years of experience as a freelance director, and as the Artistic Director of LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater, Evan Cabnet combines the creative with the pragmatic to provide an honest, useful, and entertaining look at the art of directing a new play.
Integrating practical advice with personal experience, Directing New Plays demystifies the process of directing a new work. From developing a creative vision to navigating the challenges of collaborative art-making, this book offers a comprehensive look at the director's role in the process and the tools they use at every step,
including development (readings and workshops), pre-production (casting and design), rehearsal (staging, working with actors, rewrites, and run-throughs), tech, previews, and opening a world premiere production. Incisive, supportive, and clear, this book is an indispensable resource for theater directors looking to begin- or to sustain- a career in new play development.
Drawing from over 20 years of experience as a freelance director, and as the Artistic Director of LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater, Evan Cabnet combines the creative with the pragmatic to provide an honest, useful, and entertaining look at the art of directing a new play.
Integrating practical advice with personal experience, Directing New Plays demystifies the process of directing a new work. From developing a creative vision to navigating the challenges of collaborative art-making, this book offers a comprehensive look at the director's role in the process and the tools they use at every step,
including development (readings and workshops), pre-production (casting and design), rehearsal (staging, working with actors, rewrites, and run-throughs), tech, previews, and opening a world premiere production. Incisive, supportive, and clear, this book is an indispensable resource for theater directors looking to begin- or to sustain- a career in new play development.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2024
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August 18, 2025
I have to give this book five stars based purely on the sheer amount of information it contains. I’m both eager to start a new process immediately, and also terrified to ever direct again, just based on the quantity of information and considerations I’m now aware I should be holding in my brain.
This book is informative and well-written (although it’s truly a textbook, and I can’t recommend reading large chunks at a time unless you’re prepared to have your brain feel like flaming mush). I learned more about the process of new play development, the relationships between collaborators, and how a rehearsal process generally should be run, than I ever did in art school.
While my BFA gave me my artistic sensibilities and a roadmap to develop my craft and taste, this book provided me with the technical knowledge I feel like I needed to actually be prepared and feel confident enough to lead any type of artistic process. I can’t recommend this enough for anyone interested in professional theatre-making in a practical sense, regardless of your role in the work itself.
This book is informative and well-written (although it’s truly a textbook, and I can’t recommend reading large chunks at a time unless you’re prepared to have your brain feel like flaming mush). I learned more about the process of new play development, the relationships between collaborators, and how a rehearsal process generally should be run, than I ever did in art school.
While my BFA gave me my artistic sensibilities and a roadmap to develop my craft and taste, this book provided me with the technical knowledge I feel like I needed to actually be prepared and feel confident enough to lead any type of artistic process. I can’t recommend this enough for anyone interested in professional theatre-making in a practical sense, regardless of your role in the work itself.
Displaying 1 of 1 review