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Directing New Plays: Tools for Art and Collaboration
All directors will need to direct new work at some point in their career. This book directly addresses that process, providing a practical, step-by-step guide through the task of developing and directing a new play from the first meeting with the playwright through closing night and beyond.
Drawing on 20 years of experience as a director and as the current Artistic Director of LCT3, Lincoln Center Theater's home for emerging artists, Evan Cabnet combines the practical with the personal to provide an honest, useful, and entertaining look at the elusive art of directing a new play.
Combining practical advice and personal experience - successful and otherwise - Cabnet demystifies the art of directing new work, from the largest creative questions of tone and style to the most granular logistical questions of planning a rehearsal. This comprehensive look at every step of the process begins from developing the first draft through closing night including collaborating with the writer; staffing your creative team; finding a producer or institution to commit to the project; workshopping; casting; rehearsing; teching; previewing; opening, and closing the play.
This frank, supportive, and entertaining text is an indispensable resource for theater directors looking to begin a career in new play development, or to sustain one.
Drawing on 20 years of experience as a director and as the current Artistic Director of LCT3, Lincoln Center Theater's home for emerging artists, Evan Cabnet combines the practical with the personal to provide an honest, useful, and entertaining look at the elusive art of directing a new play.
Combining practical advice and personal experience - successful and otherwise - Cabnet demystifies the art of directing new work, from the largest creative questions of tone and style to the most granular logistical questions of planning a rehearsal. This comprehensive look at every step of the process begins from developing the first draft through closing night including collaborating with the writer; staffing your creative team; finding a producer or institution to commit to the project; workshopping; casting; rehearsing; teching; previewing; opening, and closing the play.
This frank, supportive, and entertaining text is an indispensable resource for theater directors looking to begin a career in new play development, or to sustain one.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published October 31, 2024
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
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