A Brief History of the Institute

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Art2Action and Pangea World Theater, with eight nationally prominent performing arts networks – Alternate ROOTS, Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA), First Peoples Fund, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC), National Performance Network (NPN), Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET), New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), and Theatre Communications Group (TCG) – worked together to develop the vision and model for a National Institute for Directing & Ensemble Creation, dedicated to professional peer exchange and training the next generation of theater artists of color, women and LGBTQ2+ directors.

 

This project arose as a response to the dearth of professional development and exchange opportunities for directors in the U.S. – particularly directors of color, women and trans-identified directors – as well as the need for in-depth ensemble training in various forms of future aesthetics. The 2010-12 pilot phase included field-wide dialogues, collaborative planning, documentation, and professional exchange among leading directors and ensemble artists in the field. Key activities included: roundtables at partner convenings nationally (2010-11); a pre-conference to the National Performance Network (NPN) Annual Meeting, hosted by the University of South Florida (USF) School of Theatre and Dance, in Tampa, FL (2011); and a one-week residential Pilot Intensive at Pangea World Theater in Minneapolis, MN (2012), to develop the structure, content and curriculum, prior to the projected public launch of the Institute. This two-year pilot process ignited and deepened field-wide dialogue on the needs of women directors and artists of color. In turn, it informed and shaped the Institute, to create a secure foundation for a successful and replicable program.

 

In 2015, we launched the second phase of the National Institute for Directing and Ensemble Creation. In March 2015, we co-convened a 4-day Indigenous Artists Gathering, organized to address the need for a national network of First Nations artists working in theater and/or contemporary performance. In August 2015, another week-long Professional Peer Exchange was held in Minneapolis.

 

In July 2017, we embarked upon a month-long journey with leading artists in our field, as well as emerging artists ready to grow into leadership. The program included an Indigenous Artists Pre-Conference for First Nations participants who served as faculty and advisors; a Professional Peer Exchange, including professional practice workshops and curriculum design; and our first-ever Next Generation Artists Institute for emerging directors.

 

In July 2018, we launched a new model for the Directing Institute focused on intergenerational exchange and Mentorship, including Master Artists from around the U.S. and across the world, First Nations Artists of Turtle Island, and their invited mentees – emerging artists of any age, from those just graduating from academic programs, to working professionals emerging in a new area of practice as Directors. We began with a 2-day First People’s Gathering, followed by a 12-day process including Movement, Ensemble/Devising, and Directing sessions, as well as special events. As with previous Institutes, every process culminates in a Community Sharing, widening our circle and sharing our creations and learning.

 

The Mentorship structure became our model for future institutes. In 2019, we tested the model again, and found that it was replicable and successful, providing flexibility, structure, and support, especially for mentees. With this model, we were able to weave together professional peer exchange with educating future directors, in a way that strengthened the fabric of our community and our Institute. 

 

As we prepared for the next Institute in June 2020, our efforts were upended by the onset of COVID-19. With great sadness, we wrote to our community and told them that our Institute would be postponed until further notice due to the global pandemic. In December of that year, we held the first Virtual Institute Weekend, in partnership with HowlRound Theatre Commons. All past NIDEC participants, including staff and volunteers, were invited to the Virtual Institute. While we were deeply saddened to not be able to connect in-person, our circle transcended physical borders, as we all came together again through the virtual medium. It also allowed cohorts of various years to meet each other, share, and interact. We shared our methodologies, our art, and held important conversations guiding the future of the Institute. Approximately half of the Virtual Institute was live streamed, and the other half was only available to Institute participants. All live streamed sessions are archived and still available on HowlRound. 

 

In 2021, virtual Institute programming, in partnership with HowlRound, continued through a Masterclass series, presented monthly from October 2020 through May 2021, with post-workshop interviews and conversations. This was an exciting opportunity to share the work of key Institute artists with our broader community and field. Midway through the year, the vaccine became available to all and we considered what it would take to hold an in-person Institute again. Out of an abundance of caution, we made the choice to hold a virtual Institute weekend again in December 2021, and move toward convening a smaller group in an isolated location for December 2022. Our convening in early December proved to be a success beyond our wildest dreams. We decided to do the same in December 2023 until we felt safe about being back for a peer exchange in the Twin Cities. We left inspired and fed not only by the learnings offered by participants but also the discussions of book chapters at salons that were specifically geared for discussion and feedback. We have signed a contract with Routledge to publish a book that will reflect the learnings from the institute. Chapters by participants will  reflect their experiences and perspectives as leaders in the field, along with interviews, transcribed dialogues, and more.

 

 After two years of engaging smaller institutes focused on writing, in June 2024, we returned to a full peer exchange 10-day intensive, exploring aesthetic and pedagogical approaches in a studio setting and learning from each other. The 2025 Directing Institute will provide an in-depth exchange opportunity for directors and designers working in multiple aesthetics.