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Neil Munro Intern Directors Project at the Shaw Festival
Since its inception in 1988, the project has been sponsored annually by Sun Life Financial and Theatre Ontario.
Application Guidelines 2011The application deadline for the 2011 Neil Munro Intern Directors Project at the Shaw Festival is June 30, 2010 at 5pm. Each year, the Shaw Festival hires two Intern Directors for a period of about six months. They look for promising professional directors near the beginning of their careers. Applicants should have a fair bit of professional experience, but probably not in a company as large as the Shaw Festival. The contracts run approximately from mid-March to September, depending on the production schedule for the particular season. These positions are salaried at an apprentice level, which at The Shaw is around $600 per week. The Intern Directors work under the mentorship of the Directors of the Academy, which is the Shaw Festival's professional development and public education wing. Each intern is assigned to two or three successive shows as an Assistant Director. One of these shows is usually in the Festival Theatre (860 seats) and another in a smaller one (330 seats). For the most part, being an Assistant Director involves observing the senior directors at work in rehearsal, doing research as required, acting as a sounding board as required. (Getting them coffee is not required.) The Interns also assist the company in educating audiences about theatre in general and the Shaw's productions and programmes in particular. The Intern positions usually have free time built into some portions of the season, so that Interns are free to take Academy classes and pursue other theatrical projects that interest them provided they are present for all assigned activities. However it is expected that the intern Directors will spend the majority of their internships in Niagara-on-the-Lake with the Shaw company. The "Directors Project" is the culmination of the Intern Directors' season, and has become a very important event to the Shaw company as a whole. It consists of a double-bill of two one-acts directed by the two Intern Directors. In consultation with Eda Holmes, the company’s Associate Director, each Intern chooses a play from the period of the Shaw Festival's mandate (1856-1950). These plays are given three performances to invited audiences (artistic directors, sponsors, company members, family and assorted friends of the Festival) in a studio setting. While production resources are limited as to costumes, sets, props, lighting and sound, there are normally apprentice designers, stage managers and other personnel assigned to the project. All casting is done in consultation with Eda Holmes, and Intern Directors may choose from the actors of the Shaw ensemble, who participate on a voluntary basis. (The project is in excess of actors' contracted workload.) Each one-act has between 50 and 60 hours of rehearsal over 5-6 weeks, scheduled by our Production Stage Manager. Applications for the Intern Director positions are made through Theatre Ontario, with an end of June deadline to begin residency the following March. There is no application form – just submit a resume with a covering letter, explaining why you would like to be an Intern Director at the Shaw Festival. Please do not send supporting material that you wish to have returned. Applicants must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants. Hiring decisions are made exclusively by the Shaw Festival. If you have questions about the application process, please contact Tim Chapman, Professional Theatre Coordinator at Theatre Ontario, 416.408.4556 x.12 or email tim@theatreontario.org Submit applications by mail to: NO SUBMISSIONS via FAX or email will be accepted. Past Intern Directors are: Paulina Abarca-Cantin, Conrad Alexandrowicz, Kathryn Allison, Liza Balkan, Richard Beaune, Geoffrey Brumlik, Mark Cassidy, Ashlie Corcoran, Kelly Daniels, Katrina Dunn, Hans Engel, David Ferry, Andrew Freund, Dennis Garnhum, Todd Hammond, Sally Han, Ann Hodges, Eda Holmes, Heather Inglis, Lise Anne Johnson, Heather Jones-Barker, Paul Lampert, Michel Lefebvre, Nikki Lundmark, Kate Lynch, James MacDonald, Ruth Madoc-Jones, Randy Maertz, Jon Michaelson, Jean Morpurgo, David Oiye, Jack Paterson, Ian Prinsloo, Gyllian Raby, Karen Rickers, Paul Rivers, Lindsey Robinson, David Savoy, Sandhano Schultze, Laurel Smith, Glenda Stirling, Colin Taylor, Susan Turnbull, Lezlie Wade, Craig Walker, Lee Wilson, and Richard Wolfe. Intern Directors 2010Congratulations to Autumn Smith and Rona Waddington, who were chosen as the two Intern Directors for the 2010 season at the Shaw Festival.
Directors Day 2009Read about the 2009 Directors Day for the Neil Munro Intern Directors Project the Shaw Festival on the Theatre Ontario Blog |
