2025 - Creating Spaces of Radical WelcomeFacilitator: Aili Huber (she/her) | Instagram: @nilatti
How can theatre directors create spaces where everyone feels genuinely welcomed and why does that matter now more than ever?
Description from Aili Huber: My organization is co-hosting a symposium this spring on creating radically welcoming theater workplaces. I would like to (1) briefly share what tools, goals, language, strategies, and/or priorities came out of that symposium and, (2) (the bulk of the session) invite and guide a discussion about the practicalities of implementing or creating radically welcoming spaces.
The theater industry came out of the pandemic lockdown with a renewed commitment to doing better (only to be confronted with the reality that doing better is hard). By sharing actionable tools—and crucially, tools that apply to MANY kinds of workplace advocacy, from pay equity to disability access to cultural awareness, and more—we can facilitate and accelerate that change.
2025 - Directing Without a Map: What We Were Never Taught, and How We’re Learning It AnywayFacilitator: Andrew Roblyer (they/he) | www.deconstructingdirecting.com
What weren’t we taught about directing—and how are we learning it anyway?
Description from Andrew Roblyer: This conversation invites directors to reflect on the gaps in their training—and how they’ve navigated them in practice. Whether you’re self-taught, formally trained, or somewhere in between, the goal is to name the invisible curriculum of directing: the real skills we’ve had to develop on our feet. Together, we’ll share the moments we felt most unprepared—and the strategies, tools, or mentors that helped us move forward. The hope is to create a space where knowledge-sharing is mutual, candid, and affirming.
Directors are asked to be not just artists, but facilitators, leaders, educators, and advocates—often without adequate preparation or support. Many directors, especially in non-institutional or upstream spaces (like community or educational theatre), are improvising their way through roles that no one taught them how to do. This conversation makes space for that reality, foregrounding how we collectively fill the gaps in our learning and how we might reimagine what “training” even means in 2025.
2025 - Director-Playwright Collaboration: What Makes It Work?Facilitator: Shamus (he/him) | www.justshamus.com, Social Media: @mononymous_shamus
How do we build strong, respectful collaborations with playwrights — especially when the roles and expectations aren’t always clear?
Description from Shamus: In the world of new play development, the director's role can shift dramatically depending on whether you're shaping a reading, workshop, or full production. This Salon invites directors to reflect on how we navigate these shifting dynamics in collaboration with living playwrights.
Facilitated by Shamus, this conversation will explore the complexities of director-playwright relationships: how we set expectations, align on vision, and manage challenges like limited resources, differing working styles, and unclear expectations. With honesty and humility (including a few lessons learned the hard way), Shamus will prompt an open discussion about how directors can better support the creative process without overstepping—and what practices help foster trust, clarity, and artistic synergy.
Whether you’re working with emerging writers or established voices, this is a space to share insights, compare approaches, and build collective wisdom around what makes these collaborations thrive.
