This workshop/roundtable will break down the communication process between directors and the design team – including set, lighting, costume, sound, and props. Topics covered will include duties and responsibilities of each, how a production team should work together, how a director leads the team and creates the vision, and how the designers can support that vision. We will also get into what to do when disagreements arise, and how to negotiate and navigate those disagreements before they become unmanageable. Participants are encouraged to share their own experiences working with directors and designers, what kind of communications worked well, and which created stress.
Michael Ricci has been teaching and directing for over thirty years, and has directed over 120 production in his career, including big and small cast musicals, dramas, comedies, youth theatre, devised theatre, and theatre for the incarcerated. He has served on the theatre faculty of Florida State, Penn State, Univ. of Louisville, Winthrop Univ. and many others, as well as serving as Technical Director for Charlotte Repertory Theatre. He most recently held the position of Director of Theatre at North Hennepin Community College. He has studied acting in New York at HB Studios, Stella Adler, and American Academy of Dramatic Arts and holds an MFA in Directing from Florida State University. He continues to teach acting and directing workshops as well as mentor high school and college students.
