Master Class with Dora Arreola Developing a Concept with NIDEC on Saturday 15 May 2021

How do you develop a concept as a director? How do you communicate your concept to designers? Whether you are working with a published text, or a text devised through an ensemble process, how do you move from text analysis to central image, to developing your a concept for your own unique production? Dora Arreola will offer a guide to her creative process as a director, along with tools and exercises for concept development, and examples of how the process is applied to actual productions.

Dora Arreola has more than 30 years of professional experience as a theatre and dance artist. She was a participant at the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski in Pontedera, Italy (1987-89). She is the founding Artistic Director of the company Mujeres en Ritual Danza-Teatro, based in Tijuana, Mexico (since 1999). Dora received her MFA in Directing from the University of Massachusetts in 2009, and joined the faculty of the University of South Florida (USF) School of Theatre and Dance in 2010, where she is currently an Associate Professor. Arreola has worked as a performer, teacher, director and movement specialist in Mexico, the United States, Nicaragua, Canada, Poland, India, and Equatorial Guinea. She has directed more than 40 productions, often featured in diverse international festivals and conferences. Dora is co-author of the book Mujeres en Ritual: Gender & Transformation (CECUT, 2014); and is featured in the book Grotowski, Women, and Contemporary Performance: Meetings with Remarkable Women by Virginia Magnat (Routledge, 2013). Awards include: Thespian Prize of Honor for Artistic Excellence, Baja California (2015); and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the State of Sinaloa, México (2014), as well as numerous grants and commissions in the U.S. and Mexico. Dora is a founding member of Art2Action Inc., and currently serves on the Board, as well as a voting member of Alternate ROOTS.

Registration for the Masterclass is limited to 30 participants on Zoom. However, this event will be livestreamed on HowlRound, where everyone can participate from home! Following the class, we'll take a short break, followed by an interview with Dora about her life and artistic practice, conducted by Meena Natarajan of Pangea World Theater. Join us!