About the Choreography Lab
In 2013 I decided I wanted to create a platform for musical theatre choreographers to present choreography in development. Flash forward to today, and I am the proud creator, curator, and director of New York Theatre Barn’s Choreography Lab. I am so delighted by all the lab has done to nurture and support emerging choreographers in our community.
Now in its 9th season, the Choreography Lab works to elevate and expand the use of dance in Musical Theatre. The lab’s unique programming supports choreographer development, fosters collaboration between writers and choreographers earlier in the creative process, and serves as an educational forum where all parties can strengthen and specify how dance can be utilized to convey story and character.
The Choreography Lab is the only curated choreography platform where choreographers and writers collaborate to develop movement for new musicals during incubation. It’s part of the core programming of NY Theatre Barn.
OUR THREE SIGNATURE LABS
Every season of New York Theatre Barn’s Choreography Lab consists of three signature labs: The Open Lab, The New Works Lab, and the 1 Show/3 Choreographers Lab. These labs all serve our core mission, but each lab engages the participating choreographers, and writers, in a unique creative process.
NEW WORKS LAB
The New Works Lab focuses on bringing production numbers from never before staged musicals to life. In this lab, three choreographers workshop a production number from three different new musicals as close to the way it would be staged in a fully realized production. Both the choreographers and writers benefit from seeing their pieces staged while still in development.
OPEN LAB
The Open Lab allows choreographers to present their own narrative-based dance pieces, each with a personal choreographic development goal. In this lab, three choreographers are encouraged to develop language, style, and character-driven movement. The Choreographers benefit from having the opportunity to craft theatrical dance pieces with minimal constraints.
1 SHOW / 3 CHOREOGRAPHERS LAB
The 1 Show/3 Choreographers lab allows choreographers to workshop different numbers from a never-before staged musical. In this lab, three choreographers see how their colleagues approach material from the same show. Both the choreographers and writers benefit from seeing and discussing the stylistic similarities and differences across the presentation.
For more information, please contact me at the following Choreolab email address: [email protected]
