Current Fall Directors Project participant Laura Savia is at the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) in Cabridge with Tony Award nominee and Directors Project alum Diane Paulus.  Laura is assisting Ms. Paulus on a production of Best of Both Worlds, an R&B retelling of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.

The A.R.T. is one of the country’s most celebrated resident theaters and the winner of numerous awards — including the Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and numerous local Elliot Norton and I.R.N.E. Awards. In 2002 the A.R.T. was the recipient of the National Theatre Conference’s Outstanding Achievement Award, and in May of 2003 it was named one of the top three theaters in the country by Time magazine.

Founded by Robert Brustein in 1980, over its twenty-nine-year history the A.R.T. has welcomed major American and international theater artists, presenting a diverse repertoire that includes new American plays, bold reinterpretations of classical texts, and provocative new music theater productions. The A.R.T. has performed throughout the U.S. and worldwide in twenty-one cities in sixteen countries on four continents. It has presented over two hundred productions, over half of which were premieres of new plays, translations, and adaptations.

The A.R.T. is also a training ground for young artists. The theater’s artistic staff teaches undergraduate classes in acting, directing, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, design, and playwriting at Harvard University, and in 1987 the A.R.T. founded the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. In conjunction with the Moscow Art Theater School, the Institute provides world-class graduate level training in acting, dramaturgy, and voice.

Under Ms. Paulus’ leadership, the Theater has developed a new initiative, EXPERIENCE THE A.R.T., which seeks to revolutionize the theater experience through a sustained commitment to empowering the audience.  This initiative recognizes that theater is not just a play on the stage, but also a social occasion for people to come together and experience community.  This audience-driven vision speaks directly to the A.R.T.’s core mission — “to expand the boundaries of theater.”  By expanding its focus to include the audience’s total theater experience, the A.R.T. seeks to give audiences a voice, a sense of ownership, and a feeling of importance in the theatrical event.

To learn more about the A.R.T, please visit HERE.