 Good evening, y'all. Thank you so much for joining DG Coffee Chat Special Blend on Hellround TV. My name is Cece Wright. I am the director's gathering, also known as DG, director of membership and engagement, and have the pleasure of being the host of DG Coffee Chats. Tonight's episode called Special Blend also includes my DG teammates, director of programming, Breanne Barrett, and executive director and founder of DG, Jill Harrison. But I want to start this evening with our land acknowledgement. The unseated land on which DG is based is part of the ancestral homeland of the Lenae Lenape people. We honor the Lenape and other indigenous caretakers of these lands and waters, the elders who have lived here before, the indigenous people of today, and the generations to come. And the land that DG is based is colonially known as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. So tonight's episode is very specific and focused. We are here to chat about the inaugural DG convening, manifesting an ecosystem for directors, and offer some initial responses to the event that just ended about 33 minutes ago. So our vision for the convening was to create a tangible experience for directors from all over the world to come together virtually in the pursuit of DG's mission to build community, share skills, and promote pure advocacy. Our goal is to build an interconnected and diverse community for directors. Directors of different backgrounds and unique skillsets who have values rooted in placing the acknowledgement and care of people and humanity over products, people over the idea that this is how theater gets made, people over capital. So moving down the programming we offered this weekend is we kicked off the convening with a salon where members DG talked about what they were looking forward to over the weekend. Ash Sobel offered an inspiring seminar where we were asked to consider adopting an abundance mindset and create and share with each other our own artistic manifestos. Sobel offered a keynote speech where we were reminded that the director's impact has the power to disrupt oppressive systems. And this keynote was followed by a beautifully facilitated discussion by Leah Fakuri who encouraged us to lean into maze called to action to take personal responsibility and accountability in the practice of directing. Noelle Diane Johnson, who's the founder of artists heal and also a DG board member, gave us tools for becoming more effective and thoughtful leaders in cultivating the environments in which we make theater, healing practices and establishing healthy boundaries. Mia Benjamin and Sam Tower of the company ninth planet discussed their own journey and continued learning and developing shared leadership in an artistic company. Finally, we hosted a roundtable of directors from director centered organizations to discuss what it means and what it takes to engage in director centric programming. So, Jill Brie is very full weekend. And like I said before this is our initial response to something that ended just a few minutes ago. But with that in mind, what is resonating with us we come together this evening. Well, I'll say after several years of working with directors gathering and having some really full conversations with the directors within our membership. What was wonderful is having a whole weekend of seeing and hearing themes that we've been talking about for years now. As something that everyone kind of wanted to bring to the forefront seeing these different offerings kind of all align we someday I hope where all of our guest artists have an opportunity to meet each other in person have an opportunity to talk with each other. And as, as we offer a convening. I hope we can do that someday and now that would be wonderful, but that didn't happen this time and yet our guest artists were all tapping into the same conversations the same ideas the same themes of shared leadership accountability human centered work and acknowledging that there are systems that need to be acknowledged and challenged and broken down in order for us to both come together as a community of artists who are like minded have similar experiences. But also the only real way we can make change is to do it together. That's what's sticking with me right now. I love that very the only way that we can make changes by doing it together. That's. Yes. So it's interesting, I feel like I've spent the last decade, looking far and wide for a convening like experience as a freelance director. And that sense of like the catalyst or a place that could be where DG as you know is building the community but like having somewhere where folks could come in and out of wherever they were in their lives and be able to connect directly with each other around those conversations. And I feel like I've had the privilege of interfacing with folks around these kinds of conversations now for quite some time. And I'd love just like, similar to what Brie was saying was just like the opportunity to see those people have those conversations to with them with each other, and to be able to be more observer. And yeah, and just like and speak to community right so we speak a great deal about product and even process, but the sense of having directors talk about what it means to care deeply about not just, you know, their work but also each and then also something that Drell L Henderson shared with us he's our one of our board members and regional theater director. I love two concepts he shares a great deal which is, you know, caring deeply about what is coming after right the future, and how we can contribute to that that's why we've come up with this concept of ecosystem, a director center we didn't come up with ecosystem as a concept I want to clarify. Whoa. No director centric ecosystem. But that contribution to like what what is coming down. You know, not that like what is what is next, what is and then what is what is next, and also something that he shares and, and I mentioned it within the essay that we have shared with how around that came out today is around the great equalizer. And so it's a great opportunity for DG in our contribution to the director centric ecosystem, and with a convening as as a platform for that opportunity to to be a great equalizer. And so, all folks can be seen all directors can be seen and heard and connected with, and it doesn't matter. It's a great opportunity for you to be seen and see this to exist. And you get to just be humans. And I think that's really great. And that was happening this weekend, and I wanted so much more. I could have hung out in those rooms for even longer than we were in them so. I want to offer one thing that's like resonating with me is something that happened in our, our most recent event, which was the happy hour round table. And, and I believe it was Daniello campaign who shared the idea of like, of the process. Oh, excuse me. Sorry about that. The process similar like to creating a piece of art and theater is like building a house so can pairing the play the written play itself it's like a blueprint. And I think what's resonating with me is that I've been, I'm choking now, but I'm okay. I'm going to, I'm going to cough for a second. You do friends this is this is DG team in real life. This is us. Always acknowledging that we're human. There's a biological component to that. I think I'm okay now. You're okay. No, I saw the thing fly in my mouth. It wants to be a part of the director said. Back. What I thought about, because I, I garden, and I think about the process is being like a gardener it's like, I don't make the plants grow. They just create the environment where like, they get that the healthiest soil that they need, that it has the chemical, you know, structure that that particular plant needs to to grow and produce fruit that it's in a spot where it's going to get the most sun if it needs more sun or if it needs less sun, I get some shade. That was like resonating with me and I go it's similar. Someone else share. Okay, well I just want to like kind of riff a little bit off of that because I think one of the things that's really fascinating about the conversations that were coming up was not just an idea of the process of being a director the craft of the director, and how we can create ourselves less as these controllers, or in a hierarchical sense that as collaborators are our work is about creating environment for everyone to bring their fullest selves to the space to create the most open process that can eventually hopefully be a product of what we all wanted, we want to succeed the production itself. And so there was that element of this weekend that was really fascinating to listen to, and then with that was also acknowledging the human presence of the director. And then there were some other challenges with Noel Diane Johnson's pickup class being so focused on healing work and healing work that it has to start with the self has to and setting boundaries and the sense of accountability, all of that has to be in the realm of a director saying, I am human, I am fallible, I am human I have needs I am human I have expressions and joy and perspective that can be brought into this room. And as I acknowledge that about myself, I can make space for my collaborators, and just that acknowledgement feel so revolutionary in the conversation around directing and creating theatrical work. And I feel like we were having many conversations like that. And, and those who are participating and attending these sessions, they were bringing in their own perspective of that desire that want that hope to build to sort of to something that is more empathetic and more acknowledging of the human condition so that we can be the translators of that when creating work and making space for the people who are creating that work with us. And I really appreciate it. So, I don't know if you to agree, but I feel like that's what we were identifying as we're going through the weekend. Absolutely. I absolutely agree. I think what I wanted to bring here is something that I felt like Jill synthesized so well like over the weekend is just like all of these, these themes that were popping up in different spaces and Jill is wondering if we could just share those with us. I sure can. Thank you. It was, I feel like I put my dramaturge hat on for a moment to reflect on, you know, what were what yeah what were the resonating moments. The idea is that we kept hearing over and over again, was the sense of abundance. The sense of community, a sense of healing boundaries, accountability, artistry, practice, and gratitude. The director's affirmations this weekend, like I feel like they should be cards. Very gifted affirmation cards to us, I think a year ago. And yeah, right. Fun fact, all of our birthdays are in the month of October. So in a way, like I feel like these would be really great affirmation cards for directors. And I think they also reiterate to breeze point in the sense of like reiterating self, right and then self to other, and then other to community, and then community to ecosystem, right to like that, that greater contribution. That's so lovely. Yeah, I, I mean, speaking of contributions. I, I like to, I like to think about moments that not only resonated but things that I want to take with me some of those things are things that I don't choose to take with me I just like I can't stop thinking about an idea or a concept or like even words that someone said that just stick with me well beyond this space and I know that we are just initially responding to this and we will do a more thorough and deeper. You know, after action postmortem whatever you'd like to call it of this experience to grab at all of those things but what are, what are what is something that you want to keep from this weekend. The vulnerability of the spaces that we, we offer the opportunity for for us to be like us as a team to be our fullest selves when we program is pretty amazing so in in a couple of these I identified like one of the greatest struggles for me is just having enough confidence to believe as a director I have agency and power to facilitate this change that we're all talking about and to to have that affirmation to have that encouragement from this weekend. And I want to hold that I want to keep those affirmations that encouragement to hold myself accountable to like gaining confidence and owning that I do have this agency and power to believe that I can, I can change what the systematic way the process is expected to be from a director and and change it and say like, No, I know you think I'm supposed to have all the answers, but I want this to be a collaborative space and, and that's okay. Good for you as a collaborator but tell me how I can make this process good for you and model that behavior for you that I really want it to be open and collaborative. And that I don't think all of my answers are the right answers. Jill, what are you going to keep. I love this question CC. Thank you for this question. I am going to keep. I think it's going to be a bit more global, I think I, not that personal doesn't matter Brie, and I'm so excited to hear that and you share that and thank you. Thank you. I have a sense of, so I'm rereading this book, The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. And it was pretty uncanny that right around I was rereading about purpose, right so the having purpose behind gathering and how there's something imperative about purpose, and in directorial speak we usually call that vision, our point of view. Like, what I'll keep is that, and I'm so, so grateful for and excited is that the purpose of this convening has just begun. Like I, right like so we worked so hard, figuring out what we wanted the purpose of this, that we called it a convening, not a conference right like also defining what we are and what we are not. Right what DG does and what we wanted to do with this convening and what we didn't want to do with this convening. And I think that offering the sense of this purpose of manifesting a director centric ecosystem is a launching point. What I'll keep is that is that we're you know we're launching and so what what's next. And that there were just so many gorgeous seeds to to CC's gardening motif like so many amazing seeds dropped this weekend. And it's like, we have DG has a history of like relationships forming and going off into the world and it started at a DG something. And then we sometimes hear about it, and it's the most exciting thing in the world. I just, I love it I love the people like oh my god yeah I met so and so and now we make all this theater together. Or I, you know, they're my partner or now they help watch my kid I mean there's just a variety of different again that ecosystem, that humanity that getting to just watch that that manifest this weekend was was really really meaningful. And thank you both for for this conversation I know we're fresh off of doing all of this so there's you know, we're going to go to sleep tonight and think about so many other things in the morning. When we wake up about like things that we want to keep and I appreciate you for sharing sharing those initial thoughts with me. Speaking of, Oh, Brie, did you want to say something. Oh no I, I was just going to ask what you want to keep, or what you're going to. Oh, what I want to keep. I, you know, I was like this idea somebody brought up the site idea of failing forward. And, and it's like, it's intentional. It's intentional. You know, it's a rejection of this idea of perfection, which, you know, has has ties to an oppressive way of operating in the world, and doesn't do much for, you know, actually improving which I feel like is what I want to strive for rather and so the idea of filling forward to, you know, use what are perceived as failures or, you know, opportunities to, to improve using, you know, thinking of them differently. So it's more of a frame of mind and knowing that, you know, you're not necessarily going to get everything exactly as you intended the first time you try. But the important thing is that you keep practicing and learning from what didn't work before. Yeah, that that that phrase has stuck with me a bit is failing forward, not looking back, not going back just because I failed at something, because that old way I'm familiar with even though I know it can be, you know, destructive to myself to others around me, but actually moving forward and improving. So yeah, that's what I'm, that's what I'm going to keep. And thanks. Thanks for throwing that back at me and I think I think of the spring of keeping things. And all of the gym, I was I was Jill comparing it in my head to the cave of wonders and Aladdin because I was like all these gyms dropped. You know, during the convening, there's just so many like treasures, real treasures, like in what people were offering this weekend. But if you, if you didn't get the chance to participate I know it's something like such a great weekend and it was there is an opportunity for you to scoop up some of the gyms break can you tell us. Absolutely. So throughout the weekend we did record some of our offerings and starting tomorrow. You can register for an async package and have access to those recordings starting on November 1. We're going to be doing some technical work to have them prepared over the next couple of weeks, but you can pre register to get access to those recordings. And you'll have them from November 1 to December 31, November 1 or whenever you sign up until December 31. And you can listen to these really fantastic guests artists and what they had to offer, and all of those gems that were dropped. And if you're interested, go to our website directors gathering.org backslash DG dash convening. Or just go to our website and explore and find your way to the async package and see what else we've been up to over these past several years. I'm very excited that we're able to revisit a lot of the offerings that we had this weekend. Just myself want to go revisit them reflect on it. So I do hope that you'll consider our async package. Yeah, and so Jill, I think you're going to give us you're going to like, lead us out of this with some thank yous because we like, we're a small team but we had some amazing people supporting us throughout this convening our first foray into something so huge. And so Jill Harrison, thank those folks. I will, I will lead with gratitude. So we had some incredible DG convening partners organizations that that supported this sense of build manifesting an ecosystem for directors, and those companies are passage theater company in Trent New Jersey and Philadelphia, women's theater festival at the national women's theater festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, and theater horizon in Norris town, Pennsylvania, and then we had another fantastic partner and Jeremy Gable, who helped us with our captioning throughout I also want to do a shout out to Jackie Goldfinger, who is a remarkable, remarkable human artist, playwright, arts leader, and also recently produced the National Conference for LMDA, the literary managers and dramaturgs of and Jackie was was a real guide for us as we were finding our way forward with creating the inaugural convening and so I just wanted to make sure we did a shout out there. And of course the DG board. You can learn more about on our website. And the fantastic people that they are. And also of course how around how around, I'm skipping a number I will go to the guest artist I'm going to skip first because I'm saying how round how round TV, and also how round theater Commons published our essay today about building a director centric community, or a director centered community. And please give it a read some continued seeds of the ecosystem. And then we have one minute left, but our guest artists and facilitators again are all listed on our website. And you can listen to the async and get to know all of them more. And finally, last but not least, our DG intern producer, Randy Alexis Hickey. Thank you Randy. Thank you so very much. Jill. Thank you, Brie. Thank you, Randy. Thank you how around thank you everybody who participated in the convening this weekend. Thank you for joining us for the special blend of DG coffee chats. Please take care of yourself so much more soon. Good night.