Open Process Spring Talks: Creating Verbatim
April 25, 2022, 7:00 - 8:00 pm EST 
Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie St, New York, NY

Through their impactful, distinct, and deeply atmospheric work, theater artists Tina Satter and Steve Cosson have shaped existing transcriptions into powerful performances with lasting cultural reverberations, including their most recent Broadway hits Is This a Room and Dana H.. In this talk, Satter and Cosson are joined by moderator Nazareth Hassan as they discuss their directorial approaches to embodying existing text–transcribed and beyond. 

As always, our Open Process Talks programming is free, dedicated to dispersing creative ideas widely and accessibly.

RSVPs are strongly encouraged, as seating is limited.

About the Panelists:

TINA SATTER is an American playwright, director, filmmaker, and Artistic Director of the theater company Half Straddle. Recent honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, Pew Fellowship, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Award, and Doris Duke Impact Artist Award. She received a 2020 Special Citation Obie for conceiving and directing Is This A Room, which premiered on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in October 2021, and had its Off Broadway premiere at the Vineyard Theatre in fall 2019, after its commissioned opening in January 2019 at The Kitchen. With her company Half Straddle, she has premiered 10 full-length shows, and a number of shorter works and video projects that have been seen at festivals and theaters throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia. She’s been a teacher and visiting artist at a range of institutions. Tina attended the playwriting program at Brooklyn College, received an M.A. from Reed College, and a B.A. from Bowdoin College. 

STEVE COSSON is a director, writer and Artistic Director of The Civilians theater company in New York, where he has originated and developed numerous original works in collaboration with some of the leading theater artists of the country. He’s developed original shows for TBS and ITV Entertainment, is the creator and host of the documentary musical podcast Let Me Ascertain You, and with The Civilians was the first theater company to be Artist-in-Residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Select theater credits include the New York premiere of Whisper House (Duncan Sheik/Kyle Jarrow); world premiere of What You Are Now by Sam Chanse; world premiere of Paul Swan is Dead and Gone by Claire Kiechel; the Encores! Off-Center revival of Gone Missing (bookwriter); Jill Sobule’s musical Times Square (bookwriter) and director of The Abominables at Children’s Theater Company, writer and director of The Undertaking at BAM Next Wave, US tour, Theatre de la Ville, Paris; director of José Rivera’s Another Word for Beauty, world premiere at the Goodman Theatre; writer/director, Rimbaud in New York at BAM; director of Michael Friedman and Bess Wohl’s musical Pretty Filthy; and the Off Broadway revival of The Belle of Amherst starring Joely Richardson. He was a speaker at the 2012 TED Conference. He has been a MacDowell Fellow, participated in the Sundance Theater Lab several times, and he was a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia. Stevecosson.com

About the Moderator:

NAZARETH HASSAN is an interdisciplinary artist working in performance, writing, sound, music, and video. His performance score Untitled. (1-5) is being published by 3 Hole Press. He will be the dramaturg at The Royal Court Theatre in London beginning this summer.

Coming Soon:

• May 23, 2022, 7pm - “Revisiting Historical Performance Text” 
  • What does it mean to revisit historical performance texts, and why do we do it? Acclaimed theater artists, to be announced soon, join together to discuss navigating the works of dead writers, and their approaches to reinvigorating canonized texts and figures through utilizing theater as a forum for catharsis and political discussion. 
• June 6, 2022, 7pm - “Composing for Adaptation” 
  • Visionary songwriters share from their work in an intimate setting and discuss their processes around their upcoming works. How can preexisting text serve as a useful point of departure for new composition? 

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Vaccine, Mask, and ID Requirements

MASKS REQUIRED
Everyone in the theater must wear a face covering, over the nose and mouth, at all times. 

VACCINATIONS REQUIRED FOR AGES 5+
Everyone ages 5 and older must be vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine to enter the theater. You may present proof of vaccination on paper or a smartphone. The following proof will be accepted:

• Two doses of an FDA or WHO authorized two dose COVID-19 vaccine.
• One dose of an FDA or WHO authorized single dose COVID-19 vaccine.

If your performance is less than 14 days after your last vaccine dose (excluding boosters), you must also provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test. 

IF YOU CANNOT BE VACCINATED
Children under the age of 5 and those who need reasonable accommodations due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test. 

ACCEPTED COVID-19 TESTS
Customers who require a negative test to enter the theater must provide one of the following:

• A negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance
• A negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance

You may present proof of a negative test on paper or a smartphone. At-home rapid tests will not be accepted.

PHOTO ID REQUIRED
Along with proof of vaccination, all guests 18 years or older must also present a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport. Guests under 18 may also use a school ID, with or without a photo. Other forms of ID may also be accepted, such as a copy of a birth certificate or other government-issued ID. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult who meets the above requirements.

Guests who do not comply with these protocols will be denied entry or asked to leave the theater.