Pictured (left to right): Charlotte Drover, Airos Sung-En Medill and Dani Wieder.

Haven Theatre has announced the slate for the fourth-annual DIRECTORS HAVEN, an initiative showcasing the talents of three rising directors.

This year, Charlotte Drover directs Madame Rachilde’s horror ballet THE CRYSTAL SPIDER, with translation by Daniel Gerould; Airos Sung-En Medill helms Josefina Lopez’ SIMPLY MARIA, OR THE AMERICAN DREAM; and Dani Wieder directs a take on William Inge’s PEOPLE IN THE WIND. The three productions will run back-to-back in one program, with the support of a full production team.

The production team for DIRECTOR’S HAVEN 2018 includes Will Tople (scenic design), Amanda Rabito (costume design), Emily Boyd (props design), Sarah D. Espinoza (sound design), Jurrell Lewis (object design, PEOPLE IN THE WIND), Angela Salinas (production manager), Charlie Lovejoy (stage manager, PEOPLE IN THE WIND), Corbin Paulino (stage manager, SIMPLY MARIA, OR THE AMERICAN DREAM), Haley Schmidt (stage manager, THE CRYSTAL SPIDER), Marika Mashburn (casting director), and Nik Whitcomb (associate casting director).

Artistic Director Josh Sobel says “I have been overwhelmed by how the Director’s Haven continues to evolve and grow year after year, and this year is no exception with our 4th cohort of early-career directors. These are three exceptionally exciting burgeoning visions, distinctly contemporary, curious about the sheer potential of the art form and deeply, immensely personal. I invite you to join us at the ground floor of what’s next as we showcase some of the next generation’s emerging artistic leaders and visionaries.”

DIRECTORS HAVEN 2018 includes (from the press release):

THE CRYSTAL SPIDER
By Madame Rachilde, translated by Daniel Gerould
Directed by Charlotte Drover
Mentor: Krissy Vanderwarker

THE CRYSTAL SPIDER is a surreal horror play that dives into the mind of Terror-Stricken, a young person plagued by their Mother’s social and sexual pressures and haunted by their strange and paralyzing fear of mirrors. They revive this story for their Mother, awakening the suppressed memories trapped within the looking glass. This story – told through poetry, dance and physical theatre – forces Terror-Stricken into a final confrontation with their mirror self and every demon they run from.

SIMPLY MARIA, OR THE AMERICAN DREAM
By Josefina Lopez
Directed by Airos Sung-En Medill
Mentor: Jess McLeod

SIMPLY MARIA, OR THE AMERICAN DREAM is an episodic telling of Maria and her family’s migration from Mexico to the United States and what it means to be a woman in her family in the past, present and future. Desperate to change their story, Maria is forced to face the collision of her family and her new home while navigating the definitions of gender and culture that are passed on from one generation to the next.

PEOPLE IN THE WIND
By William Inge
Directed by Dani Wieder
Mentor: dado

Girl is traveling cross-country to Hollywood on a Greyhound bus for a screen test when a man starts bothering her. When the bus stops at a roadside diner somewhere in the Midwest, she tries to get help. Maybe no one understands what danger she is in, maybe they are too absorbed in their own problems – either way, her pleas go unanswered. Girl must figure out how to protect herself if no one else will. Later, she tries to piece together what happened, and wonders if there had been a better way. The piece will be a physically-driven re-imagining of William Inge’s PEOPLE IN THE WIND, supported by material generated with the ensemble.

DIRECTOR’S HAVEN 2018 will play October 15 – 31, 2018 at Haven Theatre’s resident home, The Den Theatre (2A), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. All performances are pay-what-you-can. For more information visit haventheatrechicago.com.