DEN OF THIEVES: APPROPRIATING AND APPLYING THE COLLABORATIVE IDEALS OF THE LABYRINTH THEATER COMPANY

• Main Author: Bambara, Timothy Michael
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2006
• Subjects: Labyrinth Theater Company; Den of Thieves; Shafer Street Playhouse; Arts and Humanities; Theatre and Performance Studies
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/735; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1734&context=etd

My goal was to successfully appropriate the collaborative ideals of the LAByrinth Theater Company and incorporate them into my directorial process while working on a collegiate production. I gathered a large amount of information from my visit and contact with the LAB and through personal interviews with the Co-Artistic Director and the Developmental Director. I had seen two of their shows and I was familiar with the quality of production that I had to uphold. I played a lead role in Guirgis' Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train and I was familiar with the rhythm, the dialect and the seriocomic matters of the plays. Den of Thieves is Guirgis' first published play. I chose this project for my thesis production because I wanted to work with younger actors on a play that is not produced often. Although the company was not part of the playwriting process, the actors, director, and crew would use the collaborative ideals of the LAByrinth Theater Company to form the production. I was interested in forming a group that was diverse in ethnical background and theatrical capabilities. I wanted to see if this play and the collaborative ideals would be successful with collegiate actors. I wanted to test the material on a collegiate audience. By doing this work I hoped to instill these ideals with members of the company so that they could be positive in their future theatrical communities. I also hoped to inspire interest from the audience in Guirgis' work as well as the LAByrinth Theater Company of New York.