SDC Directing Initiative

Rules for 2026

In Region 6, students DO NOT need to be nominated by a faculty member. We encourage you to have a faculty member who is willing to serve as your mentor, but it is not required.

Student directors participate in the SDC Directing Initiative (SDI) at each Regional Festival. To be eligible, students and their actors must be:

• Attending an institution that has entered either an associate or participating production during the year in which the student applies; OR

• A bona fide student at the time of the Regional Festival.

o A bona fide student is:

 an undergraduate student registered for at least six semester or equivalent quarter hours;

 or a graduate student registered for at least three semester or equivalent quarter hours;

 or a continuing part‐time student enrolled in a regular degree or certificate program.

***Depending on the number of applications, directors who are not invited to participate in SDI may be invited to participate in the 10‐Minute Play Festival/Student Directing Program instead. In rare cases, students may be invited to participate in both. Please indicate on the application form if you would like to be considered for the 10-Minute Play Festival***

Student Artists for SDI:

To apply for SDI, students need to submit the Region VI 2026 SDI Participant Application by January 16, 2026. Student directors will be notified by email by January 25, 2026, regarding their application.

Please consult your school about its policies for bringing a scene to the Regional Festival (such as limitations to number of students who may be supported, restrictions to the casting pool, or resources available). If you are interested in participating as a director, but your school is limited in the number of actors who can travel to Festival, please reach out to SDI Coordinator Patrick Pearson.

For details on how to apply for the 2026 SDC Directing Initiative or if you have any questions, please contact Patrick Pearson at patrickpearson@shsu.edu.

SDC Directing Initiative (SDI) Festival Events

Pre-Festival: If selected to participate, each student director will create and submit their Director Production Notebook (DPN) at the First Meeting for SDI Participants, held on Friday, February 20, 2026. The DPN is for one of the 12 nationally selected scenes listed below. Instructions for the DPN will be posted by January 26, 2026.

Preliminary Round: (Closed Session)

The preliminary round will allow students to present a short scene utilizing a cast of bona fide student actors, along with a slate introducing themselves (no school names), their actors, and the name of their scene. After the presentations the adjudicators will respond to the live work in front of the closed gathering of directors. All candidates are required to attend this preliminary round feedback session. Teachers/mentors who are the nominators-of-record for the student director are welcome to attend the scene presentation, but not the feedback session.

Interview Round: (Closed Session)

Directors who are chosen for the final round will attend closed individual interviews with the respondents. At this time, the director’s book, written statements and approach will be discussed. No teachers/mentors or actors are allowed to participate in this phase of the event.

Final Round: (Open Session)

A group of no more than six directing candidates will advance to the final round. Upon selection to the final round, directors will again slate and present their scene with their actors. This presentation is open to all Festival attendees. Upon conclusion of the round, the adjudicators will respond to the live work in front of the closed gathering of finalist directors.

If selected to present at the festival, be aware of the following:

• The invited students for SDI will then prepare a fully-staged, off-book presentation (no longer than 15 minutes, including set up and break down) of their chosen scene from the 2026/27 list. The student is responsible for realizing all aspects of the presentation. Please consult your school about its policies for bringing a scene to the Regional Festival (such as limitations to number of students who may be supported, restrictions to the casting pool, or resources available). If you are interested in participating as a director, but your school is limited in the number of actors who can travel to Festival, please reach out to SDI Coordinator Patrick Pearson.

• All scenes will be presented in a closed session in a standard conference room under room lights, with no other tech provided. We strongly encourage you to think simply and creatively with limited technical resources; the focus should be on the work of the actor and director in clear storytelling rather than on design or spectacle. Directors would be responsible for running any technical elements they bring. There will be no storage in the convention center.

o Scenic: Directors will have access to the following in the room:

 4 café chairs, 2 tables, 4 1’ rehearsal cubes

 Directors do not need to use all these elements, but as you rehearse, be mindful of what will be available in the actual space.

 Directors are responsible for any other scenic elements, which should be portable and easily removed from the space.

o Props: Directors may bring simple hand props, as needed (no weapons).

o Costumes: Directors and casts are responsible for their own costuming. Keep costuming simple, portable, and low maintenance (e.g., use personal clothing that suggest the characters or world of the play but do not require period authenticity or complicated care).

o Sound: Directors may bring their own Bluetooth speakers and playback devices for sound, if they can be easily deployed and broken down in the allotted time.

o Lights: Directors should plan to present under room light. Directors may incorporate small handheld practical lights, if appropriate, but setting up and focusing any larger lighting is not permitted. A full blackout may not be possible.

• A pair of respondents who are professional directors/educators will view all scenes and meet with each director to offer feedback and discussion of the work.

• Directors of scenes advanced to the finals should plan to schedule time with their casts during festival to explore ideas arising from the conversation with the respondents. Those revised scenes will be presented during the finals, which will be open to the full festival.

• At the closing ceremony, the Region 6 committee will announce the SDI Regional Finalist selected by the respondents who will advance to the national festival.

OTHER DIRECTING OPPORTUNITIES AT THE REGION 6 FESTIVAL

We also invite applications from students interested in directing as part of the 10-Minute Play Festival. Every year, the Region 6 Playwriting area chooses a limited number of new student-written plays to present. Selected student directors will be paired with student playwrights to work on a public reading of a new 10-minute play. The emphasis is on performance and supporting the playwright’s words, without props or other production elements. A stage direction reader will be provided.