The Directors Lab is geared towards emerging directors looking to develop their craft. Participants receive mentorship, participate in workshops and labs with a professional director to allow for experimentation with new directorial approaches and practices. Celebrate the explorations, discoveries and risk-taking of this year’s Directors Lab during this work-in-process sharing. Projection Design Lab participants collaborated on each of the projects, and Directors chose from a database of plays as well as new plays in development from Paprika Playwrights Unit alumni.
This program is presented with support from Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
Rinchen Dolma
རིན་ཆེན་སྒྲོལ་མ་ Rinchen Dolma is a director, theatre maker and community arts practitioner mostly based in Tkarón:to (TO). She is passionate about the intersections between storytelling, community and placemaking. She completed her Metcalf Foundation Performing Arts Program in Artistic Direction at Theatre Passe Muraille, was in the 50th edition of The Banff Playwrights Lab in 2023 and is currently the Directing artist in residence at the National Theatre School of Canada.Rinchen’s recent work includes Orlando (Talk is Free Theatre, 2022), Transfers (SummerWorks, 2022), Eventually, We Land (Tarragon x TMU, 2023), Lysistrata (Toronto Metropolitan University, 2024), Midsummers Night Dream (NTS, 2025) and 1984 2061 (Geordie Theatre 2Play Tour, 2025) .
Facilitating the Directors Lab feels very full circle for me as a past alumni whose entry into the theatre community blossomed through my experience in the lab back in 2019. It was a space where I could take risks, acknowledge my gaps and receive long lasting mentorship (shout out to Courtney C’hng Lancaster!) from industry professionals. Now, as I support Nicci and Vandana in their journey through the lab, I am witnessing them dive into the unknown, face challenges head on and grow deeper into themselves and their directing practice. It’s been a privilege being their hype girl and mentor this year, I can’t wait for you all to experience their artistic voice and vision. See you at the festival 🙂
— Rinchen Dolma, 2026 Directors Lab Facilitator
