Stage directions do more than tell actors where to stand—they help create entire worlds. In this interactive workshop, theatre scholar Bess Rowen explores the evolution of stage directions and the creative possibilities they offer contemporary artists. Through hands-on activities inspired by the work of Sarah Ruhl, participants will experiment as actors, directors, and writers, discovering how words on a page become performance in motion.

Bess Rowen is Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University and author of The Lines Between the Lines: How Stage Directions Affect Embodiment (University of Michigan Press, 2021). Her research focuses on stage directions, performance, embodiment, and contemporary theatre. A scholar, director, actor, and intimacy professional, she has published widely in leading theatre journals and edited the student critical edition of A Streetcar Named Desire for Methuen Drama. She teaches courses in theatre, gender and sexuality studies, and performance.