A collective form of art: an interview with Yana Ross

Abstract

In this interview with Bryce Lease, Yana Ross explores her background as a director and her approach to teaching directing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius. Ross discusses her training at GITIS and the Yale School of Drama, highlighting the importance of life experience, interdisciplinary knowledge, and leadership skills in the development of a director. She emphasizes the value of understanding the theatre canon and expanding it through alternative perspectives, while also recognising the need for rigour and critical thinking in theatre training. Ross reflects on her experiences as a professor and the challenges faced by directing students, including effective communication with actors and the wider creative team. Advocating for a collaborative and inclusive approach to theatre-making, she draws on her experiences at Yale, where different disciplines interacted and collaborated.

Keywords:

• life experience
• leadership
• collaboration
• inclusion
• theatre directing

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yana Ross

Yana Ross is the first female director to work on the legendary Volksbühne stage in Berlin (Macbeth 2008) and the first and still the only female director to win the Golden Cross for best performance in Lithuania (2014, 2019). She was part of the artistic team at Schauspielhaus Zürich where during her three-year tenure she shaped and navigated a state institution together with another seven artists. In 2023, she embarked on a long-term collaboration with the Berliner Ensemble and was a Visiting Research Fellow at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. Ross teaches directing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, where she aims to expand the students’ understanding of theatre and encourage clear communication and collaboration with actors and other creative team members.

Bryce Lease

Bryce Lease is Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies and Head of Knowledge Exchange at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. His publications include After ’89: Polish Theatre and the Political, co-edited collections Contemporary European Playwrights, A History of Polish Theatre, and special issues of Safundi and CTR. Bryce is Co-Editor of Contemporary Theatre Review and PI of the AHRC-funded Performance Lab.