October 21 | 7-8:30PM
Gain insights into the script development process and get a peek into the collaborative relationship of playwright, director, and actor in this workshop with Hollywood professionals! Writer/producer David McFadzean (Home Improvement, Where the Heart Is, What Women Want, Bernie), director Robrt Smythe (Producing Artistic Director of Lamb’s, San Diego) and actor Deborah Gilmour Smythe (Associate Artistic Director, of Lamb’s, San Diego) gather on Zoom for this master class conversation surrounding a world premiere slated for opening in late 2021.
Master class participants will receive pages from both an early and current draft of the adaptation of Jane Eyre (set in the 1920s) prior to the class and are encouraged to send in questions ahead of time as well as engage with our artists during the Zoom class on Oct. 21.
This master class is designed for any and all theatre lovers – whether audience member/theatre appreciator, actor, director, or playwright – we hope you will join us for this evening of conversation focused on the process of play development. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions, share comments, and learn from these professional theatre artists.
Instructors
David McFadzean is a founder partner of Wind Dancer Films. Starting his career in theatre, McFadzean had plays produced Off-Broadway, at several universities, at Lamb’s in San Diego and at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. His first job in television was on the pilot and premiere season of Roseanne as Executive Story Editor. In 1989, McFadzean formed Wind Dancer Films with Carmen Finestra and Matt Williams where he co-created and executive produced several TV shows including: Home Improvement one of the most successful half hours of the 1990’s, Carol & Company starring Carol Burnett, Buddies with Dave Chappelle, Thunder Alley with Ed Asner, Soul Man with Dan Aykroyd, and Saint George with George Lopez. Several of the shows received Emmy nominations and Home Improvement won multiple People’s Choice Awards. McFadzean is currently Executive Producer of an animated children’s series developed by Wind Dancer for PBS called Ready, Jet, Go!
With Wind Dancer, McFadzean’s film producer credits include Bernie starring Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine, What Women Want starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt, Where The Heart Is starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd, Firelight starring Stephen Dillane and Sophie Marceau, Good Sam with Tiya Sircar, Company Man with Sigourney Weaver, Dennis Leary and Alan Cumming Walker Payne with Jason Patric and Sam Shepherd, As Cool As I Am with Claire Danes and James Marsden and The Keeping Room starring Brit Marling, Sam Worthington and Hailee Steinfeld.
With Daryl Roth Productions, McFadzean and Wind Dancer co-produced the Off Broadway premiere of Mark St. Germain’s Camping With Henry And Tom at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. And at Playwrights Horizons they co-produced the premiere of Kirsten Child’s The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin.
McFadzean is a graduate of the University of Evansville and has a master’s degree in theatre from Illinois State University. He is a Founding Board Member of the New Harmony Writers’ Conference and has served on advisory boards of several arts organizations including: Act One: Writing for Hollywood. He has spoken on producing and writing for film and television at many colleges, universities and conferences around the country.
McFadzean lives outside Los Angeles with his wife, Liz. They have two grown children and five grandchildren.
Associate Artistic Director Deborah Gilmour Smyth has been a member of the Lamb’s resident ensemble since 1979. Originally from the East Coast, she has lived all over the United States and studied music and theatre at San Francisco State University. With over 200 productions to her credit, she is a seven-time recipient of the San Diego Theatre Critics’ Circle’s Craig Noel Award and has been honored with Backstage West and numerous Patte awards for performance, direction, original music and sound design. At Lamb’s Deborah has performed in over 160 productions, directed over 70 productions, sound designed, written original music, or musically directed over 80 productions. Deborah and her husband, Producing Artistic Director Robert Smyth, and their buddy “Banjo Billy” make their home in Coronado.
Robert Smyth has been acting since a cheerleader dared his high school football team to audition for the school play. He got a role. In 1978 he was a founding member of the resident acting ensemble at Lamb’s Players Theatre. Since 1985 he has been that company’s Producing Artistic Director. Under his leadership LAMB’S grew to become San Diego County’s third largest theatre company (after the Old Globe & the La Jolla Playhouse), performing year-round in its beautiful, intimate resident theatre in Coronado’s iconic Spreckels Building. Robert has directed over 160 different shows, including a fresh production of Les Miserables that received 7 Craig Noel Awards from the San Diego Critics Circle (more than any other production in the history of those awards) He has performed in more than 120 productions with favorite roles including George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands, John Adams in 1776, Sigmund Freud in Freud’s Last Session, and Damien de Vester “the Leper Priest of Moloka’i” in the one-man show Damien. He has not gotten around to getting a new headshot for 15 years. He lives in Coronado with his wife, actor/director Deborah Gilmour Smyth and their delightful rescue pup, Banjo.