In January 2018, a group of Lincoln Center Theatre (LCT) Directors Lab alumni from the Mediterranean region met with the founder of LCT Lab Anne Cattaneo, and with theater makers from Lebanon, USA and London, at the American University of Beirut, and together they laid down the groundwork for a Directors Lab Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean is a place of great significance not only on economic and political levels, as we tend to have it in our minds, but also on the cultural and heritage level. In our experience, even though countries around the Mediterranean seem to share common characteristics, there aren’t enough common artistic grounds at organizational and institutional levels on which Mediterranean artists can communicate and exchange their theatrical methods and traditions. Directors Lab Mediterranean aims to bring forth the voices of Mediterranean countries on an artistic level and create a place for directors from all over the world to exchange knowledge and ideas and come in touch with the artistic and dramaturgical heritage of the Mediterranean area.

Endorsed by the founder of Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab Anne Cattaneo, Directors Lab Mediterranean was launched in July 2019 at the American University of Beirut, hosted by the Theater Initiative and the Department of Fine Arts and Art History. The Lab aims to rotate around the Mediterranean cities in the future years.
The Lab is by application only. It is free of charge and targets emerging and mid-career directors. A maximum of 20 applicants will be admitted to the 2020 Lab.