10/12/2026
DIRECTOR 101: SESSION 2
Session 2: Staying Organized & Making a Plan and Vison in Technical Design
Hosted by Dave Montague
Instructors: Devyn Farney & Jack Clifford and Chip Joyce
Saturday, October 17th at 1:00p
Location: Theatre Center, Basement Large Room
Our second session picks up right where session one left off! This session will begin with the planning & organizing piece of directing. Devyn Farney & Jack Clifford will walk through putting together a production team, scheduling, preparation for auditions, and how to communicate with your production team. Then Chip Joyce will talk all about vision in technical design. He will talk through some of his past shows and how he takes his vision and makes it a reality. We will end this session with a Q&A will all three to talk about organization, technical design, production crews, and anything else you want to know!
Devyn Farney is excited to be a part of the Director 101 Workshop Series. Devyn has directed CSK’s Meet Me In St. Louis (2022), co-directed CST’s 9 to 5 (2025), and will be Directing CST’s The SpongeBob Musical (2027). She also serves as the President of the Corn Stock Theatre Board. When not participating in theatre, she works as an Executive Assistant for a financial planning firm. With over 15 years of Administrative Assistant experience, Devyn knows her way around a schedule. Organization, communication, and spreadsheets are her love language. She hopes to bring that experience and passion into this workshop!
Jack Clifford is excited to be a part of the Director 101 Workshop Series. Jack has been involved in theatre both on and off the stage, with experience in directing, scenic design, props, costumes, technical theatre, and performing. He currently serves as Treasurer and Finance Chair for the Corn Stock Theatre Board and has worked on numerous productions throughout the Peoria-area theatre community. Outside of theatre, Jack is a high school art teacher, coach, and professional artist/designer. Whether he is designing a production, leading a team, managing a budget, or organizing the many moving pieces behind the scenes, Jack loves finding ways to turn big ideas into something achievable. He hopes to bring his experience in design, organization, collaboration, and problem-solving to the workshop and help directors navigate everything that happens between having a vision and getting it onstage!
Chip Joyce has been involved in Peoria theatre for 35 years (designing sets for 22, and directing for 20 of those years). He is a past President and current co-historian of Corn Stock Theatre, and received the Gretchen Iben Founders Award in 2022. He has amassed over 40 scenic design and nearly 35 directing credits at nearly every theatre in Peoria. At Corn Stock, he directed Hair, Guys and Dolls, Catch Me If You Can, Mary Poppins and Nine, and has appeared in Sugar, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and many others. In the lab space, you’ve seen him in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and as director of Side Show, The Graduate, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and most recently Into the Woods. At Peoria Players, (Outstanding Service Award recipient, 2025), his directing credits include Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, A Chorus Line, Rock of Ages, Big Fish, Gypsy, and Sweet Charity. Other selected directing credits include A Christmas Carol (Scottish Rite Theatre)and the Regional Premieres of RENT and The Producers (Eastlight Theatre). He has degrees in both Theatre from Illinois State University and Art/Graphic Design from Bradley University and proudly states “They haven’t gotten me rich, but I use both degrees practically every day of my life”. He looks forward to directing Jesus Christ Superstar at Peoria Players and Carousel in the new tent, both next year.
No matter what level of directing experience you have, this session will give you some practical tools and resources to becoming a more organized and well rounded director.
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