About
The DR’s Laboratory is the first Process-Production Company (PPC). Unlike traditional production companies that just deliver commercial productions, The PPC aims to complete 3 disciplines:
DRL’s Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Donovan Rogers, invented the PPC in 2022 as a sophomore at The University of Michigan to solve the Black misrepresentation in productions, resulting from the underrepresentation of Black leaders controlling the process. It builds upon Donovan's College Board accredited research as a University High School senior, which linked the underrepresentation of Black individuals on Broadway to the scarcity of Black representation in the most prevalent BFA Musical Theatre programs.
As the Pioneer Process-Production Company (PPC), the The DR’s Laboratory builds Black equity in the arts through first-hand research that helps develop 2 things:
As the Founder of The DR’s Laboratory and the Process-Production Company , the first original process that Donovan built is the Community Co-Creative Process (CCC Process). The CCC Process makes the community (one’s story is about) the creative decision maker by inviting them to critique, culturally consult, and co-create/revise the content. This methodology was honed through the 2021-2022 development of Into the Light of the Dark, Black Night, a choreopoem written by Donovan that fables heartbroken Black men relearning how to love as fallen black birds relearning how to fly.
Initial workshops for this script convened Black individuals, mainly Black male-identifiers, fostering script feedback and healing activities led by Donovan Rogers. This evolved into a Black male healing workshop in collaboration with Black Male therapists, intertwining meditations, script readings, and discussions about personal healing journeys related to the play's themes. From this experience, the 3 core intentions of the CCC Process materialized, emphasizing the involvement of the community during a script’s development if the story is to truly resonate with the people it is about.
After The DR’s Laboratory successfully completed optiMize’s Social Innovation Challenge in 2022, DRL rapidly evolved, with the Process-Production Company model earning them 5 figures in fundraising in just 4 months as a student organization at The University of Michigan (UM); Achieving acclaim for producing Freedom: The Community Engagement Music Tour. The DRL journey extends towards a national footprint, leveraging the Community Co-Creative Process through God Bless the Child, an afrofuturist film about the Black PWI experience co-created by Black UM students and faculty, and The Princess Project, a stage adaptation of the Frog Prince (Grimm’s Brothers) co-created with the various Black communities Disney’s Princess and the Frog reflects.
- Raising awareness through data-driven research
- Developing & distributing ethical creative processes to the arts world
- Producing original works that actualizes the desires of its audience
DRL’s Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Donovan Rogers, invented the PPC in 2022 as a sophomore at The University of Michigan to solve the Black misrepresentation in productions, resulting from the underrepresentation of Black leaders controlling the process. It builds upon Donovan's College Board accredited research as a University High School senior, which linked the underrepresentation of Black individuals on Broadway to the scarcity of Black representation in the most prevalent BFA Musical Theatre programs.
As the Pioneer Process-Production Company (PPC), the The DR’s Laboratory builds Black equity in the arts through first-hand research that helps develop 2 things:
- Processes that eliminate Black misrepresentation behind the scenes
- Productions that Black audiences have always wanted, but never seen on stage .
As the Founder of The DR’s Laboratory and the Process-Production Company , the first original process that Donovan built is the Community Co-Creative Process (CCC Process). The CCC Process makes the community (one’s story is about) the creative decision maker by inviting them to critique, culturally consult, and co-create/revise the content. This methodology was honed through the 2021-2022 development of Into the Light of the Dark, Black Night, a choreopoem written by Donovan that fables heartbroken Black men relearning how to love as fallen black birds relearning how to fly.
Initial workshops for this script convened Black individuals, mainly Black male-identifiers, fostering script feedback and healing activities led by Donovan Rogers. This evolved into a Black male healing workshop in collaboration with Black Male therapists, intertwining meditations, script readings, and discussions about personal healing journeys related to the play's themes. From this experience, the 3 core intentions of the CCC Process materialized, emphasizing the involvement of the community during a script’s development if the story is to truly resonate with the people it is about.
After The DR’s Laboratory successfully completed optiMize’s Social Innovation Challenge in 2022, DRL rapidly evolved, with the Process-Production Company model earning them 5 figures in fundraising in just 4 months as a student organization at The University of Michigan (UM); Achieving acclaim for producing Freedom: The Community Engagement Music Tour. The DRL journey extends towards a national footprint, leveraging the Community Co-Creative Process through God Bless the Child, an afrofuturist film about the Black PWI experience co-created by Black UM students and faculty, and The Princess Project, a stage adaptation of the Frog Prince (Grimm’s Brothers) co-created with the various Black communities Disney’s Princess and the Frog reflects.