2016 was, at a macro level, a total disaster. But, as Rachel Held Evans writes, in a moving post on becoming a mother, it also was some people’s best year. It was my best one in a long time. Hard and complicated, yes, but also amazing. This is the year I was 33. In Mennonite circles […]
Last spring, while on tour at King University in Tennessee, with Pigeon Creek Shakespeare, Katherine snapped (and subsequently facebooked) a sign in their greenroom that said, “Pursue your goals. Pick up your cues. Tell the story.” I joked that I need that on my tombstone, so I can direct from beyond. When he was directing […]
Last night, when the first inklings that this might not go so well began to roll in, I turned off my phone and went back to reading Between The World and Me. This should be required reading for every person in our country. Every high school and college should require this book. Everyone should read it […]
Recently, a friend was in an accident. It was one of those situations where a split second was the difference between serious injury or death, and a painful, but remediable, injury. Luckily, the timing went the latter direction. She’s injured, but she’ll be back to normal at more or less the moment she gets used […]
Today, Petra and I went to the most amazing event. On Rt. 33, east of Harrisonburg, Bibb and Dolly Frazier (who own the Frazier Quarry) have planted acres and acres of sunflowers. For one day only, they opened their gates and invited the community to come pick as many as we wanted. They did this to […]
All images are by Lindsey Walters, Miscellaneous Media Photography. I was lucky enough to direct Much Ado About Nothing at the American Shakespeare Center Theater Camp this summer. I had a great time! Some things about it were sort of weird, just because I’m in a very different life stage from everyone else involved (I’m a good […]
If you’ve been reading over here for any length of time, you know that, although I live in Virginia, I have a creative home in Grand Haven, MI, home of The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company. I’ve done three plays with them in the past several years, and have made short trips for other occasions, like […]
I’ve written before (and at length) about how bothered I am by the fact that most church drama is terrible. The reasons are many—there is a dearth of quality scripts, plays take more time and more people and more logistics than most other artforms that we see in church, and the people who are in the […]
Remember that time I said I was done with Duchess-obsessed posts? Lies, lies, all lies! I meant it at the time, but then Scott Lange sent me the production photos and they are SO GOOD and I love them. Sarah Stark took them during a performance at the Dogstory Theater in Grand Rapids. I’ve added text to […]
I haven’t written as much as I would have expected about my theater work on this blog. In part, this is because it’s hard to find the right time to write about it. During the process, I have so much to say, and no one I can say it too–so many things, I fear, would […]