Since I returned from Michigan, I’ve been thinking a lot about what my role is as a director. This is a sign of a good production—it’s making me grow as an artist and reconsider what I value. I’m also reminded, by some of the things that happened there, of the ways that my work is appreciably […]
Duchess of Malfi intrigues and delights Review published in Encore Michigan, by Marin Heinritz, 1/26/2016 Playwright John Webster, Shakespeare’s contemporary, is known for his twisted, macabre sensibility as well as his gorgeous use of language. T.S. Eliot described him as a poet “much possessed by death, and saw the skull beneath the skin.” Webster’s masterpiece, The […]
This spring, the Valley Mennonite Brethren CrossRoads Heritage Center (yes, that’s a mouthful) invited me to direct a production of Jordan’s Stormy Banks. I’d seen the play when my friend Heidi directed it three years ago, and it’s super interesting. It tells the story of Mennonite and Brethren (then called “Dunker”) pacifists during the Civil War. […]
Last winter, I started taking a ballet class. I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time—since I’m a theater director, expanding my movement vocabulary is an important way to keep developing in my art. Also, many of my favorite actors have a classical dance background, and I wanted to learn more about how […]
Several years ago, I read an article about Weeki Wachee Springs, which is part 1940s roadside attraction, part state park. And I knew I had to go. The attraction? Mermaids. Yes, mermaids. In 1947, this guy bought a natural spring and built an underwater theater with a massive glass wall–like a huge aquarium. He hired […]
I’ve just finished Year of the King, by Antony Sher. It’s his diary/sketchbook from the year when he was working on Richard III at the Royal Shakespeare Company. It’s been on my to-read list for ages, so long, in fact, that I can’t recall who recommended it to me. It’s a fascinating look into his process as […]
I’ve been thinking for a while about how everyone who sees me with my kids has exactly the same comment, which is that I don’t ever flip out at them or let them control my emotions. It’s a comment, of course, that reflects what I’m presenting to the outside world, rather than what’s going on in […]
Our church, like many churches, celebrates All Saint’s Day on the Sunday after Halloween, and so that is what we did last Sunday. The church I used to attend doesn’t practice a strong liturgical calendar, and, although I understand why, I also find power and meaning in the wheel of the year. I like that […]
My being a professional theaterist has made my children, perhaps, a bit weirder than they would otherwise be. The good news is that Silas, at least, has a firm grasp on fiction and reality. When we go see a play, he understands that all those adults are just pretending. He’s been to more rehearsals than […]
While we’re on the subject, I guess I’ll share the other mantra that I carried out of Hiram (many lessons, but just these two mantras): Life is tough. Hiram owns an off-the-grid camp on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Classes go up there sometimes, and they have a five-day backpacking trip for first year students to […]