I read this book by accident as part of my endeavor to read all of Peter Brook’s published work. It was miscatalogued as being written by him, but actually, the authors are Andrew Todd and Jean-Guy Lecat. This was a happy mistake, though, in that I learned a lot from this book, so I’m glad […]
In the pandemic period of No Theater (as opposed to Noh Theater, which is also kind of slow and weird, but different), I found a lot of interesting ways to use my skills as a director. I directed people through the process of getting their COVID shots, which was pretty great. I did a fair […]
I’m usually a super fast reader, but it took me forever to get through The Shifting Point. I’m trying to pin down exactly what about it was such a slog, but it’s hard to identify exactly. Certainly one factor is that the book isn’t at all cohesive. It’s a mishmash of speeches, articles, diaries, and […]
In my training as a director, I read lots of books, I saw lots of shows, I sat in on rehearsals (still love doing that—let me know if you’re rehearsing something and wouldn’t mind an observer!), I learned about text analysis, I had endless theoretical conversations with teachers and mentors. By the time I was […]
Of all the books in this project, I think this is the one I was the least excited about (and it was first, yay for me). Not that it isn’t an amazing book—it is!—but I’ve read it, conservatively, twelve times. When I was 14, I went to visit my aunt in Buffalo. I had just […]
I don’t write about my family/house/personal life that much over here on the Professional Site (although if you want some homeschooling, renovation, and/or cat-related content, you’re welcome to check out my personal blog). But, as has been the reality in our current work-from-home life, that line of demarcation is blurring. Recently, we had the porch […]
What does a theater director do when the stage lights are dark? That’s been a tough question all year. But this past week, I finally had an opportunity to use my skills. I volunteered at a mass vaccination site, run by the Virginia Health Department. I’m not a nurse, so I couldn’t give shots, but […]
I’m curious whether other people set themselves these sorts of experiments or challenges. I’d love to hear what artists you’ve taken the time to become a completist in.
Those who know my work well know how I feel about actors. The short version: Actors are the core of my work. I live for actors. I love actors. Actors, as a group, are hard working, collaborative, innovative, patient, kind, empathetic, generous, creative, and practical. There is no one else I would rather work with. […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about the gap between what people expect of a director and what I am, when I show up in the room. I’m thinking about this especially because I recently was writing an application where I had to answer, “How do you execute your artistic vision?” and everything about that question […]