Recently, I was talking with an actor about another play entirely, and he happened to mention rather out of nowhere that there existed a sort of performance diary book about the Peter Hall production of Antony and Cleopatra. The one with Dame Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins. I hadn’t ever heard of this book–although the […]
I’ve been reading a lot of books and articles about Antony and Cleopatra lately, getting ready for the remount. One thing that comes up over and over is people saying that the title characters are older, they’re jaded, their love is real, but tempered with a certain utilitarianism. They need each other, politically. Their love […]
As I’m getting ready to remount (August 24! at the Rose!) my 2018 production of Antony and Cleopatra at Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company, I have been thinking about my first time directing it, back in 2003. The whole thing sounds crazy to me, when I think about it. My undergrad theater department, which I had […]
In a recent alumni survey, my grad school asked, “What’s your favorite line from Shakespeare?” I was stumped. I don’t think I have one. Everyone else does, I’m sure, and I even know what many of my friends’ favs are. But I am completely at a loss. I do have a favorite line in each […]
Shenandoah University, just up the way in Winchester, has a summer musical series. They bring in professional actors for most of the principal roles and their students make up the ensemble. I knew the general outline of Ragtime, but hadn’t ever seen it performed, so I wanted to see it. The production was outstanding, musically, […]
I often get the question, “Do you only direct Shakespeare?” Of course not. I love all forms of Renaissance verse drama! Joking! But people do ask this, often. I thought it might be interesting to run my stats. Although I list my directing credits very comprehensively, for this analysis, I didn’t count any staged readings, […]
It’s not every day that a little theater in rural Virginia prints the words “A Gay Fantasia on National Themes” on its posters. When ShenanArts decided to mount Angels in America, I knew I had to see it, if only to encourage this kind of programming. I hadn’t ever seen Angels staged, although I have […]
Before I started rehearsals for Richard III, I was very nervous about the Skype plan. I talked about it with everyone I could think of, hoping someone would say, “Oh, I always rehearse that way, it’s not a big deal at all.” Nobody quite said that, but I did get a few helpful hints. I […]
This morning, my social media was buzzing with posts from friends at Pigeon Creek Shakespeare reporting their nominations for the Wilde Awards (Michigan’s professional theater awards, run by Encore Michigan). Kate Bode was nominated for “Best Performance–Bard” for her performance as Margaret in Henry VI (a role she continued in Richard III), Scott Lange for […]
Stephanie Lexis (not somebody I know, but someone who is obviously very cool) has started a project to promote body positivity in the theater. Her Facebook page is informative, funny, and super depressing, all at the same time. I’ve been especially interested in her recent run of anonymous stories about times when people have experienced […]