We’re back!

In March when I said I was going to try to blog once a month…. I wasn’t expecting the universe to hand me endless amounts of time in order to make that happen.

Like all freelance artists right now I’m struggling to make ends meet, stressed beyond belief anytime I have to leave my apartment and enter the epicenter of the virus in the states, but more than anything I’m mourning the absence of my community in these trying times. Obviously, I am extremely lucky: I have my health, my best friend to keep me sane in the quarantine (shout out Dystany), I can still find toilet paper in a couple bodegas, and my new found side hustle is allowing me to at least pay my bills (more on that later). Still, these times are truly terrifying and, even as I’m typing this I have to pause. No, seriously, I have to pause because it’s 7PM and I need to joint my neighbors in cheering fo the medical professionals and first responders who are putting their lives on the line everyday. We live just a couple blocks from New York Presbyterian Columbia Campus and I hear in the news everyday about how much stress this particular hospital is under, the extreme danger these medical practitioners are in just DOING THEIR JOBS, and I remember how truly blessed and lucky I am. Still, with the death toll in New York State alone reaching close to 11,000 I have to wonder every time I leave my apartment “is today the day that I touch the wrong thing? Pass by an asymptomatic carrier on my walk home? Is this the day I get exposed to the Virus?” Even clad in my mask and latex gloves my anxiety is through the roof and my mind is flooded with uncertainty as we face these next few months, continued unemployment, the final months of our lease, and the ever growing threat of this disease.

More than ANYTHING, I miss being with my artistic community, I miss being a rehearsal room, I miss collaborating with wildly talented and warm hearted friends. Attempting to collaborate virtually has only exacerbated the isolation we are all feeling, digital messaging spikes my anxiety, and maybe I’m a pessimist, but I don’t see how theatre survives in a time of self isolation. Theatre for me, more than storytelling, more than spectacle, more than ANYTHING is the art of gathering. The art of bringing people together, sharing physical space, partaking in a visceral, communal experience that fundamentally brings us back to the basics of our humanity. I’ve watched the zoom readings and I do applaud those theater artists who are attempting to adapt to these virtual times, but at this point it is really just not for me. There is something intrinsically important to me in physically gathering for a piece of theater. In my eyes, art is a catalyst for connection, and theater is the art form that fosters community from that connection. Maybe I’ll do some writing once this overwhelming feeling of dread leaves me, but apart from that I am taking an indefinite break from theater activities until I can actually participate in the kind of art that I want to be part of: the art of gathering. And I’m praying that day returns as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I’ve been crocheting. YES. CROCHETING. A family friend and a dear mentor/loved one, Sandy, taught me how to crochet when I was just a kid. Watching her hands move effortlessly over the hook and yarn made me feel like I was watching magic, and when I start a new crochet project I feel inexplicably tied to her and the other women of my family who spent countless hours making afghans, granny squares and mittens for their families. It connects me to them, and to the people I’m making these projects for. It is helping me to connect in a way that theatre is not currently allowing me to. I’ve been crocheting in my free time pretty much since I moved to New York. It’s a meditative, simple task that brings me back to earth when my mind is racing. After losing both of my jobs in a 24 hour period, I took to twitter to see if anyone would buy these crafts from me in a desperate attempt to supplement my (now non existent) income. Since then my fingers have been busy making magic like I once watched Sandy make. I’m not going to push my crochet commissions on here, for that you’ll have to follow me on social media. (Are you not following me on social media already ????) BUT, I will leave you with some of my favorite pictures of the projects I’ve been working on, and I hope they spark some joy for you. I don’t know where we go from here, but I’m looking forward to finding that future and forging connections with all of you sometime soon.

..... this is embarrassing........

Y’all I have seriously let you down. Yes, it has been over 6 months since my last blog post. Yes, I have contemplated deleting this page off of my website every time I remember it’s still up. BUT - lucky for you reader, I’ve decided to make a comeback and hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with the blog and do… I dunno, say a post a month? Can we do that? We’ll see!

This post won’t be as in depth as my normal posts cause, well you know, how do you condense 6 months worth of theater making and viewing into a distilled, easy to read and interesting blog? I’ve been up to a good deal since September, and 99% of those projects are already up on the work section of this site, so feel free to check those out if you’re interested!

Breaking & Entering Theatre Collective, AKA my child, continues to grow & expand in new fun ways and we have a LITANY of projects lined up for this year, so be sure to head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list! We’re stoked to be bringing back Rooftop Readings this summer as well as PEA Fest later this year, as well as the launch of our artists in residency program or THE LINE-UP! We’re currently co-producing a show written and directed by Molly Van Der Molen (Proud Line-Up member!), GIRLHOOD. You can grab your tickets here - and you should soon cause we’re DEFINITELY going to sell out this intimate space ! If you’re not going to be in the City later this month, you should totally consider donating to our crowdfunding campaign! We had a blast raising funds at our PROM Fundraising event for the show, check out some of these sweet pics!

What else am I up to? Glad you asked! I’m stage managing a couple shows that are currently rehearsing - Et Tu which is going up later in April at Access Theater and is written/directed by my dear friend and multi-project collaborator Xander Browne, and Where Are You? a devised piece directed by Sim Yan Ying (whom I worked with on I Love White Men last summer) going up at Mabou Mines which isn’t until late June… but you never know the next time you’ll hear from me on this thing! I’m also continually stage managing with Blake Allen on his An Evening With… series. Our next concert is Friday the 13th (spooky!) and is ALL DOLLY PARTON, so obviously you want to be there.

I also got a new job house managing at the People’s Improv Theater, so if you’re tired of only catching me when I’m handing out will call tickets at Playwrights Horizons, you can now visit me downtown at both of their locations!

So far 2020 has been a really rewarding, reflective year. I’m doing my best to not take on a thousand different projects at once, and I’m trying to navigate the ever moving and changing line that is work/life balance. I’m not saying I’ve got it down to a science, but I’m feeling so much better now that I’m focusing on my home/social life and mental well being in addition to my work/freelance life. Crazy how that works right ? I’m also enjoying how clean my apartment can be when I actually put effort into its upkeep! Again, what a concept!

Some of the shows I’ve seen since we last spoke (in no particular order:

• Mirrors with Parity Productions, @ Next Door @ NYTW — THIS IS STILL PLAYING AND YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY GO SEE IT !

• A reading of Pulp Verite with the Workshop Theater

• Stacy & Mia by SMJ @ the Tank

• Sleep No More !!!!!!! My first time!!! Y’all weren’t kidding this was INSAAAANE

• The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath at Playwrights Horizons

• Terra Firma by one of my all around favorite playwrights and people, Barbara Hammond, which was the inaugural production for The Coop!

• Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery, also at Playwrights!

Let’s see, let’s see what else has happened… other highlights of the past 6 months include having my sister in town for a week in December, a trip with my roommates to visit my hometown back in October, going to Costa Rica back in November for a cousin’s wedding, and making homemade pan pizzas with My dear friends Maddy and Pualina while I was home for the holiday season. Hope this year is treating you well, and that our paths cross so soon! and feel free to send me a message if you want to connect/collaborate!

I will not apologize

Yes! I know! This is only my second blog post of the year!

I’m a big loser! I get it! But the only reason I’m not getting you all that good good content you crave is because I’m out in the world busy making it!! So no, I will not apologize for my lack of posts! Take that!

Man, oh, man do I have a lot to catch you up on. So let’s just dive right in shall we?

The BIGGEST and MOST IMPORTANT thing you can take away from this blog post is that I’VE STARTED A NEW THEATRE COLLECTIVE! With the help of some of my incredible friends/fellow former New Dramatists Interns (Kevin Russell Poole, Chloe Hayat and Ethan Wintgens) we’ve launched Breaking & Entering Theater Collective. At the beginning of the year(?? end of last year? I can’t remember now) Kevin, Chloe and I went to Clubbed Thumb’s Emerging Directors showcase and, of course, it was incredible. But as me and Kevin sat there, enjoying the beautifully crafted pieces and reading the bios of the directors, we both came to a realization. Despite the fact that both of us are directors and we apply to “Emerging Artist” programs all the time, we read these artists bios and realized that we would truly never be able to compete or compare with the people who end up receiving these opportunities. In order to even be considered a “beginner” in the industry, you need so much more experience than anyone seems willing to give us. We discovered we aren’t really emerging artists, but maybe we’re a step below that? So we’ve (for lack of a better term) coined the phrase “Pre-Emerging Artist,” and that is who we aim to serve with our collective. Our goal is to provide these artists at the genesis of their career with an artistic home and a place where they feel safe to stretch the limits of the art form.

This summer we’ve produced SIX (count em) S I X developmental “Rooftop Readings”! An opportunity for Pre-Emerging Playwrights to hear their words in front of an audience, the Rooftop Reading Series took place on two different rooftops in Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Bed Stuy! What has been SO magical for me is discovering how these readings function. The people that come to the rooftop come or two reasons, to have FUN (duh) and to support their friends, colleagues and peers. It’s a really refreshing environment to be in and it has really meant so much to me to share space, make art and build community with fellow artists.

We’re also planning a Pre-Emerging Artists Festival this December, which will feature full productions of shorter pieces by some bad ass people! All collaborators will be Pre-Emerging Artists and we’re so excited to continue the work of curating and producing this festival. We are currently accepting piece submissions and applications for directors, designers and stage managers at this link! Apply to work with us!! And if you’re not a Pre-Emerging Artist (and you’re maybe a little more financially stable than we are) consider donating to our GoFund Me!

Back in March I had the absolutely wonderful opportunity to stage manage a piece in NY Winterfest through Traguna Productions! The show was just about to go up during my last post, and it was a great success! The Playwright, Blake Allen, is also the Artistic Director of Traguna and, since then I’ve signed on with them as the company’s resident Stage Manager! You can catch some pictures from the production on the “work” section of my website! I’m really excited for this new step in my career and, since then, I’ve already been able to do some really wonderful work with them! Back in July I stage managed a concert with them as part of Blake’s An Evening With… series. The concert featured the songs of Doris Day and some of the most fabulous singers I’ve been around in a while! You can find some of the music from the An Evening With… series on Spotify! Maybe Apple Music too! I don’t know cause I don’t use it! Traguna also produced a reading series during the first few weeks of August and I had the wonderful/exciting/exhausting/overwhelming/but insanely rewarding opportunity to direct all 4 pieces over the course of two weeks! The project was a fun exercise in not dropping all the balls I juggle, scheduling, and just a ton of last minute changes. The plays we featured were: No Service North of 96th by Daniel C Blanda, Flight by Patrick Gabridge, Queen of the Coast by Margie Semilof and Trivial Pursuit by Yael Haskel.

I got the chance to return to SoHo Rep. this Spring by volunteering for their Spring Fete! It was a lovely and classically SoHo Rep. evening with bright colors, fun decorations, incredible performers and a live auction with something for everyone (truly, there were NFL tickets. I’ve never seen that at a theater gala before!). I also got to hang out with Rachel Horwitz, which I don’t get to do very often but it is always the best time. I love being able to maintain my relationships with organizations by continuing to volunteer and work with them on fun events, and this was a particularly joyful day. From setting up decorations, working the auction and reconnecting with the staff it was all so much fun and I can’t wait to be back next year!

Speaking of fun Galas, I also got to volunteer for New Dramatists Luncheon this spring! (Shocker know!) We had the chance to honor Nathan Lane, not only for his life’s work and dedication to the theater, but also for his work on Gary which was written by New Dramtists Alum Taylor Mac! It was a wild ride of a day, as always, but I had so much fun reconnecting with my intern friends (as thought we’ve ever disconnected). I worked the check in table and I EVEN got to talk to David Hyde-Pierce. Anyone who really knows me knows just how much I love Frasier, so that was a really big moment for me. I also got to go back to my second home this summer and fall to, yet again, train the interns! I love being able to come back to that place and continue nurturing the intern community in that wildly special place. Can’t wait to see what will bring me back there next!

Right around my birthday (late April, in case you didn’t know my birthday is 4/20!) I got the opportunity to stage manage the extension of Charlie’s Waiting with Parity Productions. Parity is an INSANELY incredible group who focuses on addressing the gender disparity that’s so prevalent in the theatre industry. They make sure to hire creative teams that are at least 50% female or non-binary identifying individuals on all of their productions and they share and promote a list of theaters and productions that have done the same. If you haven’t had a chance to see some of their work or get acquainted with the work of their artistic director, Ludovica Villar-Hauser, you absolutely should.

Last year I was able to finish a first draft of my new play, Cluster, and I had the wonderful opportunity in the Spring to continue working on the piece through a Writer’s Intensive with the Workshop Theater! My friend (and yet another former New Dramatists Intern!) Dani Joseph does dramaturgical work for the organization and recommended I joined the group. It was a wonderful experience for me and the other three writers in my group were truly a joy to share space with. We even did one of the pieces as a part of our Rooftop Reading Series! I’m considering doing the intensive again in the fall because it was truly so helpful for me in my process. I’ll keep you updated, but with my track record you may not want to hold your breath.

Cluster has got a little emotionally draining as I continue to work on it though, so I’ve decided to place that project on the back burner for now. I’m actually currently writing a piece based loosely on found poetry from my years of obsessive journaling. It’s an interesting project and I’m getting the chance to explore some concepts that, as it turns out, have been bumping around in my head for YEARS. It’s, at it’s simplest it’s an exploration of my relationship with my body, and how that effects my relationship with the world and the people who live in it. My absolutely wonderful, wonderful, I’m gonna say it again, wonderful friend Molly Van Der Molen is workshopping it with me, reading my literal drivel and helping me where she can! She’s a killer sound board and I’m so lucky to have her.

OH! And speaking of Molly! This chick is actually like a MAD talented writer! And I didn’t even know it! The humanity of it all! She like casually mentioned to me that she had started a writers group among some friends and, quite recently she asked me to sit in on a table read of the full length she’s currently working on. Wow. wow. The piece is called Girlhood and it really takes a look at women’s teenage years in an intimate, jarring and totally theatrical way that just blew me out of the water. Y’all keep your eyes on Molly cause this lady is GOING! PLACES!

I was still with En Garde Arts working as an intern until about mid-May (wow that feels like forever ago at this point!) and we had the really exciting opportunity to go to Georgetown University to present one of our pieces in development at The Gathering. The Gathering is a weekend long event held by the University which focuses on the intersection between theater and social justice. We came to share Engagement Party (Working Title, TBH they could’ve changed it already!) by Leila Buck and it was such a wonderful trip! I got to stay with my family in the area (which was an added bonus!) and commute into Georgetown (which is harder than you think!) for our rehearsals, performance, and even to attend a couple of sessions! It was a really informative and exciting time, and I’m so happy I could wrap up my time with En Garde Arts on such a high note!

Back in, what, July was it? Yea definitely July, I got the chance to stage manage an incredible one woman show, I Love White Men By the crazy talented Sim Yan Ying! The piece went up for one night as a part of ANTFEST at Ars Nova! I just absolutely LOVE that space and it was so exciting to get to work on a piece I loved so much, with bad ass collaborators, in a festival I’ve always admired. Huge highlight of the summer no doubt! The piece does a lot of things that I love, mainly break down and attempt to understand the way that post-colonialism has left its ugly mark on the playwright/performers personal life while also understanding that she is only one person who is only capable of so much. I love the humanity of the piece, I love the writing and the concept is just, chefs kiss. Renee Yeong directed the piece and holy cow I hope I get to work with her more. She’s a bad ass woman of color making her way as a multi-disciplinary theatre artist and I hope we get the chance to collaborate again soon!!

A couple of weeks ago I signed on as a producer for a new site-specific production of As You Like It. The incomparable E.B. Hinnant III (who hosted the Bed-Stuy Rooftop Readings! What a guy!) brought me on to the project and, while it’s been literally 4 years since I’ve even dared to touch Shakespeare in anyway, I’m so stoked for this project! It’s my first legitimate “producing” credit outside of Breaking & Entering and I’m looking forward to the ways this new role will challenge me and stretch me as an artist. We’ve just started fundraising so consider donating to that Go Fund Me too! (Surprise!! Bet you didn’t think this blog post was just going to be me asking for money! HAHA FOOLED YOU!)

I’ve also seen some incredible theatre the past couple months! Not as much as I would’ve liked to, but, ya know, your girl is broke as a joke! Way waaaay back now I got to see Operating Systems at the Abrons Arts Center through Flux Theater Ensemble. My old boss at En Garde Arts, Heather Cohn, also helps to run Flux and it was so exciting to see her outside of work and be able to support her company and work! AND Renee, the director I was just telling y’all about, did the sound design on it! I told you! She rocks! The piece was complex, dealing with many issues but the narrative remained very clear and engaging throughout the entire piece. The characters were endearing and personable, and the writing, by Gus Schulenburg, was exquisite to watch on stage. The next show I saw was Macbeth at the Lucille Lortel Theater with good old Kevin! Wow oh wow the Scottish play has literally never been better y’all. I’m serious. The adaptation placed young school girls in a forest after school, rehearsing for their production of Macbeth. The piece was eerie, creepy, totally fresh and ABSOLUTELY BAD ASS. Okay but seriously, beyond seeing an all female Macbeth, it was AnnaSophia Robb’s THEATRICAL DEBUT and, and, and THEY FULL ON MADE IT POUR RAIN ON STAGE FOR A SOLID LIKE 15 MINUTES. I SCREAMED. I FREAKED OUT. I GRABBED KEVIN. MY JAW WAS ON THE FLOOR. I can’t speak highly enough of that production and wow, it’s a shame it’s closed. A few weeks after I got to see another great show with Kevy, courtesy of my friends at SoHo Rep.! I don’t know how I got so blessed to get some comp tickets to the revival of Jackie Siblies Drury’s Fairview at TFANA, but damn am I grateful. As was to be expected with last years Pulitzer Prize winner, the production blew me away. It’s poignancy, immediacy, and radical need to call out the audience on their complacency was overwhelming, and I’m so so glad I got to see this production.

I’ve got some fun things on the docket too as far as shows I’m seeing! Just this week I’ve got plans to see Contact High, which the lovely E.B. Hinnant III is performing in, and I’m going to be seeing Wives at Playwrights Horizons this weekend! Getting back into the swing of seeing theatre now that everyone’s seasons are starting! Very excited to see what 19/20 holds for the NYC community.

I’ve also been able to have some fun, relaxing chill time this summer! So don’t you worry about me! All work and no play would make Emily a dull girl after all, and we try to stay away from the dull. My immediate family made our way up to Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire again and it was wonderful to get some time away, hang out with my family, breathe the mountain air and get day drunk with my dad. (I won’t embarrass him here, but I have some funny videos I’d be willing to show a select few of you) My dad’s side of the family also had a big reunion in Virginia Beach! It was the first time (almost) all of us could gather together and it was so fun to reconnect with my cousins now that we’re all actual adult people. One of my longest friends, Josh Reiter, made his way back to the East coast for a minute and it was great to connect with him, and see his new LA look! (lol)

In other news, my laptop is currently broken. I know, I know, you don’t care. BUT That is the reason there are no photos with this post, my resume is completely out of date, and I have'n’t completely kept up with my work page. So forgive me friends! Once good old Margaret is back in my arms I’ll have this site back to running the way it was intended to be.

I think that’s all for right now you guys! Thanks for sticking around and caring enough to read all the way down. Your love, and patience, is crazily appreciated, especially for the amount of typos there probably are in this. Keep fighting the good fight my friends, and I’ll see you around!

It's 2019!

Yes, Yes, I know it’s been 2019 for over two months now, but it’s my first blog post of 2019 so I have a lot to catch you up on!

Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant at Cleveland Public Theater was a huge success! You may remember that I was working as the Rehearsal Stage Manager on the project while they rehearsed in New York City. I was really lucky to be able to join the team in Cleveland, Ohio through their tech process and opening night. It was great to be back in Ohio and watch the opening night show with Daniel! Tech was a crazy week that had me running around to whole sale food suppliers to pic up spices and gravy for the five course meal that was served during the show, picking actors up from their housing in the huge ram Van that Connie Hall purchased for the production, and I even had to step in for one the nurse ensemble members during our preview performance! It was the first time I’ve been on stage in probably 5 (?) years, and it was a wild ride! Yes, I did spill an entire plate of stuffing on a woman’s jacket but, ya know, other than that I’d say it was pretty successful! I had such a ball with the Conni’s team from start to finish and it was so bittersweet when I had to pack my bags and head back to NYC.

Me and Daniel at "Conni’s Avant Grde Restaurant”

At the end of the show the company invited me on stage! Loved working with Conni’s more than anything!

If you’d like to check out more pictures head over to the “Conni’s” section of my work page!

In early December of 2018 (damn that is so long ago now) I was fortunate enough to step in as the Stage Manager for a reading of Undocumented by Andrea Thome through En Garde Arts. EGA commissioned the piece from Thome back in 2017 and, as of right now they are slated for a full production in New York City in 2020. The piece weaves the stories of Undocumented Immigrants into a Fandango, a community musical celebration with cultural roots in Veracruz. With original music by Sinuhe Padilla and directed by Jose Zayas, Undocumented casts these characters and their stories not as victims of our broken political system, rather they give them space to celebrate their stories, their struggles and their livelihoods. Again, if you’d like to see pictures or read more about the project you can head over to the “Undocumented” section of my work page!

I’ve also had some time to pursue and work on my own creative endeavors! For about a year now I’ve been writing a play called Cluster that examines the community trauma my high school faced after 6 members of our student body fell victim to suicide. I began writing the piece as a way to explore and process the grief I could tangibly feel myself carrying from the experience and, in a way, I never really thought I would even complete the first draft. 59 pages later however, I proved myself wrong. The piece is still in it’s infancy and I’m continuing to edit, adjust and workshop it. I was beyond blessed to have some of my dearest performer friends over to my apartment in December to read through the piece, give me incredible feedback and generally shower me with hugs as I shared this insanely vulnerable piece with them. I’m still looking for lots of feedback and if you’d like to read the first draft head over to the “contact” page and I’ll send it your way :)

As everyone knows, New Dramatists has basically become my second home in the city and I’ve been lucky enough to work with them a lot in the new year. After training the Spring Intern Class I came back to stage manage a reading of the play Seven. Written by seven different female playwrights (four of them being alum of New Dramatists )who interviewed seven different women from across the world working for gender equity in various ways, the piece was performed for a women in business group. The piece was really well received and it was so exciting to hear the stories of some incredible women that I would not have heard otherwise.

I was also able to serve as the Studio Coordinator for this years Composer Librettist Studio at New Dramatists. To say I was excited when they asked me to step into this role would be a gross understatement! Having served as an intern during the studio last year I was already familiar with the administrative duties of the Coordinator and it was, without a doubt, my favorite project I had worked on while at New Dramatists. For those unfamiliar with the studio it’s a two and a half week intensive program where 5 playwrights, 5 composers and 5 performers collaborate to create 15 new music theater pieces. Led by Ben Krywosz of Nautilus Music Theater the writers generally have 24 hours in which to write a piece and I was absolutely beside myself listening to the beautiful pieces of music they were able to create in that amount of time. The project also gave me the opportunity to work with one of my all time favorite collaborators/people/playwrights, the one and only Chloe Hayat who served as the Studio Coordinator and made the entire process that much more fun and exciting.

Chloé and me kicking ass at the Composer Librettist Studio!

Some of the 2019 Composer Librettist Studio Participants!

Since the new year began I’ve also been able to help En Garde Arts with their new developmental series “Uncommon Voices at the Commons Cafe.” Located at (where else?) The Commons Cafe in Brooklyn En Garde Arts is partnering with local radio station WBAI to present pieces in progress on the first Monday of every month. So far this year we’ve presented a piece by Liza Jessie Peterson and a piece curated by Tonya Pinkins. Yesterday we shared LubDub Theater Co’s new piece on our current climate crisis and it was absolutely spectacular. We had a sold out house and the piece was both fascinating and absolutely heart wrenching. The last 15 minutes I was a literal puddle of tears. I can’t wait to see how LubDub continues to develop the piece!

Annie Hamburger leading the talkback last night at En Garde Art’s Uncommon Voices event

I’m currently Stage Managing Kelly [1955], a thriller by Blake Allen which is being directed by his husband, the incredible drag queen Marti Gould Cummings. The show is going up with New York Winterfest this week and I couldn’t be more excited to share this piece with the world! It follows the true story of a family in rural Kentucky who’s farm was visited by an unwelcome stranger in the summer of 1955. The cast and creative team have been such a joy to work with and I’ve cherished the opportunity to explore this complex and thrillinng narrative with them over the past two weeks! I hope you can join us for the show, opening night is TONIGHT and you can purchase tickets here.

I’ve also been able to see some totally bad ass pieces of theater since the last time I blogged! Noura at Playwrights Horizons by the incredible Heather Raffo re-imagined Ibsen’s A Dolls House into a 2018 setting involving a middle eastern family that just gained their citizenship. Exploring the concepts of community, family and womanhood in the 21st century the piece was truly fascinating and I left with more questions than I did answers.

This past week I’ve had the utter joy of finding free tickets to not one, but TWO performances: By The Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage at Signature and If Pretty Hurts Ugly must be a MuhFuckah at Playwrights Horizons.

Vera Stark was an incredibly nuanced look at the life of fictional character Vera Stark who gained fame playing a slave girl in an epic Civil War film during the early 1930’s. The play spanned generations by setting itself in 1933, 1973 and 2003. The first act gave us a look into Vera’s life before she reached stardom and the second act gave us the opportunity to reflect on her fictional body of work as a group of scholars in 2003 analyzed “video footage” (that was acted for us rather than recorded) of her appearing on a late night talk show. The piece easily could have gotten preachy and, while I thought it was headed in one direction nearly the entire time, Lynn Nottage impressed (as per usual) by turning a generally accepted narrative on it’s head in the final moments of the play. In a word, it was brilliant. And the set design? FLAWLESS. Truly breathtaking. A million thanks to Chloe Hayat for asking me to come along with her!

If Pretty Hurts by Tori Sampson was an equally astonishing piece of theater. The combination of African myth, contemporary setting and the quasi-immersive structure of the piece all contributed to the intense emotional outpouring that every person in that audience witnessed. If you’re able to see this show, you absolutely must. It distorted my concept of what is possible in a large off-broadway theater like Playwrights Horizons and left me feeling whole, exhilarated and thirsting for more. It’s such a joy to see plays that allow African American women to embody the complexities, nuances and challenging narratives that they are full of in real life: especially when the pieces come from such talented, young, black female playwrights. I wish I could see content like this all year long and not just during Black History month, but you know, I’ll take what I can get for now.

I think that about sums up everything I’ve been up to the past few months! I’m excited to keep discovering, learning and growing this year and I’m so lucky to have people like you supporting me, giving me love and reading this silly blog. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t take me another 4 months to post again!

I Guess I'm Bad at Blogging

It’s been …. what? like two months since I posted on this thing? Did you think I’ve just been hanging around, doing nothing since the last time I posted? Well, let me tell you that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Back in early October I got the chance to see one of the most moving pieces of theater coming out of our contemporary canon, Fireflies by the one and only Donja R. Love at the Atlantic Theater Company. Donja was the Princess Grace fellow last year and with that honor he is given the opportunity to workshop some of his pieces at New Dramatists. That’s where I met him and was first introduced to his work. Back in April I was fortunate enough to stage manage a reading of Fireflies at New Dramatists ON MY BIRTHDAY! It was the best birthday present ever, honestly. All this to say I went into the show knowing a great deal about it’s content, it's plot, it’s characters. Regardless of how prepared I was for the performance it still ripped my heart out and shredded it into a thousand pieces. Fireflies is part of Donja’s Love Trilogy, three plays that show queer black love over the course of American history. This piece is the second in the trilogy and takes place during the civil rights movement. Donja’s poetic, powerful prose (sorry I had to spring for the alliteration there) weaves the stories of beautifully complex characters together in ways that I haven’t seen in any other writing. His voice is so strong and there’s no doubt in my mind he is one of, if not the best playwright of our current moment. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that the one and only Daniel Mulligan paid for my ticket and I could not be more grateful for the gift he gave me in being able to see this play come to life.

In early October I also got to see a reading of Kirkwood Bromley’s Dazl at New Dramatists. Described as “Shakespeare on Shrooms” Bromley’s work is always very, very out there and his work is probably exactly what you think it is. Yup. He does write modern plays COMPLETELY in verse. And they are …. crazy. He makes up words, throws in extraneous plot lines and really messes with your head. Bromley was the first playwright I ever stage managed for at New Dramatists and his work really fascinates me in a way that I don’t completely understand yet. Dazl was a really interesting piece, dedicated to his daughter and comprised almost entirely of poop jokes and innuendos, that I really enjoyed watching. There’s a lot of subversion in his work, distorting norms we take for granted. The structure of the piece makes total sense for what it is. I’m hoping I’ll be able to see more of his work in the future, maybe even in production!

I also got the AMAZING opportunity to direct TWO pieces for The Barrington Collective’s Night of Fright, part of their ongoing holiday reading series. I directed a piece by Ashley Hutton, Baby It’s Cold Outside, and a play by Kathryn Funkhouser, JumpScare. Both pieces dealt with fear, as per their theme of the evening, but they approached it in two completely different ways and it was exciting to be able to work on both! They were also very comedic pieces and I haven’t really gotten a chance to sink my teeth into some funny work again. If you’re in New York you should absolutely try to make it out the BarCo’s next holiday reading! They’re so much fun, pretty short, cheap ticket AND you can drink at these events! It’s literally a win-win-win. Plus the women that run it are some of the kindest, generous, most incredible people I’ve ever met and they deserve your support.

On October 30th En Garde Arts hosted an INCREDIBLE Gala that I got to participate in as the current intern. I organized and ran the silent auction at the gala and it was SUCH a crazy awesome, hectic and exciting learning experience. I’ve never been given a project of that size as an intern and the feeling of accomplishment I had after raising all that money was really worthwhile. It made me wonder why I haven’t considered going into development? We’ll see how long that feeling lasts. My small accomplishments aside the evening was an INCREDIBLE success and I was so honored to even be a part of it. We honored Joan D. Firestone and Alberta Arthurs, two women who truly deserve recognition for the contributions that they’ve made to the American Theater. It was such a fun event with an eclectic dinner and exciting stories shared by five extraordinary women and a musical performance by THE Christian McBride. I know my Jazz Musician of a father was majorly jealous, as he should be because it was INCREDIBLE. Anne Hamburger is such a light in this industry and her commitment to creating dialogue with people who are not normally in communication is truly laudable and I’m so, so happy that I’ve been given this opportunity to learn under her. It looks like I may be staying on with En Garde Arts longer than I initially thought I would and I’m so excited to keep growing with this company!

You thought that was all the theater I’ve seen in the past two months? WELL YOU’RE WRONG! With my internship at Soho Rep. I got a pair of tickets to see their current production, THUNDERBODIES. Wow. Wow. This play. I think I’m still processing it weeks later if I’m being completely honest. This show broke me in the best possible way. The performances by these actors were so full and lived in and the text is absolutely BONKERS. I have literally never in my life seen female characters on stage that were so unapologetically LOUD, proud and confident in physical space as well as their bodies. The absurdist satire was such a joy to watch, I had a smile on my face from start to finish and I left feeling like my brain had been cracked like an egg. It was so much fun and helped me to laugh at the legitimate tragedy that our nation is quickly spiraling into. The show got butchered in the Times by a reviewer who clearly had no interest in understanding the piece and didn’t let himself enjoy what he couldn’t immediately understand. All I can say is I enjoyed every minute of this gut busting show and I hope you got the chance to see it since it’s closing this weekend.

The promotional photos taken for the show are pictures of the cast with their faces pressed up against pexi-glass looking wildly distorted. The marketing manager had this great idea to bring in a small piece of plexi so that patrons could make their own interpretations and post them on social media! Check mine out, they’re pretty funny!

I’ve had the smallest amount of free time over the past couple weeks and, with that time, I’ve been volunteer ushering at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater for their current production of Lewiston/Clarkston by Samuel Hunter. Their set up for this (or should I say these) show(s) is FASCINATING to me. Lewiston and Clarkston are two separate plays written by Hunter that are being performed in rep at Rattlestick right now. Instead of performing one show some nights and the other show on the other nights ticket buyers get to see TWO shows in one night, Lewiston followed by a 30 minute dinner, followed by Clarkston. The players really share their space with the audience and, with only three people in each cast, the sense of intimacy and immediacy in each piece was so evident and palpable it was really shocking to me. I really enjoyed both pieces, but I did enjoy Clarkston more. The direction of this piece seemed clearer and every part of the production and every layer of each performance served to tell the story. Lewiston was really, incredibly intriguing to me, but next to Clarkston it just didn’t compare. Not that the point of the evening was to compare the two pieces, but hey! If you weren’t looking for my opinion what are you doing on my blog?

As I’m sure some of you know I’ve been serving as the rehearsal stage manager for Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant and their holiday show that will be going to Cleveland in two weeks! I’m actually currently sitting in a rehearsal for them! Any and all of my friends in Ohio need to see this show. It’s wild, immersive, crazy fun, stupid ridiculous 2 hour piece where they serve you A FIVE COURSE MEAL! I’ve had such a blast working with these beautiful avant garde-ists and I couldn’t be more excited to head to Cleveland with them next week. I’ll only be there for tech through opening, but words really can’t describe how excited I am for this trip.

Indeed, Friend!

I’ve been feeling pretty down recently for a litany of reasons so last week I decided to impulse buy a ticket to Clubbed Thumb’s workshop production Elizabeth Bent’s new play: Indeed, Friend! Going into it, I knew nothing about the piece other than the fact that the ticket was an astonishingly low $15. The last Clubbed Thumb show I saw was Tin Cat Shoes by Trish Harnetiaux and it was wild and weird and out there and an absolute joy. So, I guess part of me anticipated the same chaotic excitement when I walked into Indeed, Friend! I didn’t get that, but I was far from disappointed. The piece follows the lives of 5 students who organize their campus’ literary magazine. The first thing I have to point out is how EXQUISITELY the set was dressed. Sleater Kinney posters, a boom box and even the furniture set stage perfectly: our play begins at the start of Fall semester, 2001.

The show follows these students over the course of the year as they come together to analyze submissions, talk about current events and make plans for their futures. Every character in this show was compelling, relatable, and written with such specificity that I was in complete awe of the character development that took place over the course of the piece. Watching their journeys was insanely comforting and cathartic for me as an artist who is still trying to navigate what that title means in my day to day adult life.

The workshop production is now closed so, unfortunately you can’t see this beautifully genuine piece for yourself, but you can take my word for it that everything at Clubbed Thumb is worth seeing. I always leave their feeling rejuvenated, excited and inspired.

In other news, my show opens tonight! One Night Standing by Ashley Hutchinson is !FINALLY! going up and I couldn’t be more excited. Keep your eyes peeled on my “work” page for a gallery of production photos and my directors note! It should be there by Monday night at the latest. I hope you all wait by your computers with bated breath until I post it.

~~

Has it been over a month?

I really feel like I update this blog SO frequently when the reality is I'm lucky if I post once a month.  Time really flies when you keep yourself busy! 

Since I've last posted I've been a little all over the place: emotionally and mentally? yes, but mostly physically.  At the end of July I got to go to my cousin Patrick's wedding in Virginia Beach. Patrick has spent the last ?6? years living in Russia teaching english. It's been so long since I've seen him and it was wonderful to catch up with him, see my family, and of course spend a little time at the beach!

Wow.  Wish I was there right now instead of typing up this blog post at work. 

After the wedding I turned right around and made my way to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland with my INCREDIBLE boyfriend, Daniel, and his extended family.  It was such a relaxing week, we went boating, spent plenty of time in hot tubs and I got to drink as much as I wanted without wondering "what subway am I going to take home?"

Take a look at this cutie!!

This shitty iPhone photo doesn't even BEGIN to capture how pretty this Maryland sunset was.

The next week I made my way to Philadelphia to babysit for one of my all time favorite mentors, THE Dr. Jessie Glover.  Her adorable son, Amos, and I got to explore the historical parks in the city and I even made it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art! The exhibits there were exquisite: photographs of Frida Kahlo, a Van Gogh and a Bruce Nauman piece that I keep coming back to even a month later.  At one point during our trip little Amos picked up and played around with my copy of Theater of the Oppressed by Boal and I just have to say, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen.  

The Beautiful Bruce Nauman piece I saw in Philly!

Philadelphia Museum of Art, AKA the location of the famous ROCKY stair scene!

How cute is he !?!!

Oddly enough the house I stayed at with Jessie and Amos was right next to the Schuylkill river.  That probably means nothing to you but my fathers family is from Schuylkillhaven Pennsylvania. Generations of my family were born by that river and it felt almost clandestine to find myself there by chance.  I felt rooted there in a way and it was exactly what I needed as I start this next step on my journey.  

The Schuylkill River in all her glory

My sporadic traveling aside I've been able to keep myself busy with some exciting projects! I'm working as the rehearsal stage manager for Conni's Avant Garde Restaurant.  The show is a devised piece that relies heavily on individual character work  to create an immersive, exciting an unquestionably avant garde evening filled with song, dance and, of course, food! But just remember- IT ISN'T DINNER THEATER! The company has been touring different iterations of the show on and off for about ten years now and this year they're taking the show to Cleveland! We had one weekend of rehearsals in mid august and next weekend I'm heading back to the land of Conni and I couldn't be more excited.  If you're living in Ohio and you're interested in seeing the show you can buy tickets here! 

I was also fortunate enough to head back to New Dramatists for a week to train their Fall Interns! They're a lovely group of bright and exciting new theater makers and I can't wait to get to know them better as I inevitably make my way to New Dramatists for a warm cup of coffee and a comfortable couch as the weather gets colder.  

My beautiful new ND babies! So much love!

Last weekend I got to reconnect with the INCREDIBLE company of Lucian/Lucien as we sat down to discuss new directions for the show as well as new developments in our political climate that directly effect the shows content.  It was so satisfying to be able to reconnect with these wildly talented artists and engage in some really exciting dialogue about the future of the piece.  

This past week I've been adjusting to my fall schedule as I've started not one but TWO new internships.  I'm currently splitting my time between En Garde Arts and Soho Rep. En Garde Arts is a really exciting company that has been producing site-specific as well as documentary style theater since 1986.  It's an incredibly small staff and I've had a blast so far doing a lot of hands on work regarding their Gala this fall.  I'm also the executive intern at SoHo Rep. and I couldn't be more excited to be working at one of my favorite companies in the city. They're announcing their 18-19 season soon so keep your eyes peeled! These are pieces you will NOT want to miss. 

I'm also gearing up for the opening of my show ONE NIGHT STANDING by the incredible Ashley Hutchinson! I've been directing this play since early summer and I'm so excited to finally get it on the stage.  Performances are September 20, 22 and 23 and you can purchase tickets here and you can read more about the play here! The show is delightful and hilarious and heartbreaking and it will make you question what constitutes intimacy.  I'd love to see some friendly faces in the audience so BUY SOME TICKETS! TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO BUY TICKETS! It's a double header so you get to see TWO shows and I know you'll have a great time :)

I also have some exciting new writing projects on the horizon that I am (hopefully) looking forward to sharing with you all in the next few months.  Some creative, some academic, all things that really fascinate me and I'm hoping you'll enjoy them to! 

I think that's all for me right now! If you're interested in keeping up to date on my life in between these sporadic blog posts I'd love to connect with you on social media! The icons at the bottom left of your screen will take you to my LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  I will warn you though- my LinkedIn is not quite up to date.  Thanks so much for reading friends! 

~~

A Midsummer Evening's Daydream

The title of this post may be a little misleading.  I am not working on a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, but considering we are at the midsummer mark I couldn't resist the play on words.  (I know it's not a funny joke, just let me have this one ok?)

Anyway a lot has happened since I last posted in June! Back on June 20th I was able to make my way back to New Dramatists for their After Seven Festival.  This building is quickly becoming my home base in New York City and it's such a comfort knowing I have a place to go to whenever I need some quiet time and a cup of coffee.  This year the After Seven festival featured works by Barbara Hammond, Lucas Hnath, Mia Chung, Stefanie Zadravec, Kristoffer Diaz, Joshua Allen and David Weiner.  Each piece was exquisite and I'm so glad that I could support these incredible playwrights as their time at New Dramatists came to a close.  

The next day I was able to assist Barbara Hammond and Marc Chan in their industry reading of their new musical, You and Me.  The show explores the magic of a city like New York, the effect of time and distance on our relationships, as well as the power of female friendships.  Marc and Barbara started working on this piece when they were paired together during the Composer/Librettist Studio at New Dramatists.  While at New Dramatists I was able to watch them develop the piece from one song into a few scenes into a full fledged musical.  The last day of my internship was actually the day they finished writing!  It was at that point that they asked me to house manage their reading and I'm so incredibly grateful I was able to be a part of it.  Barbara and Marc are truly the sweetest people I have ever met and it was an honor to help them out.  The show, by the way, is one of the most beautiful pieces of theater I've ever witnessed.  It made me cry from beginning to end and, in an entertainment world focused largely on romantic relationships, it reminded me of the power and importance of platonic, (specifically female) friendships.  

My dear friend and fellow former New Dramatists Intern, Jenny King, is one of the founders of the Barrington Collective.  This past March I was able to direct a piece in their holiday reading series and they graciously invited me back to direct for their 4th of July show, Unalienable (Play)Rights.  The night of short pieces centered around a theme of "freedom" and all the benefits went to RAICES family reunification fund.  It was really wonderful to collaborate with this group of artists again as we raised money for a cause that was close to our hearts.  

Since early July I've been stage managing a piece written by yet another former New Dramatists Intern, Andres Osorio.  Lucian/Lucien follows the story of Lucian, the leader of the alt-right gay movement after he gets the literal gay ripped out of his body by Lucien.  A fascinating piece that explores the concept of identity, it's effect on our politics and the impact our words have on others, Lucian/Lucien was featured as part of HOTFEST! at Dixon place.  We only had one performance BUT we sold out the entire house! Legitimately, the entire house.  It was standing room only with people standing directly behind me even as I called the show!  Every collaborator on this production was truly incredible to work with and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this show.  through a lot of late nights and even some early mornings we were able to share laughter, joy and even painful times together.  And honestly, if that isn't the point of making theater, what is ?  If you're interested head over to the Lucian/Lucian gallery in my work page to see some PHENOMENAL production photos by Juan HQ, you won't be disappointed :)

I think that's a complete update, at least on my theatrical life! No need to worry about me though(as if you were) this summer hasn't been all business! I've been able to escape NYC a couple of times to see the Dave Matthews Band (!!!!) with some dear family and friends, go to the lake with my family, and visit Columbus to go to my friend's bachelorette party! Post grad life has been treating me well so far and I'm looking forward to what the future brings.

Enjoy these photos, one is from the reading of You and Me and one is the marketing photo for Unalienable (Play)Rights. 

It's been a hot minute

So, I started this blog on my website as part of an assignment and I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it up after graduation or not.  At this point, I think I'm gonna keep it going! Who knows though, maybe I'll delete this page here in the next few weeks.  I know, you're waiting on the edge of your seat to see what I'm going to do.  

It's been about a month and a half since I last updated this blog and MY quite a bit has happened! As you can see in my "work" page I've been able to work on a couple of staged readings: Curing Olives and Spirit Journeyz.  

You can read a description for Curing Olives on that project's page, but it was part of a night of staged readings called Blue Balls: a night of unfinished plays with After-School Special Theatre Company. My totally punk rock friend, Chloé Hayat brought me on to that project and I had such an incredible time being a part of this female-driven company.  Gabriella Sprenkle's comedic piece was such a joy to work on, we were able to explore female sexuality in a unique and fun narrative with a really fun group of actors!  

I initially met Chloé because she was a former intern at New Dramatists and after I got to work with her on Blue Balls she recruited me again to stage manage for her play Spirit Journeyz! Chloé is a member of the Clubbed Thumb Early Career Writers Group and every summer these artists get to have an industry reading of their work.  Chloé chose her piece Spirit Journeyz, (which was also a part of Blue Balls) you can find a description of the piece on the project's page.  Chloé's ability to explore masculinity, trauma and the exploitive nature of media through a parody of Ghost Adventures is literally MIND BLOWING.  I'm so happy I got to be a part of the team as their stage manager and quasi-dramaturge!

I've gotten to see some pretty incredible theatre over the past month and a half as well! Signature Theatre's production of Our Lady of 121st Street by Stephen Aldy Guirgis was poignant and heartbreaking but the real marvel of the show was the impeccably designed set.  The story took place in a funeral home, a bar and a Catholic Church.  The set effortlessly and seamlessly transitioned between these three spaces, all the while reminding us of our larger location, Harlem.  The only thing that left me wanting more was the clear lack of arch for the most interesting female character, Norca, who wasn't even included in the second act.  

I also got to see The Gentleman Caller by Phillip Dawkins at Cherry Lane Theater which was visually, emotionally and intellectually THRILLING.  I hadn't come into contact with Dawkins' work since I read Charm when I was interning at Mosaic Theater Company a few years ago.  I've always been struck by the poetic nature of his work and his ability to fold in lengthy monologues into his scenes without breaking the natural flow of the dialogue.  The piece explores the romantic encounters between Tennessee Williams and William Inge right as The Glass Menagerie opened in Chicago.  He was able to format the play similar to Menagerie's "memory play" set up, with Tennessee narrating the beginning of scenes.  It was breathtaking and the set was equally stunning!

Just last night I got to see a night of short plays by Matthew Freeman at the Brick Theater in Brooklyn titled The Hollow.  Each of the three pieces were linguistically breathtaking, challenged my concept of storytelling in an innovative way and were staged to near perfection.  I can't recommend the show highly enough and, if you're in the city and have $15 burning a hole in your pocket, you can still see the show tonight and tomorrow night.  

It's been a fun month of theatre-going! AND I've got some super exciting projects coming up! I'm stage managing a play for Andres Osorio at Dixon Place in July, you can buy tickets now!! (http://dixonplace.org/performances/lucianlucien/) I'm directing two shorter pieces for our intern reading at New Dramatists next week (June 7th @ 3PM) and I'm directing a short play by my friend Ashley Hutchinson later this fall.  I'm also working as an assistant/scribe/psuedo-dramaturg/rehearsal stage manager for a project that one of my advisors at New Dramatists (Connie Hall) invited me to work on!

So there are a lot of exciting things going on for me in the next couple months, and next week I'm heading back to Virginia for the first time this year to see THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND with my family and friends! (I'm only dying of excitement over this)

I'll try to keep this page updated more regularly, or maybe I won't! I'm sure very few people have even read this far, so we'll see what happens. Until then, ~~

This Flat Earth

With my birthday coming up this week I decided to splurge and treat myself to a night of theatre.  I decided to see This Flat Earth at Playwright's Horizons, a show I've been wanting to see for weeks now.  I love the work being produced at playwrights, especially because a lot of their season is written by New Dramatists.  I really wanted to see Dance Nation by Clare Barron but since it's in their smaller space they sold out way before I could get a ticket.  

This Flat Earth did not disappoint in anyway.  It's the first straight play/non-musical that I've seen (outside of a workshop setting) since I've moved here! Truly shocking to me especially considering how much I prefer plays to musicals.  The show was a moving tribute to the trying times we are living in and the difficulties that are unique to the youth as they face these challenges.  The show follows the story of a young girl, her best friend, her family and the woman in the apartment upstairs following a mass shooting at their middle school.  In a "post-parkland" world it's easy to pigeon hole the piece as a political statement on gun control, but that would be doing this play a disservice.  This play is about growing up, realizing adults do not have all the answers and learning to question the things we have accepted as the norm.  

As someone who loves a political play more than the next person it was exciting to see a play that did not necessarily push a single political agenda.  In these incredibly dichotomized times it was truly refreshing to see a piece that gives us space to analyze our current moment as individuals.  The action of the play centers around gun violence but so many other things are integral to the narrative.  The idea that certain people do not "belong" just because of where they come from changes the direction of the show, the lack of funding for arts in our schools and the capitalist desire to "keep up with the Jones' " are all tenants of our culture that come under fire over the course of the show.  As Julie, the 13 year old protagonist, so accurately states: "back in Columbus' day everyone thought the world was flat.  It makes me think, what do we accept that will seem ridiculous in a few hundred years?"  

Miss You Like Hell

What could be better than seeing a new musical written by one of your all time favorite playwrights? The answer: seeing an incredible new musical written by your all time favorite playwright, getting moved to seats on stage minutes before the show AND getting seated right next to THE Grace Hoover.  Yes, that's right, I went to The Public this past Wednesday with one of my new friends from my internship but I ended up sitting next to one of my best Otterbein pals.  On the Stage.  Literal inches from Daphne Rubin-Vega.  And I got a chance to congratulate Quiara after the show!

Miss You Like Hell was a beautiful story about a mother and daughter reuniting after years apart and spending the subsequent week trying to reconnect before... well, I won't spoil it for you :) The show celebrates the resiliency of women, the power of family and all the people we can meet in real life and online.  I saw the show while it was still in previews, and I have to say I think there are still some areas for growth in the storytelling.  It did, however, weave the stories of women of color, queer teens and immigrants in a way that was honest, beautiful and not over complicated.  The show still really me sobbing uncontrollably at the end.  Don't believe me? You can ask Grace.  

Olivia, the daughter character, was beautifully and heart wrenchingly played by Gizel Jiménez.  Not only did Jiménez have a soaring and beautiful voice she was able to portray a character dealing with anxiety and mental illness with strength, compassion and grace.  Coming from a family that has a long and sorted history with mental illness her performance touched me in a way that I haven't experienced in quite a while.  

I'm so glad that I could experience this beautiful show with friends old and new.  It was an important reminder of the real life ways that policies effect those in our community and a compelling reminder of how complex family relationships can be.  Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to see it again once the show officially opens!

LOVE STRUCK at West Side Comedy Club

It's official! Emily Bubeck has had her NYC directing debut.  Nothing too exciting, nothing too outlandish or flashy (but honestly... when have I ever been known to be flashy or outlandish?) One of my dear friends at my internship, Jenny King (http://www.jkjennyking.com/), heads a small indie theatre company here in the city called Barrington Collective (http://www.barringtoncollective.com/).  This year was the second year of their holiday themed new reading festival and on March 18th they held their very belated Valentines Day reading.  Jenny asked me to direct one of the short pieces that she was in and, considering how small the time commitment was, I just couldn't say no! 

Having spent so much time these past few months stage managing readings at New Dramatists it was really exciting to get a chance to put my directing cap back on for a rehearsal or two and flex my creative juices.  The piece I worked on was called No Filter and it was by a young and clearly talented playwright, Laura Gold.  The ensembles of each piece scheduled and coordinated their rehearsals separately and I was able to work really well with my actors, Jenny and Dave.  It was so much fun to get out of a developmental space for a moment and get back into a rehearsal room, even if it was just for a staged reading! The show went over so smoothly, there was a huge crowd for the venue and some of my friends even came to cheer me on. 

When I was Otterbein I remember being very concerned whenever Directors came back to give a workshop because they always said the only way they ever got a job was through connections and knowing the right people.  Little undergraduate Emily always felt cheated by that answer.  That's not anything I can work at! I'm goal oriented I need a step by step guide.  I'm not lucky! I have never just happened to know the right people, this isn't ever going to work out! Thank God, little baby Emily was wrong.  I knew Jenny AND another New Dramatists friend, Chloé, is putting on a night of staged readings next weekend that I'm ALSO directing a piece for! It turns out, if you're doing the work and meeting new people it's easy to make the right connections because everyone here is always creating and always looking for collaborators.  

Enjoy this silly little picture I took at Dress Rehearsal, hopefully some better pictures will be coming to this website soon!

Central Park

Those who know me well know that I am passionate about hiking.  I love, love, LOVE walking in the wilderness for, truth be told, absolutely no good reason.  I'll be honest, natural sciences bore me, I care about the environment but it isn't one of those social justice movements that really gets me going.  If I'm being frank, nothing about nature really jazzes me until I'm actually there, walking through it feeling its presence and losing myself in the vastness of the wilderness.  

Those who know me well also know that I fell in love this past fall (something that definitely WASN'T in my five year plan, in case you were wondering Mark and Thom) and last week the columbus based goofball came to visit me in the big apple! He too shares my love for being outdoors, in fact two years ago he thru hiked the Appalachian Trail.  (It was actually our shared love of the AT that brought us together)

So, naturally, we had to take a visit to NYC's largest outdoor space, Central Park!  It had snowed the day before we visited and, while the snow was almost completely gone from the city streets, it was still a winter wonderland in the park.  We spent hours walking around the park looking at the little ponds and admiring the beautiful architecture of the bridges that crisscrossed the landscape.  It may not be the vast wilderness that the two of us have grown accustomed to wandering around rural appalachia, but it was still a nice way to return to nature.  We finally made it to the huge reservoir in the center of the park and we had a great time laughing at the ducks and people watching.  I may or may not have been a little anxious as I have an irrational fear of birds, but all in all it was really an awesome little adventure.  The beauty of the park set in front of the city skyline was really breath taking and it was so nice to take time out of my busy schedule to do something relaxing with someone that I care for deeply. 

After the reservoir we came across what I believe was the Guggenheim museum and the crazy obelisk that lives right outside of it.  By the time we left we had spent hours aimlessly wandering around the park, but we hadn't even covered half of it! We might have stayed and explored longer if we weren't so incredibly hungry!

Spending time with Daniel in Central Park is one of my favorite memories from his trip and I'm so lucky that I could take a day or two off from my internship to spend time with him. (Oh my god... am I... am I learning how to successfully create a work/life balance? Probably not, but only time will tell...) Stay tuned to this blog for more stories about his visit!

I mean.... LOOK AT THAT SKYLINE! AT THE WATER! 

These views are what I miss from Virginia! 

"What a couple of quacks!" -Daniel every time he saw ducks 

Come From Away

God Bless Randy Adams! I've been scrimping and saving this first month or so in New York City trying to make rent, eat regularly and (occassionally) grab a drink with some friends.  Going to the theatre has been pretty much impossible.  I know, I know "Emily there are affordable ways to see theatre!" Yes, I get it, give me a couple months to find my bearings so going to the theatre (and more specifically breaking my routine) isn't an emotional and financial burden, and then I will really make the effort to see as much theatre as I can.  BUT the MORAL of the story is Randy Adams offered our senior class comp tickets for Come From Away and well, when an opportunity like that falls into your lap, you just HAVE to take it.  And God, am I glad that I did.  Once I have the emotional and physical strength to do more outside of work(and, you know, maybe a schedule that isn't 9 to 5 6 days a week) I HAVE to get back on my theater going game because sitting in that theatre this past Wednesday my SOUL was REVIVED.  Which, as a passionate non-profit theatre individual, I was not necessarily expecting from a commercially oriented Broadway show.  Come From Away brought me to tears almost immediately and I was crying on and off throughout the performance.  That folky-sounding music and the plot line was extremely powerful, especially for a Shenandoah native who has two parents working in the federal government and still vividly remembers the terror of September 11, 2001.  The use of such a small cast and simple set to tell a story about thousands of people in varying locations was wildly effective and I'm glad that they kept everything very minimal.  The performances were beyond words, and I was able to take my dear friend Dystany to her first every Broadway show.  The show was an incredibly moving experience and I'm so glad that I could share it with her.  

Here's to hoping there are more exciting adventures to come in these next few months! (And maybe next time I'll even remember to take some pictures!!)