As the summer winds down, I’m happy to share updates on many of the productions and projects I mentioned in the last entry! And looking forward to hopefully having some autumn scenes of New England to share next month...
Quote of the Month
“I like having a mythical context!”
- Athena, by Gracie Gardner
Media I enjoyed in August:
A fantastic production of King Lear, streamed by the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival
Reading The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
The start of Season 2 of the Sweetbitter podcast, which will explore the queer and women’s history of pirates
Last Call for Summer Scenery
Current & Upcoming at Gloucester Stage
After a successful run of Seared earlier in August, this week I am heading into tech for the New England premiere of Reparations. This will be the fourth production of the Gloucester Stage season, and the final show to take place outdoors at the Windhover Performing Arts Center. Performances running September 3 through 19! And stay tuned for updates as we move into rehearsals of the new play Think of Me Tuesday, which will be rounding out the season in October.
Actors Graciela Rey and Rebecca-Anne Whittaker rehearse for Athena
In addition to assistant directing on the mainstage, I was thrilled to get back to some in-person directing earlier this month. I had a wonderful time putting together the staged reading of Gracie Gardner’s Athena for the NeverDark series on August 12, and sharing a delightful contemporary work with new audiences. I hope to have an opportunity to revisit this unique play, following two young female fencers as they begin to find their identities both on and off the piste, for a longer process in the future!
Wherever you listen to podcasts...
Zig-Zag is now available to listen and download at any time! If you’ve missed previous mentions, this is a full-length new play which I directed in podcast format for the Premiere the Play podcast (produced by the Dean Productions Theatre based in Los Angeles). The podcast’s first season, releasing from August through October, will include eleven new works by playwrights from around the world. I am so excited to finally introduce listeners to Zig-Zag by Philip Catherwood, a play combining sci-fi-tinged world building with a very human central relationship to explore the consequences of political division and technological advancement in a dystopian future imaging of Ireland.
A Crafty Closing
This is where I give a little monthly shoutout to the Etsy shop to which I contribute, Queequeg & Paulina Vintage (on Instagram @Queequeg_PaulinaCrafts). We offer an ever-changing selection of varied vintage finds, beautiful hand-knitted accessories, and other exciting crafted items. As we head into fall a full assortment of knitted pieces and cute autumnal greeting cards are back in the shop, and some more fun items for “spooky season” will be added soon!