Welcome to 2020, and the Year of the Rat in the lunar calendar (as a rat in the zodiac myself, I’m excited for this every-twelfth-year occurrence). I’ve been doing these updates for a whole year now, time flies! January has given me a chance to start several exciting new projects, and get back to some old ones.
Quote of the Month
“The theatre’s for everybody -- you included, but not exclusively -- so don’t approve or disapprove. It may not be your theatre, but it’s theatre of somebody, somewhere.”
- Bill Sampson, All About Eve
Current & Upcoming
Throughout the month I have been casting and preparing for Joan’s Arc, the finalist play which I will be directing as part of The Growing Stage’s New Play-Reading Festival on Saturday, February 1. The festival will present public readings of the four finalists throughout the weekend, four very different and exciting plays-in-development for young audiences. It has been wonderful to bring together a cast of actors who I know from different theatres and experiences for this reading, and we’re so excited to present Joan’s Arc to an audience for the first time!
The new year means the return of application season for many directing internships and fellowships, so I’ve been spending time preparing those materials. To mix up the routine, I’ve also gotten back to some fun artistic hobbies, knitting in particular!
“My library was dukedom enough”
In my previous post I talked about wrapping up my 2019 reading list, and with the beginning of 2020 I have taken on a new and more specific challenge! I am participating in the Shakespeare 2020 Challenge, and planning to read the entire canon throughout the course of the year. January started with a (third or fourth, perhaps?) re-read of Twelfth Night, followed by my first time reading through the entire Henry VI trilogy -- although I have seen it performed in a condensed adaptation onstage. My personal spin on the challenge includes starting a mood board of some notes and collaged production inspiration images for each play, for future directing reference.
Let’s All Go to the Movies
I spent a bit of time in movie theatres this month, without seeing any new releases! It was a successful stretch for making the most of big screen special events, from enjoying the delightful, iconic choreography of the TCM re-screening of An American in Paris to revisiting a much more recent production. Last weekend I caught a local screening of the National Theatre Live filming of last winter’s West End production of All About Eve, and it was such fun to discuss the piece with friends who hadn’t gotten to see the London run.