I have been in seven states throughout this travel-filled month, and seen performances in four of them. The adventures continue into the later part of the summer, as I will be on my way to Canada by the time this posts!
Quote of the Month
“Make voyages. Attempt them. There’s nothing else.”
- Tennessee Williams
Current & Upcoming
Travel has been a large part of my month, most of it theatre related. And the summer theatre adventures are not limited to July — so keep an eye out for a follow-up on my visit to the Stratford Festival in Ontario coming in the next update. While closer to home, during July I attended the orientation for my year in the SDCF Observership Class in NYC. I am excited for the opportunities I will have to apply for a wide range of directing observerships and assistantships through that program, and I also look forward to the seminars and master classes that will be offered for our whole class!
Festival Season
It was a treat to catch a few performances of new work in development while attending homecoming weekend for the National Theater Institute, at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut. I had a great time meeting alums from other years and catching up with faculty mentors I worked with as an NTI student two summers ago, and our reunion weekend overlapped with several rehearsals and staged readings of the National Playwrights Conference and National Music Theater Conference.
The following weekend, I made use of some more train travel in the opposite direction to visit Washington, DC on what of course turned out to be the warmest weekend of the summer so far. Despite the heat I had a blast enjoying free museums, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing at an amazing projection show on the Mall, and most of all attending the Capital Fringe Festival. I mentioned last month that I would be supporting two friends’ one-woman shows which I had previously seen at much earlier phases in their development, and it was so inspiring to see where they are now. Capital Fringe was the last stop on Katie Nixon’s summer tour with 52 Pickup, her cleverly innovative exploration of the coping process after trauma through humor, song, and dance, as well as thought-provoking commentary — but you can read about the tour and stay tuned about any further development of the piece here. This is just the beginning for Natasha Preston’s Conversations, and when she announces future festivals or theatre performances I urge you not to miss this incredibly-performed story of family, coming-of-age, and self-discovery.
Summer Recommendations
It’s happening — as promised, I am actually going to write about things besides theatre once in a while!
Best Book I’ve read recently: Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett
This new novella picks up where Shakespeare’s Tempest left off, finally giving Miranda ownership of her own story in a tale that feels wholly contemporary in its sensibilities while seamlessly maintaining the magical, mysterious atmosphere of the original. A quick and refreshing read, perfect for summer reading!
Best Exhibit I’ve seen recently: The Life of Animals in Japanese Art, National Gallery of Art
Alright so this one requires being in DC within the next month, but if you are — go see this exhibit! Focusing specifically on the varied use and symbolism of animals, this exhibit pulls from the entire canon of Japanese art to create fascinating juxtapositions between works of many different eras and mediums. Some pieces are awe-inspiring, and some are just plain fun.
Throwback - Summer Performances
Somehow I’ve ended up performing, often at the last minute, in something Greek-mythology related each of the last three summers. Will the trend continue this year?
Thucydides Dramaticus study abroad program in Athens, Greece - 2016
Devising project based on Euripides’ Orestes at the National Theater Institute - 2017
Last-minute understudy in a scene night presentation of The Flies given by the acting Apprentices
(and one Development intern!) at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ - 2018