June has been a very busy and rewarding month – I look forward to a little time to catch up, and then discovering what’s next!
Quote of the Month
“Here is the single question that you should be asking yourself:
Do I have hope that things can get better?
And if you do, then ignore me. You’re fine.
But if you don’t…
Then maybe this is where we start.”
- Jen Silverman, Witch
Current & Upcoming
As I write this, I have just gotten home from two eventful weeks in North Carolina. Attending the National Women’s Theatre Festival in Raleigh as the culmination of WTFringe Lab, our cohort of directors and producers had the opportunity to participate in both the conference and fringe portions of the festival. Con was an inspiring couple of days full of exciting conversations and speakers, and Fringe gave us the opportunity to present and support one another’s work. I have written about my team’s original show Dinosaur on the Moon in previous posts, and it was so wonderful to fill out our developing work with in-person staging and share the piece with our first audiences. If you are reading this right as it comes out, you still have an opportunity to catch the recorded stream from Fringe – available through 11pm EDT on July 3rd!
In late-breaking news, I am also thrilled to add to this update that Dinosaur on the Moon has received two juried honors at the conclusion of the final festival weekend: a wild card award for "Fringiest Production" and the Best of Fringe award for Best Overall Production. It is so encouraging to our team to be recognized in this way, thank you so much to the festival and audiences for their support and congrats to all the other honorees!
Dinosaur on the Moon, production photos by Danny Peña and Natalie Kane
Earlier in June I also had the opportunity to help bring another new play to wider audiences, when I stage managed the Moxie Arts Incubator’s presentation of Alyssa Haddad-Chin’s You Should Be So Lucky. It was a delight getting to know everyone on this talented team, and seeing how far this beautiful and important play has come since its readings earlier this spring.
What’s Next
I’m looking forward to a little downtime following the tech and travel of June, and some opportunities to get back to some ongoing dramaturgical projects. Among these is the Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre’s Expand the Canon research committee. I’ve written about serving on the reading committee for this initiative earlier this year, and throughout the summer our smaller team will be deep diving into archives and references to unearth more incredible classic plays by female and nonbinary writers.
Following WTFringe, keep an eye for some new production photos and reels on the portfolio section of my website – some are already here and some more will be appearing soon! In the meantime, here are some scenic snapshots from Raleigh and beyond:
Some favorite performances from June
It was a busy month of creating theatre, but I was fortunate to attend some great performances as well!
On Broadway: The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Off-Broadway: Primary Trust
In New Jersey: The Rose Tattoo at The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ
In North Carolina: Adults and Table for Two at WTFringe