The Verge of Fall

A new season is here, and the weather isn’t letting us forget it. This month I’ve got a fun balance of topics, both recapping a special production that just concluded and previewing an upcoming project. So many companies that I support and collaborate with are starting their seasons over the next few weeks — I hope to see you at the theatre this fall!

Excellent Weeks at Ordinary Days

Over the past two weeks, we were delighted to welcome many full houses to the cozy Joe Coffee Waverly location of em&em’s site-specific production of Ordinary Days. We received some lovely press and audience feedback throughout the run, and I very much enjoyed the creative challenges of stage managing this charming, understated musical in an unconventional “theatre” space. It’s also been a treat to work on a show that felt so incredibly New York – but in a downtown West Village way, rather than a Times Square way. 

If you’re curious to check out what em&em productions is up to next, they’ve got a delightful-sounding cabaret coming soon on November 19th (with a livestream available, too)! 

On the Verge  of an Exciting Dramaturgical Collaboration

Coming off of several months in the rehearsal room (for Frizzled and then Ordinary Days), one of this fall’s main projects will bring me back to a more dramaturgical and research support role (ie. sitting at my computer). Over at Expand the Canon we’ve been abuzz over the past several months that the Public Theater and Fiasco Theater will be mounting a full off-Broadway production of Susan Glaspell’s The Verge, a play that we adore and featured on our 2023 List. 

A bit more about The Verge, from ETC:

If you’re looking for a tragi-comedy where the lyric insight of Virginia Woolf meets the

electric cruelty of Hedda Gabler… consider this post-war portrait of a woman created

and creating through destruction. Claire Archer attempts to transcend the constraints of

modern life through the breeding of new plants, despite a literal Tom, Dick, and Harry

trying to stop her. As the blossoming of her latest creation approaches, her sanity is called

into question and tensions around her unique way of life explode. A piece that is by turns

devastating philosophical portraiture, droll farce, and scathing feminist cry, The Verge

comes together in a pressure cooker analysis of prescribed womanhood.

With the cast and crew now in rehearsal ahead of an October 27th start to previews, our ETC team is thrilled to be a part of several behind-the-scenes projects to enhance this production. Along with several incredible members of my research team, I’ve been helping to put together a dramaturgy packet including research on playwright background, historical context, and exploration of other key themes for the play. This will be used as a resource for the team in rehearsals first, but a version of it will also be available as an audience guide during the run of the show. Additionally, we are currently cooking up some companion podcast episodes, which will release on ETC’s This is a Classic podcast throughout October and November!

Ready to get your tickets? Consider using our promo code ETCFRIEND, and checking out our ETC Community Night post-show discussion accompanying the November 12th performance. 

Upcoming: October Calendar

Weekly Wednesday Episodes - This is a Classic Podcast from Expand the Canon

Our ETC podcast is back for a super-special fall season! First up, throughout October you’ll hear a fun curation of conversations between members of our research team on varied topics. Approaching The Verge’s NYC opening in November, we’ll also be releasing a series of chats highlighting different aspects of this brilliant and underproduced play. I’ll be working behind the scenes as your audio editor for many of these discussions, and you may hear me on mic a few times as well! 

Monday 10/5 @ 8pm - Take Root with Forager Theatre Company 

Take Root is a pay-what-you-can, all-levels dance class from Forager Theatre Company, and our Monday evening classes offer a rotation of instructors teaching varied styles. For my first class of the fall session I’ll be teaching Foxtrot, including some introductory ballroom technique and a fun choreographed combo!

October 25-26th - PlayGround NY season kickoff

PlayGround-NY is a wonderful incubator of new plays and emerging playwrights that I’ve loved directing for over the past few years. Join them as they kick off their fall events with a full-length play reading by alum playwright Uma Incrocci on Sunday 10/25, followed by the first Monday Night short plays program of the season on 10/26. 

Monday 10/26 @ 8:30pm - Take Root with Forager Theatre Company 

On the 26th I’ll be teaching Swing Dancing at Take Root, likely with a spooky season theme!

Tuesday 10/27 - Previews begin for The Verge at the Public Theater

Recent Highlights & Recommendations

Some favorite performances of recent months!

On Stage  Enjoyed catching up with Broadway’s Schmigadoon! from “last season,” and visiting Manhattan Theatre Club’s School Girls and the Public’s How Shakespeare Saved My Life for an excellent start to the new fall off-Broadway season.

In Community  I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention… outside of rehearsals, I spend many of my working hours on the front-of-house staff at New World Stages, where we currently have two off-Broadway productions wrapping up successful runs over the next few weeks. Happy trails to Spelling Bee and Heathers, it’s been a fun year-plus! 

Out of Town  Several rehearsal blocks in a row have kept me in the city almost the whole summer, but a quick annual outing to the New York Renaissance Faire was a treat over Labor Day weekend.