Tag: new plays

How to Live Forever at Madison New Works Lab

I’m so pumped to head to Virginia in August to visit James Madison University and workshop my play HOW TO LIVE FOREVER with the students there! I have already had several affirming and artistically exciting conversations with the team at JMU, and I just cannot wait to bring this play to life.

HOW TO LIVE FOREVER was my thesis play at Carnegie Mellon in 2019, way back when it was a dinky little 60-minute 3-person excursion into what’s possible with time travel and gender. With the generous developmental support of director Nora Gair, it’s morphed into a 2-act epic for double the actors.

I’ve been dreaming of tackling this new version of the play for a long time, and I am giddy with excitement to get started!

ABRUPTLY, AUSTEN at Soaring Gardens

Just got back from the wonderful Soaring Gardens Artist Retreat, where I developed my SEVEN adaptations of Jane Austen’s ouvre for puppets with my good friend and collaborator D.T. Burns. We not only developed the scripts, but also built over 80 puppets and shot videos of the plays, which will be forthcoming on your internet machine to watch in 2023!

Look what we did!

For Austen-themed jokes, follow us on Twitter!

For more info on the project, check out our silly little website!

THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING at Hollywood Fringe

I simply cannot wait to see my 5-minute opera, THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING: A LOVE STORY, composed by Joshua Brown, presented in animated form with a live singer at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival.

New Opera West will feature THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING along with two other video projects at a two-night event at the Hudson Guild Theatre. Tickets are free, drinks are complimentary, and both evenings will be followed by a brief talkback with the artists (including me) – so come hang out!

This piece was animated by the talented Ankita Panda, and will have live vocals by Maria Lindsey. New Opera West will also release the animation in a digital format, with vocals by Colleen McGovern.

TOMORROW GAME Available to Stream Thursday!

In just two days the digital reading of my play TOMORROW GAME will become available to stream! If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, it’s not too late! They’re free and available here.

The video will drop at Noon EST on Thursday, January 28 and will be available to watch on-demand for 4 days. There will also be a live panel discussion of the play at 8:00 PM on Thursday!

Tomorrow Game at Barter Theatre Jan. 28

Beyond thrilled to share that my play TOMORROW GAME will be featured by Virginia’s Barter Theatre in an online reading as part of their Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights! Tomorrow Game is one of four new plays being supported by Barter in the festival, which is entirely free online and will have events spanning Tuesday, Jan. 26-Saturday, February 6.

TOMORROW GAME is directed by Associate Artistic Director Nicholas Piper and stars Barter resident actors Kim Morgan Dean and Paris Bradstreet.

The readings are recorded and lightly edited for a smoother zoom experience, and also received 6 hours of workshop prior to the recording! So, if you’re familiar with TOMORROW GAME you may still want to drop by for the very latest draft! Registration for the festival is here. The video will drop at noon on Thursday, January 28 and audiences will have all day to watch and the opportunity to tune in at 8:00 PM for a live discussion of the play, with feedback from a panel.

I can’t wait to see you there!

Previous support for the development of TOMORROW GAME includes the Edward Albee Foundation and the Kennedy Center. TOMORROW GAME was a recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Harold and Mimi Steinberg National Student Playwriting Award, and was a finalist for the Princess Grace Award.

Mid-America Theater Conference HOW TO BE A PERSON

Was delighted to attend the Mid-America Theater Conference to develop my short play HOW TO BE A PERSON with dramaturg Matt Fotis and director Tyrrell Woolbert, starring Andre Garner and Julia Moriarty.

I learned a ton about the play and next steps for its development, and had a blast visiting my old stomping ground of Chicago!

PTC Playlab at Actors Theatre of Louisville

Had the most glorious and productive weekend in Louisville workshopping my play EVERYBODY’S DEAD: A COMEDY at Actors Theatre. Directed by the brilliant Nora Gair, with dramaturgy & curation/casting by the divine Joshua Brown, I learned a ton about the play, added several scenes, and can’t wait for my next opportunity to share it!

Performers Gabriela Llarena, Germainne Lebron, and Kat Pena were delightful to work with and embodied the characters super quickly.