Advising Directing students in the U.K.

If you watch as much British TV as I do, you know that “A Levels” refers to a 2-year, pre-university program for students looking for an “Advanced Level” of experience and focus in a particular subject. One of the requirements for A levels is that schools make 'meaningful links' with careers contexts for their students, and I’m excited to have been asked to be “Linked Director” for the A Level Drama & Theatre program at Hereford Sixth Form College.

Today, via the magic of Zoom, Head of Drama Cheri Whitehouse and I had a conversation about my background and career path, and my process and perspective as a director. Going forward I’ll act as a guest advisor as each student prepares their own approach to a staging of Marlowe’s DOCTOR FAUSTUS, using the techniques of renowned British theatre company Punchdrunk. I can’t wait to see what these young artists come up with, and hopefully spark and inspire them as so many teachers and mentors have done for me!

Join the Honorable Herbert Peabody's (IndieGoGo) Campaign!

After successful runs at three different festivals over the past several years, THE HONORABLE HERBERT PEABODY has gotten a seed grant, and a chance to return to the stage in NYC (...and maybe even beyond)! We've got big plans for early 2022, and just need a little help to see them through. It’s been almost three years since writer/Performer Kirk McGee and I began working on this very funny solo show—one that also asks very important questions about the systems of abuse that gave rise to the #MeToo movement, and how we can work together to make a safer and more equitable world.

Help us spread the humor and the heart of this fantastic play—check out the IndieGoGo campaign, and chip in a few bucks if you can!

Leading a panel for The Playwrights Realm

I’m really jazzed to be moderating this panel for The Playwrights Realm! (Register for free HERE) Every artist has a horror story about getting notes—and hopefully also stories about how the right question or thought was an important ‘AHA!’ moment. So what’s the difference between feedback being an ‘AHA!” and an “OH NO!’ …? I’m looking forward to diving into that and more, with the fantastic panelists below. I hope you’ll join us!

• Naysan Mojgani, Associate Artist for Literary & New Plays at Round House Theatre

• Anne G. Morgan, Programs Director for the National New Play Network

• Brandon Webster, Composer, Dramaturg, Storyteller

"THE HONORABLE HERBERT PEABODY" RECEIVES GRANT

Huge congratulations to Peabody" writer and performer Kirk McGee! The Café Royal Cultural Foundation NYC has awarded Kirk a 2021 Spring Performance Grant for his solo theatrical show “The Honorable Herbert Peabody.”

Kirk and I have been developing this solo show since 2018, and this grant ensures the show will be back on stage in NYC next year!

The play follows Joe, a well-intentioned tour guide on opening day of the Honorable Herbert Peabody Library and Legacy Center. As he launches into his presentation, Joe finds it increasingly difficult to celebrate his personal hero’s historical achievements in light of recent revelations about the Senator’s decades of sexual misconduct. As the tour unravels, Joe is forced to wrestle with the ways in which he has inadvertently enabled a culture of misogyny and abuse, and must decide if he’s going to continue to stand idly by or finally stand on the right side of history.

Visit www.ThePeabodyPlay.com for more information!

The Zoom Room Where it Happened

What a pleasure to work with this ridiculously talented group of people to record John Jiler’s UNDER BIG PINEY today. I’m excited to begin editing their zoom box-shattering performances into a final product, and to share it with the world. Presented by Seattle’s Intiman Theatre, proceeds will benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center. Check out the team below, and don’t miss their work streaming online starting June 24th.

TIM BLAKE NELSON - Jacob
GLORIA REUBEN - Deanna
MIKE KELLER - Bobby/Lloyd
RUSSELL JORDAN - Remington/Isaiah
CHRISTA KIMLIKO JONES - Sue Ann/Heather

ABOUT THE PLAY:

Racial and sexual politics collide when an idealistic white man from New York travels to the south to petition for the removal of a Confederate statue. The only problem is, he soon falls in love with the town's conservative Black mayor. The ensuing courtship is chaotic and forces everyone - Black and white - to confront their shared history. Will demolishing the statue heal the town or further divide it?