Directing

As a director, my mission is to discover, honor, and illuminate the playwright’s intention. I utilize the complete budget, be it big or next to nothing, reaching to the most talented design staff as necessary and possible to bring out the essence and colors of the play. As an actor myself, I understand the journeys which actors travel — from clunky rehearsal, exploring, mining the text, to ultimately owning their roles. When blocking, I help to guide and shape the actor’s instincts while privileging always the playwright’s story, the play’s conflicts, and the theatrical, poetic, and musical needs of the text. During rehearsal, it always feels as though the story is simply unfolding and showing itself to me, surprising me and teaching me what it is, as each design element, line, laugh, or emotional moment emerges and falls into place. As a pianist, vocal coach, and musical director, I’m very much at home when serving the needs of musicals. My earliest directing training included being an operatic accompanist, so I became intimately aware of the needs of singers as well as the power and potential of musical storytelling. In the end, I know, as production team and cast, that we have done our job well when I’m watching the show and riding the crest of the audience’s reactions. It is my goal that every artist or team player on the production, as well as every audience member, walk away a little changed by what we have contributed and witnessed together and the real world should be a little bit brighter and more negotiable as a result.