On the surface, Transitions is an absurd yet addictive mix of stereophonic effects, live video, geometric movement and improvisation created by comedic musician Reggie Watts and playwright/director Tommy Smith. From the very beginning of the piece we are tipped off that this will not be a linear narrative, when a young red headed white man […]
I had the opportunity to watch The Andersen Project by Robert Lepage at The Cutler Majestic last month with two friends of mine. Going into the production none of us knew what to expect from the performance. However we knew that this would be a 2 hours and 15 minute one-man show, which meant that […]
Last month, I saw August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at The Huntington. I have been spending a lot of time this semester examining August Wilson’s century cycle, so I was excited to see what the Huntington did with the production. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the final play of August Wilson’s century cycle to […]
April 24, 2012 at 8:23 am
Caragas, Venezula is currently the largest departure point for cocaine in the world, and has been ranked the most dangerous capital. Yet in the midst of this city’s turmoil there is a beacon of light– Jose Antonio Abreu. Jose Antonio Abreu is an: economist, musician, reformer, and founder of El Sistema. In 1975 he created […]
April 18, 2012 at 11:13 pm
In Buenos Aires there is a class of people called cartoneros—cardboard collectors. The economy is so devastating, that inorder to survive citizens are forced to resort to sorting through the day’s trash in search of recyclable material, to be exchanged for money. Cartoneros pick out paper, cardboard, metal, and glass to help support their family. In […]
April 18, 2012 at 1:59 pm
While on Spring Break, I was able to buy standing-room tickets to see Book of Mormon. I entered into the production not having read up on it, despite its acclaim. From the the title I could assume it was clearly about Mormons, and because my mother is Mormon I know a little bit about the […]
April 18, 2012 at 1:22 pm
I was recently called in for an audition at The Huntington, for a production of INVISIBLE MAN, which is based off of the Ralph Ellison novel. The novel concerns itself with an idealistic young African-American man searches for identity and his place in the world in this epic journey through 1930s America. Ellison’s novel focuses […]
April 16, 2012 at 7:16 pm
Currently I’m taking an independent study with Jon Savage, that’s focused on creating a world for the play to live in. As an actress I am use to understanding characters within the world of play, but I am not so savvy at having a deep understanding of the practicalities of how to create the world. […]
April 6, 2012 at 11:36 am
The other day I was struck by a point Lydia Diamond brought up in our conversation with Charles Hugland and Bevin O’gara around Luck of the Irish. She pointed out that most female playwright’s work travel the regional theatre route before they make it to broadway, excluding Suzan Lori-Parks, who has had work go directly […]
Recently on the outskirts of London, artist Mark Storor produced an installation play called A TENDER SUBJECT. This site specific piece takes place in a prison, and shows intimacy between gay male prisoners. I found it intrigue how displaying “tender” or intimate moments between two gay men, that was not merely sexual, upended the notion that […]
March 4, 2012 at 10:11 am
Every since my senior project for musical theatre class in highschool, I have been obsessed with the CARRIE the musical. The music is horribly wonderful. I mean if you’ve seen the movie, you already know about the pig’s blood that gets dumped, so imagine that moment theatrical on stage. Incredible. Unfortunately just because the movie’s […]
This week in particular I’ve been struggling with the how to articulate more specifically the work I am interested in, and exploring how its relevant to society. These thoughts triggered a larger question for me concerning how art is relevant today. As an artist I of course believe that art is necessary for all communities, […]
February 17, 2012 at 12:19 am
We’ve all heard the saying “white men can’t jump,” which we know is actually not true. Yet somehow we stand in awe of Jeremy Lin, a Chinese-American guard for the New York Nicks, because who knew that a Chinese man COULD jump? Or actually be 6’3″? Both Jeremy Lin’s incredible height and skill on the […]
February 14, 2012 at 4:27 pm
I was reading this interesting blog by Nina Simon, who specializes in museum experiences. In her post “Come On In and Make Yourself Feel Uncomfortable,” she writes about her experience attending a local gym for the first time. She admits that, “There was nothing threatening about the people at the boxing gym. And yet I felt […]
February 11, 2012 at 2:42 pm
I have been fascinated by the recent trend of playwrights turned screen/TV writers. For the longest time I thought of the world of theatre and television as distinctly different, which they are, but to the overlap in intriguing. I first took interest in this trend when I stumbled across an article about playwright Tanya Saracho’s […]
January 27, 2012 at 10:54 pm
Part 1: Red Tails market campaigns– “Sh*t White Execs said to George Lucas.” In the social media world there has been a recent trend of viral videos that address social issues under the theme, “Sh*t ____ say to ______.” My favorite one being, “Sh*t White Girls Say…to Black Girls.” Marketers for the new movie Red Tails […]
November 5, 2011 at 11:02 am
The opera world is a world that I love. Back home in San Diego a great opera director-friend of mine worked with Kenny Leon to direct Toni Morrison’s production of Margaret Garner. This was the first time I engaged with Toni Morrison’s work in the opera world. Since then I have made myself aware of […]
November 5, 2011 at 9:35 am
Recently for my African-American drama class I wrote a critical text analysis for A RASIN IN THE SUN, a play that I’ve spent a great deal of time with. It’s a wonderful play Lorraine Hansberry is someone I respect and admire, but for the life of me I could not write this paper. I kept […]
November 5, 2011 at 9:06 am
Let’s play ten fingers. Never have I ever in my personal history of play going never have I ever walked out on a show. However, last night during intermission of THE RIVER WAS WISKEY I did. To be fully honest I left the building, but after asking the usher how much longer the second act […]
October 30, 2011 at 10:02 am
There are certain rising artists you should know, Charlotte Brathwaite is one of them. She most recently graduated from Yale School of Drama with her M.F.A in directing. However most of her atheistic is inspired by her relationship with La MaMa theatre as a child, and her graduated studies abroad at Amsterdam School of the […]
