The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder by Robert L. Freedman & Steven Lutvak and directed by Brian B. Crowe started performances on May 15th. This is the first musical STNJ has done in a long time, and it’s the first production Brian Crowe is directing as the theatre’s new Artistic Director. The cast is brilliant, and the show is delightfully funny. Performances run at the Kirby Theatre in Madison, NJ, through June 9th. Tickets and more info here.
Escaped Alone
Yale Repertory Theatre’s production of ESCAPED ALONE by Caryl Churchill and directed by Liz Diamond starts previews tonight in New Haven. This process has been fun and fulfilling, and I’m excited for audiences to go on the wild ride of this play with the cast. Performances run through March 30th. More info and tickets here.
A View From the Bridge
Long Wharf Theatre’s production of A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller and directed by James Dean Palmer started previews on February 10th at the Canal Dock Boathouse in New Haven, CT. This is Long Wharf’s first full production since giving up their traditional theater space, and I’m honored to coach dialects for it. It’s a beautiful, deeply felt production. Performances run through March 10th. More info and tickets here.
A Man for All Seasons
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS by Robert Bolt and directed by Paul Mullins opened a week ago and runs through November 5th at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. This telling of Sir Thomas More’s career and death centers the humanity of all involved and feels remarkably relevant. And I had a lovely time working with the cast on their accents. More information and tickets here.
And a Nightingale Sang...
AND A NIGHTINGALE SANG… by C.P. Taylor and directed by Bonnie J. Monte started performances at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey on July 12th. This beautiful, rarely produced play follows the life of a family in Newcastle on Tyne during WWII. I worked with most of the cast on a Newcastle (or “Geordie”) accent — and with one of the actors on a Birmingham (or “Brummie”) accent. It was a lovely experience!
Performances run through July 30th at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison, NJ. Tickets and more info here.
The Ladykillers
The U.S. premiere of the play The Ladykillers by Graham Linehan and directed by Carl Wallnau at Centenary Stage Company in Hackettstown, NJ, started performances on February 17th and runs through March 5th. This dark farce takes place in North London in the 1950s, and I had a delightful time working with the cast on RP, Cockney, North London, and Romanian accents. More info and tickets here.
The Caretaker
THE CARETAKER by Harold Pinter and directed by Bonnie J. Monte opened this past weekend at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison, NJ. It’s a beautiful and devastating production of a brilliantly crafted play. The actors are doing wonderful work overall, and especially with their own individually crafted London idiolects. Performances run at the F.M Kirby Shakespeare Theatre through October 9th. Tickets and info here.
June Show Updates
I coached two shows that both started performances last week.
Clubbed Thumb’s production of BODIES THEY RITUAL by Angela Hanks and directed by Knud Adams has performances at the Wild Project in NYC through Saturday, July 2nd. It’s a NYTimes Critic’s Pick! More info and tickets here.
Bucks County Playhouse’s production of KINKY BOOTS by Harvey Fierstein & Cyndi Lauper and directed by Sheryl Kaller & Hope Boykin started performances on June 25th and runs through July 30th in charming New Hope, PA. More info and tickets here.
Belfast Girls
My latest project opened at the Irish Repertory Theatre on May 19th. BELFAST GIRLS by Jaki McCarrick and directed by Nicola Murphy has performances through June 26th and follows the journey of five women from Belfast to Sydney during the Great Famine of the 1840s. I had a wonderful time working with the cast on accents from Belfast, County Sligo, and County Louth. More information and tickets here.
RIDE THE CYCLONE and Other Show Updates
My latest project started performances on April 30th at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. The piece is a musical called RIDE THE CYCLONE by Brooke Maxwell & Jacob Richmond and directed by McCarter’s new Artistic Director, Sarah Rasmussen. It’s wacky and magical, and I coached some French and Ukrainian accents for it. Performances run through May 29th. More info and tickets here.
Some other projects of mine have come and gone since my last post. I served as Voice Coach on two productions at Connecticut Repertory Theatre this spring: SEVEN SPOTS ON THE SUN by Martín Zimmerman and directed by Tlaloc Rivas had performances March 26th - April 3rd and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS by Howard Ashman & Alan Menken and directed by Vince Tycer had performances April 21st - May 1st. I also coached accents for a production of CABARET by John Kander, Fred Ebb, & Joe Masteroff and directed by Ken Prestininzi at Connecticut College in New London, CT.
It’s been a busy spring!
December Updates
Two shows I coached had performances in December.
FOOD FOR THE GODS, written and directed by Nehprii Amenii, had three performances at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, December 11th & 12th. This promenade-style performance piece served as a healing ritual for black men killed by police and other self-appointed law-enforcers over the years. It’s a piece unlike any others I’ve worked on, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity. The number of performances was reduced due to issues around COVID.
A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES, adapted by Adrian Mitchell and Jeremy Brooks from Dylan Thomas’s short story and directed by Bonnie J. Monte, had performances at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, December 8th-26th. It was a beautiful, heart-warming show with a lovely cast, and it was the first show produced in the Kirby Theatre in two years. It closed early due to issues around COVID.
Lastly, I co-taught the 33rd offering of the Knight-Thompson Speechwork workshop, Experiencing Speech, December 11th-17th. I love teaching this workshop, especially in the December slot. The workshop is always filled with interesting, curious participants who teach me so much. And I had a blast teaching with my KTS colleagues, Andrea Caban and Nathan Crocker. Here’s a screenshot of our recording thumbnails:
The 39 Steps
Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s production of THE 39 STEPS, adapted by Patrick Barlow and directed by Helen T. Clark, starts performances tonight. I served as one of the Voice & Dialect Coaches on the piece, helping the actors with a wide range of accents: RP, Cockney, German, Wiltshire, and various areas of Scotland! Performances run though November 7th, and seating is limited to allow for social distancing in the theater. More information here.
September Happenings
A few updates from September! I co-taught the 19th offering of the Knight-Thompson Speechwork (KTS) workshop EXPERIENCING ACCENTS with KTS Co-Director Andrea Caban. See our workshop recording thumbnails below!
I also taught a masterclass on KTS for graduate theatre pedagogy students at Virginia Commonwealth University. Thanks to Karen Kopryanski for the invitation!
Lastly, I coached accents and idiolects for a production of LET ME DOWN EASY by Anna Deveare Smith and directed by Ginny Anderson at Connecticut College in New London.
Mlima's Tale
Mlima’s Tale by Lynn Nottage and directed by Shariffa Ali starts performances at the Repertory Theatre of St Louis tomorrow, May 28th. This production is happening in person! I’m honored to be working on this play for a second time, after coaching it at Westport Country Playhouse in 2019. I coached Vietnamese and Mandarin accents for this production at the Rep. More information about the production and tickets are available here.
Love and Information
I recently had the opportunity to do some accent coaching for a production of Love and Information by Caryl Churchill and directed by Rachel Jett at Connecticut College. We worked on a little bit of RP, Estuary English, Cockney, and Memphis, TN. The student actors were very quick studies!
Performances started November 14th and go through November 16th in the Harkness Chapel on Connecticut College’s campus and are only open to members of Conn College’s community.
Sleuth
SLEUTH by Anthony Shaffer and directed by Adam Immerwahr started preview performances on Tuesday, March 10th, at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. It’s a stunning production of a true thriller of a mystery play, and it was an absolute joy to work on the accents and vocal characterization with the cast and creative team. It played two preview performances, and, in order to protect the health and safety of the artists involved and the McCarter patrons, performances have been suspended through at least March 31st. An archival recording has been made so that hopefully more people will be able to see the production.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
My latest project is in performance at Connecticut Repertory Theatre right now. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, adapted by playwright Simon Stephens from the novel by Mark Haddon and directed by Kristin Wold, started performances in Storrs, CT, on February 27th and continues through March 8th. It’s a beautiful story about a 15-year-old boy with an extraordinary mind and a healthy dose of bravery. The play takes place in Swindon and in London, and the cast and I worked on a number of different accents, as well as some vocal extremes. Tickets and more info available here.
Mlima's Tale
My next project is in performances at the Westport Country Playhouse in CT. It’s the second production of a new play by Lynn Nottage called MLIMA’S TALE, and it’s directed by WCP Artistic Director Mark Lamos. The play follows what happens to the tusks of a 50-year-old elephant who is killed by poachers. It’s a devastating story that draws direct parallels between the black market ivory trade and the enslavement of African people throughout history. Performances run through October 19th, and you can find more info and tickets here.
King Charles III
The last mainstage show of the 2019 Colorado Shakespeare Festival season starts performances tomorrow.
KING CHARLES III, a “future history play” by Mike Bartlett and directed by Kevin Rich, imagines what might happen when Queen Elizabeth II passes away and Prince Charles finally inherits the throne of England. It’s a modern-day Shakespearean play, written in iambic pentameter and including allusions to several of Shakespeare’s own plays. And there are accents!
Performances run July 19th through August 11th at the University Theatre on the University of Colorado-Boulder campus. You can find more info and tickets here.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
My latest project started performances on Thursday, February 28th, at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, CT. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD by Rupert Holmes and directed by Paul Mullins runs through Sunday, March 10th. It’s a delightfully light-hearted whodunnit musical based on Charles Dickens’ last, unfinished novel. What was his intention for the character of Edwin Drood? Was he in fact murdered? And who did it? You, the audience, gets to decide based on clues dropped throughout the night. Tickets and more info available here.
