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.

Coriolanus

This summer, I got to serve as Voice and Text Consultant on Play On Shakespeare’s podcast production of CORIOLANUS in a modern verse translation by Sean San José and directed by fellow A.R.T. alum Kate Wisniewski. The cast is comprised of all female and non-binary actors, and a majority of them are people of color.

It was challenging and deeply fulfilling to work on this text with this group of artists. A new episode will be streamed for free each week! Listen to the first episode now and subscribe.

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.

Antigone

Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s virtual production of ANTIGONE adapted and directed by Gary M. English started performances last week and runs through April 11th. I served as Associate Director, as well as Voice and Text Coach. This virtual production is unlike any other I’ve worked on during the pandemic (or ever). It employs a scenic and projector installation in one of CRT’s theater spaces to make it really feel like the actors are together in the space. The production design is truly innovative and exciting to watch.

More info and tickets available here. Join us!

Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s virtual production of PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE by Shakespeare and directed by Raphael Massie opened last night, February 26th, 2021. I had a wonderful time working on this play for the first time and with this group of generous artists. Raphael Massie re-imagined this tale of high adventure, tragedy, and perseverance as a web graphic novel, complete with shadow puppetry and amazing illustrations by scenic designer Amber Convery.

Performances run online through March 7th More info and tickets available here. Join us!

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.

Men on Boats

MEN ON BOATS by Jaclyn Backhaus and directed by Beth Gardiner starts live-stream performances tonight for Connecticut Repertory Theatre. This is the first live, online production CRT has done!

The actors are all in different spaces, Zooming together to tell this true story of John Wesley Powell’s exploratory expedition on the Green and Colorado rivers in 1869. As stipulated by the playwright, the cast is comprised entirely of female-identifying and non-binary actors.

We had some fun exploring voicework for this medium. Performances run through October 18th. More info and tickets here.

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.

The Wolves

THE WOLVES by Sarah DeLappe starts performances tonight at Connecticut Repertory Theatre. This is the second time that I’ve directed this play, and it’s a joyful challenge to work on. This is my first time directing at CRT, and I’m immensely proud of the work that my student actors and designers have done. Performances run through November 3rd at the Studio Theatre on UConn’s campus in Storrs, CT. Click here for more info and tickets.

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.

As You Like It

I’m spending much of the summer in Boulder, CO, as a Voice/Text/Dialect coach for the indoor shows at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. It’s been a delight to spend my time working on Shakespeare’s language with a lovely group of artists and also exploring the mountains around Boulder.

The first indoor show of the season, AS YOU LIKE IT directed and adapted by Carolyn Howarth, starts performances tonight. It’s a beautiful production with original songs by Sam Misner (of Misner and Smith) that will stay with you long after the show. Performances run through August 10th at the University Theatre (on the University of CO, Boulder, campus). Tickets and more information here.

If We Were Birds

My latest project started performances last week at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, CT. IF WE WERE BIRDS by Erin Shields and directed by Helene Kvale is a re-telling of the story of Procne and Philomela, two sisters and princesses of Athens. After Procne is married to Tereus of Thrace, he captures and assaults Philomela. After taking revenge on Tereus, the sisters and he are transformed by the gods into birds. This telling of the story threads in tales of modern-day women who were assaulted in contemporary wars and genocides. It’s both beautiful and harrowing. Performances run through Sunday, April 7th. Tickets and more info can be found 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.

Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood

My next project starts previews at the Cleveland Play House tonight. The play is Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, and it’s directed by Adam Immerwahr. It’s a light-hearted, action-packed telling of the myth with loads of accents - including accents of Nottinghamshire. The cast is wonderful, and the design is lush. If you’re near Cleveland, don’t miss it! Performances run through February 24th. More info and tickets are available here.

A Civil War Christmas

My next project is A Civil War Christmas by Paula Vogel and directed by Elizabeth VanDyke at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, CT. The play takes place on Christmas Eve, 1864, and follows the lives of many historical figures - and some invented - over the course of that one day. There are many different characters, and, as such, many different voices in the play - from Abraham Lincoln to John Wilkes Booth to Elizabeth Keckley to James Wormley.

Performances run November 29th through December 9th. Tickets and more info here.

GOOD CHILDREN and CHARLEY'S AUNT

I coached two shows that opened last week.

The first is GOOD CHILDREN by Tracy Thorne and directed by Michael Bradford at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. It’s a new play that takes place in a world where language is dangerous and secrets abound. People disappear, and no one can do anything about it. The production runs through November 4th, and more information is here.

The second is CHARLEY’S AUNT by Brandon Thomas and directed by Joseph Discher at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. It’s a beautiful production of this rarely produced British farce - and the upper-crust RP accents contribute greatly to the hilarity! It runs through November 18th, and more information is here.