Recent Directing Projects
Of the 50+ productions I've directed, the following represent some of the most recent and interesting.
Woyzeck (2007)
Adapted by our company from the German fragments and several English translations. Student designed everything on a shoestring budget. A KCACTF associate entry. Three men played the character of Woyzeck, and three women played his wife. Easily my most collaborative and joyous project so far.
Wings (2006)
Highly abstract and imagistic script (and staging) about an elderly woman who has a stroke and spends the next two years rebuilding her life. Designed and acted by high school students. A Texas UIL one-act play entry.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005)
Inaugural theatre production at the new College Park high school. Students designed the lighting and women's costumes; I designed the set and men's costumes.
A Lie of the Mind (2005)
My final production at Rockhurst University. Staged in the round with audience sitting on the extended stage floor. I received a Region V KCACTF award for directing.
Dead Man Walking (2004)
This was the first university production in the U.S. of Robbins' new stage version of the film. I directed and designed the set. Placed "on hold" for Region V festival consideration. One of many times when the distinction between my politics and my art blurred.
Reckless (2004)
For this dark comedy about a woman on the run, we staged each scene at a different location on campus. At one point, the audience members actually had to run to keep up with the action. Fast and fun!
LOST (2003)
Our collective response to the war in Iraq: an interdisciplinary, multi-media, company-developed performance piece about the effects of war on women and children. Invited to and performed at the 2004 KCACTF Region V Festival in Denver. The company received a regional award for "collaborative development of new work," and I received an award for my set designs.
I of the Beholder (2001)
Our first production to perform in its entirety at a KCACTF regional festival. An original performance "installation" developed by theatre, psychology, and art students focusing on the relationship between mental illness and creativity. Performed as a series of "loops" in our new art gallery; the audience could come and go as they pleased.
Scenes from an Execution (2000)
An intellectually and artistically challenging script about Europe's first "professional" female painter. Two women played the painter, representing her intellectual and animal halves. Employing chiaroscuro lighting techniques, a scene from our production was performed at the 2001 Region V Festival.