Last weekend we performed "Seven and Ten" by Prisca Jabet Kendagore at The Pearl in Kansas City, MO. Last night we brought our reading to The Monicle in St. Louis, and we have one more performance tonight. It's been such a treat to dig my teeth into this beautiful script full of complex characters. I read for Sara, a young, white, Christian woman who dreams of being a wife and a mother. She's known since she was twelve what God has planned for her, and although she is strong in her faith she struggles to thrive in the mold the church has given her. I've never had the chance to play such a real, flawed, earnest human and I can't thank Prisca and the universe enough for giving me this opportunity.
I have two projects cooking for next week: SPELLBOUND qualified as a finalist in the Olathe Civic Theater New Works Playwright Competition! We're presenting a ten-minute teaser of our musical on March 2nd and 3rd at the Olathe Civic Theater, along-side four other finalists. The audiences who attend these teaser nights will then vote for which show they want to see fully staged in a workshop production! It's a fantastic, local opportunity and we're so excited to be participating.
On top of that I'm directing for the Fishtank Theatre’s Along The Line New Play Festival, a rapid-fire, theatrical response to a specific moment in history. This production contains 75 very, very short plays. (60 seconds or less.) It is a collection of the community conscious, a tool that contains, supports, and expresses many voices in one given community in one theatrical event, giving each voice equal weight. This work is about what the group has to say, not about individual plays. It’s not about “short attention span”, or “twitter theatre” or a “time race.” It actually requires great concentration to take in and process what this many voices are tuning into. It’s closer to epic theatre, than short form theatre in most every way. It’s one body of work, one cohort of artists, and one program.
I'm both a writer and a director in this process. At this point my responsibilities include directing a chunk of twelve one-minute plays with my ensemble of fantastic actors, who include Matt Leonard, Margaret Shelby, Melissa Fennewald, Dashawn Young, Alexis Dupree, Joseph De Maria and Liz Kerlin. So far I love working with my playwrights, cast, and our BA stage manager Sonia Jacobsen. I can't wait to see all of the other plays in tech!
