The barren canvas of a new production, woven with promise and potential, remains to me the most titillating aspect of direction. This last sentence felt extraordinarily pretentious to write – and as I read it aloud to my Dad who was folding laundry in the room next to me at the time of my drafting this piece – he laughed out loud at the affectation. I think that whole interaction sums up my base perspective of theatre. It’s a medium where we are allowed to indulge in escapism and artistic expression, while not forgetting to laugh at the melodrama of pursuing the pretend. Working as a director has allowed me the opportunity to pull from the practical tragedies of our newspaper’s headlines and combat them with the levity of the shared human experience. It may be a tired expression, but I wholly believe the artist’s job is to hold a mirror to the audience before them; in my case, however, I prefer to guild that mirror with a pinwheel hat and funny moustache.
With each opportunity I’ve been fortunate enough to have as a director, I’ve been floored time and time again, by the collaborative artists’ eagerness at the thought of creation. How lucky am I to hold auditions for skilled actors to fill roles in a piece written by an engaging playwright in a make-believe world constructed by gifted technicians? The partnership of these individuals is overwhelming and humbling to behold. Inspired by the grass roots feel of my undergraduate, student-run, performing arts company, I enthusiastically took the knowledge I discovered through these relationships and became a founding member of The Carriage House Players in Centerport, NY. This company’s sole goal is to provide opportunities for renegade artists in the Long Island Theater community seeking out challenging and cooperative works to test themselves and the audiences before which we perform.
I believe my background and point-of-view yields an energetic and hungry vision. I thrive in an educational setting of artistic critique and want nothing more than the time to garner a deeper knowledge of theatrical history and practical application of skills in directing. The time during and beyond my undergraduate degree exposed me to what it was to be an artist and an individual in a world which seems at times desperate to stifle expression. In my opinion, the most successful ways to rise above this attempt to dim an inner light are with knowledge and positivity. These are the traits I wish to foster further within myself and share with others. They are what I hope will ensure a future for the global theater community of students to the artform and what I wish to cultivate in those future students. Theater has, and always will be a place of promise to me. There are so many beginnings and so many endings with tiny colorful flashes of passion, violence, humility, hilarity, and honesty that help paint the canvas and turn it into something memorable for those lucky enough to have been involved.
With each opportunity I’ve been fortunate enough to have as a director, I’ve been floored time and time again, by the collaborative artists’ eagerness at the thought of creation. How lucky am I to hold auditions for skilled actors to fill roles in a piece written by an engaging playwright in a make-believe world constructed by gifted technicians? The partnership of these individuals is overwhelming and humbling to behold. Inspired by the grass roots feel of my undergraduate, student-run, performing arts company, I enthusiastically took the knowledge I discovered through these relationships and became a founding member of The Carriage House Players in Centerport, NY. This company’s sole goal is to provide opportunities for renegade artists in the Long Island Theater community seeking out challenging and cooperative works to test themselves and the audiences before which we perform.
I believe my background and point-of-view yields an energetic and hungry vision. I thrive in an educational setting of artistic critique and want nothing more than the time to garner a deeper knowledge of theatrical history and practical application of skills in directing. The time during and beyond my undergraduate degree exposed me to what it was to be an artist and an individual in a world which seems at times desperate to stifle expression. In my opinion, the most successful ways to rise above this attempt to dim an inner light are with knowledge and positivity. These are the traits I wish to foster further within myself and share with others. They are what I hope will ensure a future for the global theater community of students to the artform and what I wish to cultivate in those future students. Theater has, and always will be a place of promise to me. There are so many beginnings and so many endings with tiny colorful flashes of passion, violence, humility, hilarity, and honesty that help paint the canvas and turn it into something memorable for those lucky enough to have been involved.