Professionally, this month has seen the wrap-up (congrats to the Devil’s Disciple cast and crew on a wonderful run!) and continuation of a number of projects I’ve already introduced on here. Since I spent the beginning of the month traveling and getting a chance to take in some other art and productions, I thought I’d change up the order for this post and highlight some recent inspirations at the top:
Across the Pond
I spent a lovely week in London at the beginning of November, the theatre highlight of which was the incredible Donmar Warehouse/West End production of Macbeth, led by David Tennant. With brilliant,
minimalist production design and an innovative use of soundscape to showcase the text, together with a phenomenal acting company, suffice it to say that this is the strongest classical performance I’ve seen in quite a while and such a treat to experience live. While nearing the end of its London run, this production has been filmed and is supposed to play in some US cinemas early in 2025– so I highly recommend keeping an eye for that!
This trip included several very cool museum visits, including diving into the amazing layers of London history at the Roman Amphitheatre and London Mithraeum. Another standout was the Medieval Women exhibition currently on view at the British Library, which explores the diversity of women’s lives across the era through their own writings and representations. Much of the catalogue is highlighted on their website – along with an excellent medieval manuscripts blog that I will definitely be checking up on for my Expand the Canon research – and is well worth a look.
While I’d visited once as a kid, it was wonderful to return to Shakespeare’s Globe for a full tour. Seeing firsthand the comparatively intimate scale on which Shakespeare’s audiences heard a play and the way that natural daytime lighting would effectively erase the fourth wall are fascinating food for thought, and will certainly be top of mind for me in my next work with Elizabethan texts.
In the Works
What have I been collaborating on this month?
Continuing to write and design student activity guides for the young audiences of each mainstage production at The Growing Stage
Leading the Research Committee for Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre’s Expand the Canon project, and preparing for an exciting expansion of our activities in 2025
Ramping up pre-production for this season’s directing project for the Premiere the Play podcast, which I will be casting and recording over the winter
Observing some rehearsals of the monthly play reading series at PlayGround-NY, where I may have some involvement coming up in the spring (stay tuned!) …
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