Director
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
This project was many years in the making and very near and dear to my heart. I am exceedingly grateful to all who lent a hand in my achieving this incredible goal, and am incredibly proud of the final product.
Please visit my blog to read more about the production.
Please click here for the gallery.
Use the link below to read the program!
| hedwig_program.pdf |
Drums in the Night
Reefer Madness! the Musical
In Fall of 2007 I directed Reefer Madness! the Musical for the College Avenue Players. With my trusty Musical Director, Zach Wiseley, we mounted CAP's first musical in over a decade. The show was a major success, attracting the largest audiences to date (and since!), and winning us "Best Show Fall" at CAP's annual awards event.
Written by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, the show is a unique, high-energy musical with a tongue-in-cheek critique of anti-drug propaganda, censorship, racism, sexism, and the musical genre itself.
Working with faculty mentor Paul Benzon, I earned degree credit towards my Theater Arts minor for my work on the show. From his background in American Studies, Mr. Benzon guided me towards examining issues of camp and nostalgia within the show.
Please click here to see more photos from the show!
Use the link below to have a look at the program!
| reefer_madness_program.pdf |
Beauty and the Beast
In Spring of 2008 I studied abroad in England at Bristol University. While there I joined the Bristol Pantomime Society, who I deduced had a similar attitude and membership to CAP. I was happy to take advantage of my study abroad experience to learn about different theatrical genres, since pantomime certainly never made it to the States.
After performing in the Easter panto, I volunteered to be Musical Director for the Summer Showcase Panto, a variation of Beauty and the Beast (PantoSoc's shows are all entirely student-written). Although cast-members get a lengthy Easter Holiday to memorize their lines, the entire Summer production is mounted in 24 hours. The amount of energy and the extend of team-work was truly inspirational, and it was an invigorating and inspiring experience.
Panto songs are new lyrics sung along with already well-known songs. As Musical Director my job was to make sure everyone knew how to sing their part properly. As most of the cast-members were primarily actors only, many of them were quite nervous about their singing abilities. I enjoyed the opportunity to get people to look at music and singing in new ways, and to instill them with new-found confidence.
The Odd Couple
Last semester CAP mounted The Odd Couple, which had been submitted by a first-time director. We always pair first-timers with people who have more experience, in order to make the production run smoother, and to give the new director a mentor.
I was assigned to help Cory Minervini with his production - as Assistant Director I gave advice during casting, helped set a rehearsal schedule, took notes on blocking, facilitated costuming, and offered my own performance notes to actors as well as offering advice and feedback to Cory throughout the production process.