FALL: In Review.

Wow. It's been a minute. In fact, it's been over three months since I last posted.

It's been (perhaps) the busiest semester of my college career thus far. Thankfully it's over, and I am snugly installed at home on Cape Cod for winter break.

This semester, in review...
1. ATF - IN MANY WAYS.
I directed a piece I wrote in the 2013 iNtuitons Alternative Theatre Festival as part of the Philadelphia Fringe. (Same piece that was performed as part of the "Is This the End?" play-reading.) It turned out quite lovely, if I may say so. Directing my own work was challenging - in the best of ways.

2. MIDSUMMER.
I directed the iNtuitons fall production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We set it in an urban jungle, ditching the pastoral setting that is so often attached to the piece. The "palace wood" became the janky bar where the fairies lived. The love juice was administered intravenously by syringe-toting Oberon and Puck. The soundtrack included music by Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Radiohead and Parov Stelar. The cast included eighteen people, marking the largest iNtuitons show of the past decade. Truly one of the most satisfying artistic experiences of my life. Our show poster to the right, the full photocall album here, plus the online promo posters here. (I took the photos, too!)

3. OWNERS.
I was cast in inVersion Theatre's fall production of Caryl Churchill's Owners. (The company was founded by two UPenn/iNtuitons grads!) I played Mrs. Arlington, Mum, and two customers. The latter three parts were played in mask. The show ran two weekends - despite having to cancel once for weather, we had several sold out shows and a terribly good time. Check out the album here, and a creepy pic taken by our lovely assistant stage manager to the right. 

4. RAINDANCE.
The Excelano Project (spoken word group at Penn that I perform with) 2013 show was called "Raindance." I performed a solo, as well as two collabs and a senior tribute poem. Text of the solo, called "Taj Mahal," can be found here. We are still processing the video. But check our promo posters to the right (photographed by the incredible Tim Lee), and the full show album here.

5. ASSASSINS.
Last minute, I was asked to fill in for the drummer for one night of Penn Players' fall production of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins. It was great to get back in a pitband, albeit challenging to sight-read a Sondheim score. Check out a review of the production!

6. PHOTOGRAPHY.
In addition to shooting the photocall/promotional material for Midsummer, I did a headshot session with the lovely Katherine Mosbrucker (to the right). I also shot the album artwork for my sister Sarah's INCREDIBLE new instrumental/orchestral album, "Overture to an Adventure." (a picture from the shoot to the right....more on that later.) I also took a few shots for fun - check back soon under "photography - recent captures" to see 'em! 

WHEW. It was a semester.

When I wasn't posing as a try-hard artist, I was posing as a senior at UPenn. Semester highlights include a wonderful "Voice for the Actor" course with Philadelphia actress and professor Sarah Doherty, as well as an "unofficial" independent study in poetry with professor Herman Beavers. I also spent quite a bit of time working on the first draft of my honors english thesis, tentatively titled: "Quoting the American Poetic Canon in Contemporary Drama: Poetry as Resurrection, and Redemption from Death." (In the thesis, I'm essentially examining how poetry is utilized onstage in Margaret Edson's W;t, Tracy Letts's August: Osage County and Annie Baker's The Aliens. I could go on....but I shall not!)

In other news, my incredibly talented sister dropped her second album - "Overture to an Adventure." Check it. It's superb. As opposed to her first album, "Ophelia's Song," this one features orchestral music. Sarah sings and plays on the disc - and of course, she wrote and arranged and produced the whole damn thing. 

As for coming attractions....
I am currently knee-deep in audition season in the city. Nothing to report *yet.* But hopefully soon!
I'm also in works on a chapbook of poetry, which I'm aiming to release in the spring. 
I'm ALSO working with muh friend Joanna Glum (who played Beth in In Many Ways and Titania in Midsummer) to mount a production of Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation at Penn. We are self-producing it through our tidy new production company, "Common Man." In addition to producing, I am also assistant directing and playing Theresa. We had a read-through before break, and will officially go into rehearsals in mid-January. It will be a short process - we are still waiting to confirm our show dates, but we are shooting for early early February.

And....I believe that's all for now!

In the new year, I am aiming to update the site much more regularly. Check back soon! (Or subscribe by entering your email into the tidy little box at the top-right of the page. No spam, I promise. Just blog updates.)

Thanks for reading. Have a happy, healthy and relaxing holiday and new year!