Fantastic February
February has been a fantastic month for writing, development, and production! My goal was to complete the first draft of one of my grant-funded full-length plays by March 2023, and I officially typed “End of Play” on Monday, February 27th! The next step is a closed table read with some actor friends so I can proceed with revisions. I’m also looking forward to receiving my first dramaturgical notes on the first draft of my other grant-funded play. With any luck, one of these pieces will be ready for a public workshop in June! I know it’s only March, but summer will be here before we know it, and solid plays take time.
In the meantime, I’ve had three lovely productions in the month of February, including the world premiere (and second production) of my new one-act, Any Port in a Storm.
photo by lena aubrey
The world premiere was produced by Eclectic Full Contact Theatre as part of the Patchwork Play Festival. It was directed by Rashaad Bond and featured Angie Velasquez as Paige and Dakota Pariset as Hector.
The second production was produced by New Ambassadors Theatre Company as part of HEARTbroke 2023. It was directed by Perryn Pomato and featured Juliana Forrest as Paige and Marie Elena O’Brien as Tori. I can attest to the strength of this particular production, as I was in the audience for the second performance. It was such a treat to hear the audience laughing and crying (YES, CRYING) live in the space.
Finally, White Mouse Theatre produced a beautiful production of Iphis and Ianthe at the Courthouse as part of their Love is Love is Love Queer Theatre festival during Valentine’s week. It’s always a treat when my queer work is produced in states like Florida, where it’s most needed. I hope these student actors got to see themselves reflected in these plays.
I am also pleased to finally announce that I will be a SATE Aphra Behn artist in 2023! This is my second time participating in this empowering and innovative festival, and I could not be more pumped! This year, each play was inspired by a play from Hedgepig Ensemble’s Expand the Canon list, featuring underproduced plays by gender minority playwrights. My play, reANIMA, is a speculative subversion of Amelia P. Rosselli’s turn-of-the-century drama Anima. The play will be directed by the phenomenal Britney Daniels, whose attention to detail is going to bring the world premiere to the next level. This play is WEIRD, and I feel so lucky to be working with an organization that embraces and encourages innovative new works.
What’s coming next? In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mirrorbox Theatre will be producing a rehearsed reading of These Gilded Souls as part of their Out of the Box reading series. This will be the first presentation of this hulking brute of a play outside of New York state. I can’t wait to learn what this new cast finds in the script - and whether or not it goes over in the ACTUAL midwestern US!
I plan to spend the month of March 2023 focusing specifically on revising and developing my new full-lengths in closed processes. I would also love to start on a new short piece, but that’s still percolating, so we’ll see if I am ready to get it down on paper or if it needs more time! Either way, I’m excited and encouraged by the projects I’m working on, and I can’t wait to continue!
