| And who will educate the educators? |
[Jul. 24th, 2008|02:29 pm] |
I've been asked by the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies to speak on a panel at the New Teaching Assistant Orientation at Tufts University late next month.
Tufts is starting several initiatives in higher education pedagogy, it's really great to see that aspect of the academy get the attention that it should. |
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[Jul. 16th, 2008|10:11 pm] |
This is a New One...
Next month I am teaching a couple of stage combat workshops to Bank of America interns through a program with New Rep.
And in other violence news yesterday I laid the foundation for what will become the rumble scene from West Side Story for New Rep's summer youth program.
Tomorrow, Julius Caesar for Lyric First Stage.
My stage combat for film directors workshop at NYFA was apparently a big hit. I'll most likely be doing it again for the next large group they have later this summer. I really like applied multi-disciplinarity. |
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[Jul. 16th, 2008|02:44 pm] |
It's been suggested that I put up this link as several people have been asking me what I want for my birthday:
There is talk of a party. More news on that as it comes closer.
Also, I would like a pony. |
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| A Question About Music |
[Jul. 15th, 2008|08:25 pm] |
Poll #1224021 Analog and MP3
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllHave you purchased albums and/or songs online that you already own(ed) on vinyl or cassette? If so, how many? |
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| GPS Systems |
[Jun. 15th, 2008|01:15 pm] |
My colleagues at IMPACT recently got me seriously thinking about investing in a GPS system (it also helped that I was teaching a workshop in the middle of the woods).
Who has one? What can I expect to pay for a decent one? Where did you get it?
Do I have to subscribe to a service? Does it work everywhere? |
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[Jun. 12th, 2008|03:31 pm] |
Last year there was talk of my teaching a workshop to the film directing students in the longer NYFA Harvard Summer programs. It looks like this year it's going to actually materialize.
I'm all kinds of happy about this. And not just because of the work either.
The first consideration in choreographing fights is the safety of the performers. All too often early career actors and directors forget this. I have heard way too many stories about people being hurt in either small scale/student films or fringe theatre because of some misguided attempt at what they think is realism. In the case of film what happens quite often is that the footage then ends up being unusable because the action is not clear. I've actually heard performers put themselves down because they didn't "act well" when they were being hit for real on camera.
Educating performers is all well and good and necessary. But sometimes I think that educating directors is more efficient in terms of keeping more performers safe.
/rant |
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| just showin off a little |
[Jun. 9th, 2008|11:48 am] |
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( my nieces ) |
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[Jun. 6th, 2008|12:11 pm] |
I've just been asked to teach a stage combat workshop for New Rep Summer Studio's Theatre Tastes program.
This summer looks like it will be a veritable epidemic of violence... |
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[Jun. 5th, 2008|02:33 pm] |
This morning it was confirmed that I'll be returning to teach a stage combat workshop this summer for Lyric First Stage, and then fight directing their production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. I'm really glad to be coming back, I had a great time with them last summer.
My mind is full of bad puns about Holey Roman Emperors.
Performances will be in early August. |
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[Jun. 4th, 2008|03:52 pm] |
I just had a great table reading of Seeing the Devil's Face at New Rep, which is a play I am working on dealing with skills and responsibilities (and math) set in the Italian Renaissance. (This is not to be confused with The Devil's Own Game, another play I am working on which is based on the Faust myth. Yes, I am working on two plays with the word devil in the title.)
I had really great actors, some of whom I've worked before in my capacity as a fight director. One was a colleague of mine from the grad program at Brandeis, another is one of my best friends from Tufts, and a couple I worked with in BTW's Angels in America earlier this year. Stage combat plays heavily in this script, so I was fortunate to have some hardcore fight people in the cast who could speak that language with me, and some people who are not combat types as well, to let us know if we were getting too esoteric.
There are a lot of rewrites to do, but that is really the purpose of a table reading. I'm really going to enjoy this project.
Tomorrow I will be in NYC for an event at the Goethe Institut. There may be more on that later.
There is also the small matter of my dissertation. There will surely be much more on that later. I think I'll really enjoy the fieldwork I'll be doing. |
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[Jun. 2nd, 2008|05:59 am] |
I just found out this morning that a selection from my play, An Open Book, will be performed in Leeds, England on June 12th as part of the 2008 GI60 play festival.
The venue is Stage One @ University Of Leeds. Tickets can be reserved at this URL:
http://www.leedstickets.com/stage |
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| Summer Teaching |
[May. 21st, 2008|11:04 am] |
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I'll be teaching acting and movement at New York Film Academy's Summer Institute at Harvard. |
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[May. 13th, 2008|12:43 am] |
I am recently back from the reception following the 26TH ELLIOT NORTON AWARDS: 2008. This was a really good time.
Two shows that I had a hand in (and a strong personal investment in) both won for outstanding production in their category. Those would be The Kentucky Cycle with Zeitgeist Stage Company and Way Theatre Artists, and Angels in America I & II with Boston Theatre Works. Also, New Rep won at least half of what it was nominated for, including awards for A Streetcar Named Desire (we had eight nominations) so it was a really good night overall.
Events like this are also a good time to see a lot of my theatre friends all at once, albeit briefly. I am really happy about Kentucky Cycle and Angels. Both were really special shows to work on and I really loved the people, so the added recognition just makes it that much better. |
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[Apr. 25th, 2008|01:30 pm] |
This past Tuesday the Lark Play Development Center hosted a day of Round Table Readings by the National New Play Network Resident Emerging Playwrights, being myself (coming from New Rep of course), Sean Christopher Lewis (in residence at InterAct Theatre Company in Philly), and Brett Williams (who is at the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey).
It was a great time.
The play I had read was The Devil's Own Game, which is loosely adapted from the Faust story. My facilitator was Margarett Perry, and my performers were Devon Berkshire, Chris Kipiniak, and Kristin Wheeler. And they rocked.
I learned a lot about my play and where I need to take it next. I got really positive feedback. The Lark folks really understood what I was trying to do with it and got what I was going for. I have some serious rewrites to do, and I'm coming into them happy and motivated and ready to see this play develop.
Fellow playwrights who read this thing... go to the Lark if you ever get the chance. They're good people and it's a great experience.
Here is a press release on the event.
http://www.larktheatre.org/mediapress/pressreleases.htm#NNPN |
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[Apr. 18th, 2008|09:58 pm] |
The nominees for this year's Elliot Norton Awards have just been announced.
Among them, The Kentucky Cycle for best production by a fringe company, and Angels in America for best production by a small company (both shows that I had a strong hand in). A Streetcar Named Desire is also up for several awards, and Team New Rep in general is well represented on that list. |
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[Apr. 18th, 2008|01:19 pm] |
I was recently interviewed by Thomas Garvey for The Hub Review about the Their Voices Will Be Heard events at New Rep.
That interview can be found here. |
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[Apr. 15th, 2008|12:12 pm] |
I went to the IRNE (Independent Reviewers of New England) Awards last night. Two shows I did fights for, A Streetcar Named Desire and Man of LaMancha, won Best Production of a Play and Best Production of a Musical respectively (and roughly a bazzilion other awards including best director in each category, best actress and best supporting actor in each, bes musical director for MoLM, and design awards). I had never been to the IRNEs before, they were more casual than I'd expected, which was nice. I went with New Rep, which was a lot of fun and a great group to be with.
I also realized that I've been working in Boston long enough now that I'd worked with a lot of the nominees in many of the catagories, which made the whole thing more enjoyable. |
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