Directing
From Dungeons & Dragons to directing, I'm interested in exploring different ways of telling and experiencing stories. As director, I want to empower every artist to express themselves through our shared work. Here I've written a short description of each play I've directed and why I chose each one.
More information about my directing experience can be found on my Directing Resume.
None Escape
Assistant Director (Directed by Elizabeth Ross)
Adapted by Robin Abrahams from The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
Theatre@First, March 2025
As Prentiss tells her story, her trauma support group transforms into the Beast Folk of her memories.
This upcoming play blends comedy with horror, ending on a note of optimism.
Why this play? Elizabeth Ross brought me on to focus on the Beast Folk movement and the fight choreography. I'm excited to work with her again after having such a great time acting in her Comedy of Errors earlier in 2024!
To prepare, I’ve taken another contemporary dance class, read Laban’s Efforts in Action, and refreshed myself on stage combat principles by taking a workshop with Actors' Shakespeare Project.
Cast and crew credits are here.
Artwork by me
The Prince's Shadow
Director
Written by Jillian Blevins
Theatre@First, August 2024
Prince Hal must become Henry V and leave his past behind, including his dearest companion Ned Poins.
This one-act romantic tragedy was part of Festival@First 12: Love is Love.
Why this play? I chose this play for its excellent dialogue, Shakespearean sensibilities, and queer themes. Reading it made me cry.
To prepare, I took the Best Practices workshop with Theatrical Intimacy Education (TIE) and read Staging Sex by Chelsea Pace. Both were immensely helpful, so I've continued to take workshops with TIE.
Cast and crew credits are here.
Watch a recording of the show here.
Photo taken by me
Action
Director
Written by Sam Shepard
MIT Director's Craft Class, May 2018
Four people in an isolated house try to have a nice holiday meal in a boring, post-apocalyptic world.
Directing this dark and absurd play was the capstone project of my Director’s Craft class.
Why this play? I chose this play to challenge myself by directing the strangest and most opaque script I knew.
Through rehearsal, we found meaningful questions being explored in this play: What happens to people when all of their plans are destroyed and they have nothing to do? What happens when we lose our communities?
Photo taken by Alex Konradi
Marina
Director
Adapted by me from Pericles by William Shakespeare
MIT Shakespeare Ensemble, July 2017
Marina must survive betrayal from her foster family, abduction by pirates, and enslavement in a brothel.
This adventure of self-determination is filled with action and comedy.
Why this play? I was initially drawn to Pericles for having onstage pirates, but I chose to work on it after learning more about its script's complicate history.
I created Marina by combining the second half of Pericles (the half believed to have been written by Shakespeare), dialogue from George Lillo’s 1738 Marina, and my own rewrite of the narrator’s lines. I've written up a longer description of this process here.
Collaborating with the cast, we changed the ending: Marina ends up as the unmarried Queen of Tyre.
Cast and crew credits are here.
Watch a recording of the show here.
Photo taken by Tal Scully
Bad Auditions by Bad Actors
Director
Ian McWethy
MIT Dramashop, February 2017
A casting director for Romeo & Juliet becomes increasingly exasperated by absurdly bad auditionees.
This light-hearted comedy was part of Dramashop’s annual production of one-act plays.
Why this play? I enjoyed acting in this play in high school, and I wanted an uncomplicated comedy for my first time directing.
Poster by me
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Header Photo: Robert Thorpe II (left) and Aaron Lamm (right) as Ned Poins and Prince Hal in The Prince's Shadow by Jillian Blevins. Photo taken by me.