In “Women Without Men,” Women Count
[article originally published at The Clyde Fitch Report, February 18, 2016.] Feature Image: Women Without Men By Hazel Ellis, directed by Jenn Thompson, presented by The Mint Theater Company at New […]
Theatre and Social Justice: Everything Has to Come Out of Session
[article originally published in HowlRound, January 16, 2016.] Theatre and Social Justice Crafted out of Session to Engage Audience The Actors Studio is known for creating socially relevant material but not […]
2015: excavation review
The Sound of Music on film is 50 this year. Maria’s confidence is contagious. Writing and research and presentations filled this calendar year on a range of topics including the Yale […]
Theatrical Research: Percolating and Data
[article originally published in HowlRound, December 12, 2015.] I joined the first three hours of a December 3, 2015 all-day meeting on parity in theatre, involving some two dozen women, one […]
Will Eno’s Theatrical Rhythms
[article originally published in HowlRound, December 10, 2015.] Small Town-ish in a Really Good Way For a heady period of time in the spring of 2014, playwright Will Eno had two […]
theatrical research: counting women and baselines for advocacy
Coverage of efforts to track the status of and advocate for the parity for women in theater, film and television continues unabated this fall. I summarized a few efforts and […]
theatrical research: women count 2015
Over the past two years, I have collaborated with colleague Judith Binus at the League of Professional Theatre Women on a data project that joins a family of similar projects […]
Extending the Frame for Women Playwrights
[article originally published in HowlRound, October 8, 2015.] Necessary Exposure 2014 Jody Christopherson, performer and photographer, has been raising the visibility of female playwrights through headshots, production photography, and two recent […]
theatrical research: MTC’s Stargate Theatre Company
On occasion, my prior career in social science research blends quite intimately with my current work as dramaturg and critic and observer of theater. One recent example is a project completed […]
Sand Castles in War Zones: Insanity and Forgiveness
[article originally published at HowlRound, July 30, 2015.] What defines a person when all the chips are down and past and present are stripped away? Daniel Talbott’s play, metaphorically titled […]
testimonies of endurance: forever and the challenges of solo performance
[article originally published in HowlRound, June 9, 2015.] The exquisite skill of a single storyteller evoking a time, a story, and a history has held humankind rapt for as long as […]
Developmental Through Lines: O’Neill, The Nether, and Bright Half Life
[article originally published in HowlRound, April 28, 2015.] Like siblings who grew up in the same house at different times with different family members around, two plays recently concluded Off Broadway […]
Political Cabaret: Herbert Hoover’s Comeback in Leather
[article originally published at HowlRound, March 3, 2015.] Playwright Sean Cunningham has worked on and off since 2009 with songwriter Michael Friedman, director Alex Timbers, and a raft of designers […]
Happy Accidents, Competition, and the Best Idea Wins: Prayers of Halley Feiffer
[article originally published at HowlRound, February 24, 2015.] I recently sat down with Halley Feiffer to talk about the Atlantic Theatre Company’s production of her play I’m Gonna Pray for […]
the players library collections: legitimizing the art of the actor for 125 years
[article originally published in HowlRound, February 15, 2015.] The mandate to research, record, and archive the art of the actor has always framed the work of The Players, a club for […]
2014: excavation review themes
Chance Magazine issue 3 subscriber cover title line. Issues 3 and 4 of Chance were completed, printed, and delivered to subscribers and newsstands in 2014. I have now accumulated four […]
urban excavations 