Publications
I mostly write contextual theatre reviews in an attempt to capture in words the ephemeral experience of a particular time, place and performance.
These reviews have been published in scholarly journals, newspapers and industry blogs:
My MFA thesis was an examination of dramaturgical problems that arise in producing British plays with dialect in the United States. I used sociolinguistic analysis to explore the various solutions that have been applied to bridge the gap between script and audience. The first two chapters were published in a collection titled The Moving Voice:
The most direct written correspondence that I have with audience members comes in the form of program notes and study guides. I have written program notes for productions at Hartford Stage and the University of Massachusetts. I have also written study guides for productions at A Traveling Jewish Theatre (Old, Jewish & Queer), the New Conservatory Theatre Center (Living Side by Side, Dream Catching, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Fisherman and the Flounder, The Other Side of the Closet, & Aesop's Funky Fables), Hartford Stage (The Mystery of Irma Vep, Eight by Tenn, Edgardo Mine, Much Ado About Nothing, Constant Star, 2.5 Minute Ride & Necessary Targets) and the University of Massachusetts (A Christmas Carol & Life is a Dream - bilingual English/Spanish guide).
Invited Talks
Part of my job at Hartford Stage and the New Conservatory Theatre Center was to lead pre- and post-show discussions with audiences of all ages, linking a particular show to political, social and community concerns and opening spaces for dialogue. In the past seven years, I’ve given similar talks and facilitated workshops at ATHE, LMDA, Chester Theatre, KCACTF, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts on a diverse range of theatre topics. The following is a list of those invited talks:
I mostly write contextual theatre reviews in an attempt to capture in words the ephemeral experience of a particular time, place and performance.
These reviews have been published in scholarly journals, newspapers and industry blogs:
- Puzzling Perspectives on Ever-Shifting Conflict Zones. European Stages (upcoming)
- These Rooms: A Dynamic Theatrical Event Reveals Ireland's Hidden Histories. Howlround. October 2016
- The Scottish Independence Debate at the Edinburgh Festival. Howlround. August 2014
- Performance Review article: Ciara by David Harrower and The Events by David Greig, Theatre Journal, Vol. 66, No 2, May 2014, pp. 264-266
- Dispatches from the Edinburgh Fringe 2013. Howlround, August 2013
- Theatre Critic. The Valley Advocate, 2003-2005
- Theatre Critic. Springfield Journal. 2001-2002
My MFA thesis was an examination of dramaturgical problems that arise in producing British plays with dialect in the United States. I used sociolinguistic analysis to explore the various solutions that have been applied to bridge the gap between script and audience. The first two chapters were published in a collection titled The Moving Voice:
The most direct written correspondence that I have with audience members comes in the form of program notes and study guides. I have written program notes for productions at Hartford Stage and the University of Massachusetts. I have also written study guides for productions at A Traveling Jewish Theatre (Old, Jewish & Queer), the New Conservatory Theatre Center (Living Side by Side, Dream Catching, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Fisherman and the Flounder, The Other Side of the Closet, & Aesop's Funky Fables), Hartford Stage (The Mystery of Irma Vep, Eight by Tenn, Edgardo Mine, Much Ado About Nothing, Constant Star, 2.5 Minute Ride & Necessary Targets) and the University of Massachusetts (A Christmas Carol & Life is a Dream - bilingual English/Spanish guide).
- "Ghosts who will not rest". Necessary Targets program note. Hartford Stage. November 2001
- “Blood in Return for Blood: Electra and the Cycle of Revenge”. Stage Notes. Hartford Stage. May 2002
- "Process versus Product" Program note for Mercy Seat by Neil LaBute. UMass Studio, Amherst. April 2004
- Life is a Dream Program Note. UMass Amherst, December 2005
- "A Christmas Carol for our Stage”. UMass Amherst. December 2006
- "What's in a Name?" Program note for Seriously... What Did You Call Me? written & performed by Onawumi Jean Moss. Ko Festival 2015.
Invited Talks
Part of my job at Hartford Stage and the New Conservatory Theatre Center was to lead pre- and post-show discussions with audiences of all ages, linking a particular show to political, social and community concerns and opening spaces for dialogue. In the past seven years, I’ve given similar talks and facilitated workshops at ATHE, LMDA, Chester Theatre, KCACTF, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts on a diverse range of theatre topics. The following is a list of those invited talks:
- Fantasy Feminisms: Dreaming of the Perfect Syllabus, Association of Theatre in Higher Education Conference. July 2014
- Embodied Dramaturgy as Compassionate Action in The Lonely Soldier Project. Association of Theatre in Higher Education Conference. July 2014.
- Cultivating Student-Dreamers in Contemporary Liberal Arts Environments (respondent) Association of Theatre in Higher Education Conference. July 2014.
- Power Play, Chester Theatre First Friday Lecture Series, July 12, 2013. Interactive talk examining some of the theatrical devices employed by directors to manipulate an audience’s sympathies as they witness the shifting power dynamics between the characters on stage.
- Plays With Music, Chester Theatre First Friday Lecture Series, June 28, 2013. Drawing examples from recent American musical theater, this talk explored the various ways that music affects relationships on stage and between the story and its audiences.
- Dramaturgy: a performative essay, Hampshire College Writers Reading in the Library series. May 2013.
- Documentary Theatre, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 1, 2013. An interactive talk for writers, directors, dramaturgs and anyone else who is interested in exploring the potentials and problems of representing reality on stage.
- Talking With Audiences, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 1, 2013. An exploration of different forms of pre- and post-production audience outreach and discussion.
- Betwixt and Between: Representing parallel and colliding worlds on the stage, Chester Theatre First Friday Lecture Series, 2012. A talk on Magical Realism in the theatre in connection with Chester Theatre's production of The Betrothed by Dipika Guha.
- Stop Doing Other People’s Homework! Engaging Production Dramaturgy Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 1, 2012. Strategies of how to approach dramaturgical research, how to engage other members of the production team in the research, and how to present it in such a way that inspires creativity and dialogue around the play.
- Voices in Contemporary Feminism(s) A Festival of New American Plays by Women, UMass Amherst. April 2011. Spoke about historical/documentary drama following a reading of Unspeakable Acts by Mary F. Casey.
- Theatre For Social Change. An interactive lecture for the MA students in Social Work at Smith College. July 2010.
- Dramaturgy of Dialect at the North-Eastern region mini-conference for the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. UMass Amherst, October 2007.
