Monthly Archives: September 2017

masked again, at last!

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Leslie Pasternack demonstrates mask technique with her character Stupino.

In August I was honored to give a workshop to theatre KAPOW, a superb company of NH theatre artists who bring both classic and new plays to life, and also generate original material through communal devising.  Each summer they have a retreat in which they bring in specialists to explore particular performance techniques, and this year I was asked to lead a workshop in mask.  Company founders Matt and Carey Cahoon, along with company member and Board President Peter Josephson and others donned hats, scarves and half-masks of my own construction to improvise solo and duo turns in the beautiful converted barn that serves as their retreat studio. We had a marvelous two hours together creating new characters and exploring the technical challenges and surprising freedoms that come when you work in mask.

tKAPOW has worked in mask in the past and plans to incorporate masks in several ways throughout this year’s season.  Check out their 2017-18 lineup here.  And scroll down for pictures of the tKAPOW players (plus Peter’s dog, Henry) in mask:

Peter Josephson and Matt Cahoon

Rachael Longo and Henry the Dog

Carey Cahoon

Matt Cahoon

Cranky Peter!

Amy Agostino

 

 

 

summer of theatre

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David Houlden as Joseph Moody and Liz Locke as Patience Boston

It’s officially autumn, but my summer was pretty busy with theatre! Last spring I was asked to direct Mike Kimball’s new play, PATIENCE BOSTON, a historical drama set in York, Maine and based on the lives (and deaths) of real people.  PB tells the story of a Native American servant woman who claimed to have killed a child and demanded to be hung for the crime.  But after she was sentenced, it was discovered that she was pregnant, so the Sheriff and his wife, as well as Pastors Samuel and Joseph Moody, were charged with caring for her until the baby was born–and then executing her.

We rehearsed throughout the summer, working around folks’ vacations and other shows, and opened on September 15th at the Players’ Ring in Portsmouth. The show is going extremely well and will close on October 1.  I’m immensely proud of the playwright, the cast (Liz Locke, David Houlden, Charles Bradley, Pam Battin-Sacks, Greg Chabot, Whitney Smith, Paul Benford-Bruce and Steve Sacks) and our dear stage manager, Deb Barry and board operator, Kate Quisumbing.  We also had impeccable stage design by D. Cary Wendell, lighting by John Stewart, costumes by Barbara Newton, and sound design by the impeccable Mike Kimball himself!  Scroll down for more great images from PATIENCE BOSTON.

Charles Bradley as Jeremiah Moulton and Paul Benford-Bruce as Boston 

Liz Locke as Patience Boston