Well, I did it! I successfully self-produced CLEAN ROOM at WEST, with all ticket sales and a few on-the-spot or after-the fact donations turned over to HAVEN to support their mission. I had great houses and a marvelous team to help: Tomer Oz designed my lights; Kate Quisumbing helped me rehearse, ran my boards, and shared my house management duties; HAVEN staff and board members helped with ticketing and box office, secured food donations, and made lovely curtain speeches; and my husband came every night and did all the glamorous work like taking out the garbage and–before I could stop…
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CLEAN ROOM RETURNS TO PORTSMOUTH IN APRIL 2018 TO BENEFIT HAVEN!!! TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE! This year, I’ll be producing and performing CLEAN ROOM as a benefit for HAVEN. It goes up April 6 & 7 at 8 pm and April 8 at 2 pm at the West End Studio Theatre in Portsmouth. Seating is extremely limited, so it’s wise to book your tickets early. You can purchase tickets online (highly recommended) or call (603) 321-8550 to reserve seats or ask questions about the show. Some FAQ: The show runs about 70 minutes, including a brief intermission. It is recommended for mature…
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Hey, snow-enduring creatures of all kinds! There’s an interview with me discussing CLEAN ROOM and mask performance which airs on Portsmouth Public Media TV this week, and which is also available to view online. I had a marvelous time being interviewed by Bill Humphreys back in December as part of a series on the 2012 Spotlight on the Arts winners, and I think it came out pretty well! I spend a portion of the interview as each of my characters, so if you’ve been missing Brighina and Stupino (or you’ve never seen them before), this is your chance to visit…
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Phew, where did the end of 2013 go? Like many folks, I spent the holiday season rushing about between blizzards, visiting with family while dodging second and third helpings of dessert. Also, there’s the issue of a new, boisterous voice in the house: But, in addition to such chaotic fun, I do have a few exciting theatre accomplishments and upcoming events to report. My trip to the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts in Concord, MA reunited me with my former student Brian Boruta, who is now doing a marvelous job directing the Performing Arts department of this impressive organization.…
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My Spotlight Award-winning solo show, Clean Room, opened yesterday afternoon at WEST and I just want to say, PHEW! It’s always nerve-wracking to perform, and it’s particularly strange to remount a successful show, because you ask yourself: will it work this time? Will they like it as much as they did before? Have I still “got it,” whatever that elusive “it” may be? Well, I guess I still have the required amount of the Elusive It, because yesterday’s performance went extremely well and was received with open arms by old friends and new audience members alike! Thanks so much to…
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Wow, August just blew by as ACT ONE rolled out the first four weeks of Festival 2013! As Associate Director, I’ve had only administrative duties behind the scenes so far, helping my “boss” Steph Nugent to promote the shows and serving as cheerleader while she produced On Golden Pond and directed Last Train to Nibroc. I did some curtain speeches, too, which gave me the chance to meet some more of ACT ONE’s loyal audience members. Both of these shows received stellar reviews and I could not be more proud of the casts and crews! More shows are coming down the…
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I’m thrilled to say that I’ve won two 2012 Seacoast Spotlight on the Arts awards for last fall’s run of Clean Room at WEST! I’m grateful for the recognition by the Portsmouth arts community, and also for the support of all my loved ones and colleagues who have made Clean Room a success through several patient years of development. But the awards were one bright, personal note in a week dominated by stress and concern on a wider scale. Last Thursday night, I was presenting with the MAKE SURE IT’S ME/nh team at the Nashua Public Library. It had been a peculiar week:…
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Fabulous news, friends! (Warning: Excessive exclamation point alert!) Last week, my solo masked show CLEAN ROOM was nominated for THREE Spotlight Awards by Seacoast Online! Read about my nominations for Best Actress, Best Original Script and Best Play, and then CAST YOUR VOTE before March 17th for the People’s Choice award! I’ll let you know in late April if I win any awards, but as they say, “It’s a thrill just to be nominated!” Thanks to everyone who has supported this show for helping me (and Brighina and Stupino) rock the Seacoast. Also available online for you: Make Sure It’s Me composer…
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Where did November and December go? I’m pleased to say that my work with the Artists’ Collaborative Theatre Of New England (ACT ONE) swallowed up my fall and moved me through half of winter before I realized I’d failed to blog any of it! So, while the New Years’ Eve dinner simmers on the stove, I’ll run down some of the high points of the last two months and share our plans for ’13: ACT ONE’s Festival 2012 at Portsmouth’s West End Studio Theatre was a smash hit, as it has been for several years now under the leadership of…
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The Clean Room/Make Sure It’s Me combo event on October 7th was a huge success! PHEW! It was more than a little nerve-wracking to wear so many hats in one day. I had a packed house for my final performance, with friends, family, ACT ONE regulars and plenty of curious newcomers all arrayed before me–and I made them work hard. Clean Room addresses a lot of difficult topics, including child abuse, suicide, and the perils of growing old . . . but I try to do so kindly. The involvement of the audience, the quality of their attention, is crucial to getting…