2026 has been packed with theatre-making, as I have expanded my role as Director of the New Play Lab at The Players Ring, while also directing, teaching, and working with acting and playwriting clients one-on-one.
-
-
The cast of ENID’S MILL at our recent designer run. Photo: Ben Bagley Hi! I recently gave leslie pasternack.com a refresh and lost a couple of blog posts in the process. So I’m here to share some news of my current directing projects, and toss in a few pictures of my recent mischief! As I write, I’m in the thick of directing ENID’S MILL, by Martha Douglas-Osmundson, at The Players’ Ring, and it runs March 6 -22. I have worked with Martha as a dramaturg on this play on and off since 2020, so it’s a dream come true for both of…
-
After a glorious final month of classes, we’ve closed the door to the Cedar Street studio. Many thanks to our students, theatre collaborators & audience members for your support over the past four years! Stay tuned for news of workshops and events later in the year,as Lemon Punch Theatre Lab continues to make space for play. Here are some of the many memories we’ve made over the past four years . . . Carol Raiche sported her hoodie for Escaped Alone rehearsal,and James Grillo surprised me by showing up to perform in ourStory/Creature/Scene showcase in his LPTL tee! I confess that one reason for starting…
-
I’m thrilled to have directed Lauren Gunderson’s THE REVOLUTIONISTS at The Firehouse Center for the Arts this winter! It opened last Friday to a packed and rowdy house, and the cast absolutely owned this comic drama about women making history during the French Revolution. Orlik Guzman, Branwyn Ritchie, Mary Sapp and Mikayla Bishop are a dream team. Each woman combines dynamic physical presence, a phenomenal voice, spot-on comedic timing and profoundly moving emotional nuance into their work in this piece. The design and stage management crews are also top-notch, so the whole show looks and sounds beautiful and really sweeps…
-
Phew! What a year, yes? I’ve wound up classes and coaching at Lemon Punch Theatre Lab for 2021 with tremendous gratitude to the students, audience members and friends who cheered us on as we kept the lights on in the studio, while hopping back on Zoom when COVID exposures threatened. Like many performance and training venues, we are adopting a hybrid schedule as we approach 2022. I are staying hopeful, but remaining careful as I lead the Lab into the new year! First off, I’m delighted to announce that I’m directing Lauren Gunderson’s THE REVOLUTIONISTS for The Firehouse Center for…
-
“I’ll Be Right There” was a huge success! Thank you to all those who attended! On February 20th and 21st, Lemon Punch Theatre Lab presented two performances of our original play, “I’ll Be Right There,” and enjoyed two marvelous post-show discussions. Steven Sacks and Pamela Battin-Sacks knocked their roles out of the park, and Martha Douglas-Osmundson led our conversations with insight and joy. Here are some of the awesome comments from our audience: “Felt dynamic, even in Zoom! Forgot that I was watching a play!” “A heartfelt slice of life, and so refreshing.” “Your play grabbed you in the beginning…
-
Hello, friends. In this amazingly stressful time, I’m taking comfort and even finding joy creating theatre through my studio. Lemon Punch Theatre Lab, via Zoom! I first pivoted to Zoom pretty quickly in late March, just to remain connected to my colleagues and Lemon Punch students. I had no expectations and was not at all sure how the new platform would work. It sure has its quirks! But since then, I’ve hosted two free microplay festivals, taught two multi-week classes and one movement workshop, and have now spent almost 6 weeks developing the Lemon Live New Play Festival, volume 3,…
-
On March 7th, I had the good fortune to present the traveling version of Kate Wenner’s MAKE SURE IT’S ME at the Manchester VA Medical Center as part of Brain Injury Awareness Month. Thanks once again to Nina Romano and Erica Rowe for organizing the event, and to John, Matt, Martin and Kim for reading with me and sharing your reactions and personal reflections on the challenges of coping with combat-related trauma. As always, it wouldn’t be possible without playwright Kate Wenner’s permission to use her work royalty-free in support of the veterans grappling with TBI and PTSD–Kate, you are…
-
It’s been a busy month so I’m tardy reporting about our extremely moving MAKE SURE IT’S ME presentation at the VA Medical Center in Manchester on March 2nd! Our star reader was Sean Carrier, who survived seven IED blasts and a plane crash while serving in Iraq. Sean gave a great reading, pushing courageously past any pain or nervousness to share insights from Kate Wenner’s play about combat-related Traumatic Brain Injury. Sean and I were joined on our little “stage” by VA staff members, many of whom were also veterans. The event was organized by VA TBI clinician Nina Romano…
-
Last Thursday I was pleased to return to the Manchester Vet Center in Hooksett for the third year in a row to present excerpts from Kate Wenner’s MAKE SURE IT’S ME read by veterans and Vet Center Staff. Once again, Vet Center counselor and coordinator of this event Mearlene Filkins made me warmly welcome and lined up a great group of readers. Colleen Moriarty, director of the Vet Center, even stepped in to read as a last-minute replacement and knocked it out of the park! We were honored to have Don, a Vietnam veteran, return for his third year in…