Category Archives: Directing

MSIM wows at the Manchester Vet Center

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MSIM15Last Thursday, October 8th, a group of veterans helped me present my traveling version of Kate Wenner’s MAKE SURE IT’S ME at the Manchester Vet Center in Hooksett, NH. With the help of counselor Mearlene Filkins, who joined me in reading the educational material about Traumatic Brain Injury, and the coordination of Team Leader Colleen Moriarty, we presented to a group of about fifty in the Vet Center’s welcoming, well-appointed conference room.

This was my second time using the model of directing a group of volunteer readers nominated by the venue itself. The first time my readers were members of the student veterans’ group at the campus of Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA. This time, Mearlene invited community members who attend the Manchester Vet Center regularly for various kinds of support to step up and share their time and talents by acting in this reading. I was blown away by the intelligence and emotional courage of these readers. These two men and two women, who clearly had put their hearts, minds and bodies on the line in service to their country, were serving again by spreading the word about the effects of TBI on veterans and their families. The audience was extremely responsive to their portrayals of injured veterans and their struggling caregivers. Maybe it was the dueling apple crisps baked by two community members and enjoyed during intermission, but I swear the audience did not want to leave! Many observations and questions were shared during a talkback with Susan Burns, Nina Romano, and Sherry Thrasher, all clinicians from the Manchester VA Medical Center with expertise in treating TBIs. We were even able to connect an audience member on the spot with resources for TBI screening. Thanks again to Colleen, Mearlene and all the staff at the Vet Center for making this event possible.

As always with the MSIM project, I was thrilled and humbled by this experience. There was a lot of support in the room for more MSIM programming, so stay tuned for news as I follow up with my new contacts and continue to spread the word. For more information on the history of the project, or to find resources, visit the MSIM home page.

the reviews are in!

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Whitebottoms 2015Well, the cast and crew of Duck and Cover rocked audiences during opening weekend! In the midst of scorching temperatures and electric fans, Kim, Shawn, David, Jim, Alan and Michael elicited applause, cheers and even some appreciative catcalls and standing ovations. Here’s what the critics had to say:

Seacoast Online review

Portland Phoenix review

Catch the show for the next two weekends, we close on September 20th! Visit playersring.org for details!

set dressing

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This week has been hot hot hot, especially in the Player’s Ring in Portsmouth, which has a huge heart but no air conditioning! As we’ve prepared for tonight’s opening of Mike Kimball’s Duck and Cover, we’ve been working a number of oscillating fans into the theatre experience. We’ve also had to all pitch in to make the set happen. I’m not so effective with carpentry so I was doing set dressing acquisition much of the week, but finally our set feels like a little home. Congrats and thanks to Mike and his carpenter pal Alan, to Joe Dominguez for helping build, and to Brett Reis, our lighting designer, for also playing Mr. Fixit throughout the week. Stage manager extraordinaire Kate Quisumbing also wrangled numerous props, all while learning to navigate an unfamiliar CD player and new computerized light board. Now we’re ready to watch the actors do their thing! See you at the Ring!

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my amazing DUCK AND COVER cast

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Rehearsals for DUCK AND COVER are a total hoot and the show opens at Players’ Ring on September 4!  Love these talented folks, plus my brilliant playwright Mike Kimball and couldn’t-do-without-her Stage Manager Kate Quisumbing.  Pictured below, clockwise from top left: Shawn Crapo, Jim Manclark, Kim Holliday, Alan White, Michael Stailey and David Sullivan. Photo by Mike Kimball. Visit PlayersRing.org for reservations.

Ensemble

into the light

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Hello, all. I have been lured out of the shadow cast by my mother’s death to take over direction of Michael Kimball’s Duck and Cover at the Player’s Ring, where it will run September 4-20. This marvelous, award-winning show about an American family grappling with wars domestic and foreign on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis was last seen at WEST and I’m honored to be working on it now. Stay tuned for more details, I’ve got homework to do for tomorrow night’s rehearsal!

artwork for ring page -- unbusy

Spotlight 2015 nomination news!

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DVphoneI’m giddy to announce that I was nominated for Best Actress by the Seacoast Spotlight Awards committee for my performance as Dorothy Vaughan in Saving Portsmouth.

Even better, my actor Eliot Johnston was nominated for Best Actor for his performances of Bernard One, Bernard Two and Michael Black in A Number! Congratulations to us, and huge thanks to everyone involved in both shows, and to our audiences (and patient loved ones) for all their support.gameofthrone1

I have a feeling we are each dark horses in this race, but it is marvelous to know that the panel thought so highly of our work in 2014. As they say, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.” I will let you know how it turns out!

 

 

A NUMBER ruled the WEST stage!

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SB1-2Kudos and deepest thanks to Robert Macadaeg and Eliot Johnston for their masterful performances in my production of Caryl Churchill’s A Number.  Kate Quisumbing was my Stage Manager extraordinaire, Meghann Beauchamp designed impeccable lights and sound and Michele Macadaeg gave invaluable help with costumes.  We had great houses that surpassed my expectations for such a peculiar, offbeat little show.  And we were extremely well reviewed!  This was a deeply satisfying directing experience for me and I’m sad to let these characters go.  Best wishes to all, and I hope to work together soon.  Next up for me: “Saving Portsmouth: The Preservation Crusades of Miss Dorothy Vaughan”!

gameofthrone1

shows, shows, shows!

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I’m having a great time directing Robert Macadaeg and Eliot Johnston in Caryl Churchill’s A Number, a tight little thriller about cloning with gorgeous, spare language and unforgettable characters. It’s part of ACT ONE’s Beyond Festival.

These guys are fabulous actors and each is a joy to work with in his own way.  Eliot seems pure sweetness, with an amazing emotional transparency to his characterizations, but his hidden superpower is his spot-on Hannibal Lecter impression.  Robert is usually smooth, sarcastic and intellectual, and then he slips into character and hands you his heart.  Both are smart and bold with the choices they are making on stage.  I’m excited to open next Friday, October 3rd so audiences can finally meet these guys (Eliot plays three people, so there’s a whole little family for you to enjoy).  Visit ACT ONE’s website for information and tickets for A Number.

Then, in late October I start rehearsing “Saving Portsmouth: The Crusades of Miss Dorothy Vaughan” with Kent Stephens’ STAGE FORCE for Strawbery Banke.  I play the title character, who was an eccentric local force who lived to be 99 years old.  Yep, I aint the young romantic lead this time around: DorothyVaughan

I will play Dorothy from her young adulthood through her “hag” period (to cite Kent’s script), but somehow I don’t think it’ll come across as glamorous at any stage!  This show starts November 7th, I’ll let you know how it’s going when we get closer. . .

Happy autumn to all!

MSIM wins award!

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What a fantastic spring for ACT ONE and MSIM! In March, we gave a great presentation at the Red River Theatres in Concord, NH. In April I traveled to Greenfield, MA to lead the student veterans of Greenfield Community College in their own reading from Make Sure It’s Me. Then, in early May, I received a call from Ron Snow of the Brain Injury Association of NH, inviting Stephanie Nugent and I to their annual conference the following week. Why? To be presented with the Ellen Hayes Award!

BIANH’s Ellen Hayes Award is granted each year to the individual or organization who has done the most to advocate for and improve the lives of the brain injured and their families. We were chosen for our work on ACT ONE’s MAKE SURE IT’S ME/nh event series, which consisted of eight traveling presentations and fifteen fully produced performances based on Kate Wenner’s play about Traumatic Brain Injury in the military. Through MAKE SURE IT’S ME/nh, we reached over 800 audience members across New Hampshire and into Massachusetts, including civilians, veterans of several generations, military family members, and health care providers. Our presentations included the creation of the TBI Fact Sheets, created in collaboration with veterans service providers and sponsored by the American Red Cross and BIANH.

At the award presentation, BIANH president Laura Flashman shared extensive and glowing observations of our work:  “The difference in making a good production into a great production is the knowledge of the subject matter.  Leslie embedded herself in as many TBI-related commissions, collaboratives, and events as humanly possible.  While admittedly a greenhorn in the beginning, she dedicated herself to learning as much as possible about this invisible wound.  She spent countless hours visiting day centers, neuropsychologists, and speaking directly to veterans.  Leslie’s smile is infectious, her passion is obvious, and her motives are full of sincerity and caring.

“While most of us saw Leslie in the forefront, her partner Stephanie was quite often behind the scenes.  After seeing the final production in Portsmouth, it was obvious that Stephanie’s theatrical production talents are immense.  When you put two amazing people together on a project like Make Sure It’s Me, the results change lives.

“Thank you ACT ONE for your tireless efforts on Make Sure It’s Me, and for helping to break down the barriers caused by Traumatic Brain Injury in New Hampshire.”

We are deeply thankful to BIANH for this recognition, and for their support throughout the implementation of this successful performance outreach series. We look forward to continuing to serve our state in the seasons to come, in various ways. So stay tuned!