Sleuth

SLEUTH by Anthony Shaffer and directed by Adam Immerwahr started preview performances on Tuesday, March 10th, at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. It’s a stunning production of a true thriller of a mystery play, and it was an absolute joy to work on the accents and vocal characterization with the cast and creative team. It played two preview performances, and, in order to protect the health and safety of the artists involved and the McCarter patrons, performances have been suspended through at least March 31st. An archival recording has been made so that hopefully more people will be able to see the production.

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

My latest project is in performance at Connecticut Repertory Theatre right now. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, adapted by playwright Simon Stephens from the novel by Mark Haddon and directed by Kristin Wold, started performances in Storrs, CT, on February 27th and continues through March 8th. It’s a beautiful story about a 15-year-old boy with an extraordinary mind and a healthy dose of bravery. The play takes place in Swindon and in London, and the cast and I worked on a number of different accents, as well as some vocal extremes. Tickets and more info available here.

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The Wolves

THE WOLVES by Sarah DeLappe starts performances tonight at Connecticut Repertory Theatre. This is the second time that I’ve directed this play, and it’s a joyful challenge to work on. This is my first time directing at CRT, and I’m immensely proud of the work that my student actors and designers have done. Performances run through November 3rd at the Studio Theatre on UConn’s campus in Storrs, CT. Click here for more info and tickets.

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Mlima's Tale

My next project is in performances at the Westport Country Playhouse in CT. It’s the second production of a new play by Lynn Nottage called MLIMA’S TALE, and it’s directed by WCP Artistic Director Mark Lamos. The play follows what happens to the tusks of a 50-year-old elephant who is killed by poachers. It’s a devastating story that draws direct parallels between the black market ivory trade and the enslavement of African people throughout history. Performances run through October 19th, and you can find more info and tickets here.

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King Charles III

The last mainstage show of the 2019 Colorado Shakespeare Festival season starts performances tomorrow.

KING CHARLES III, a “future history play” by Mike Bartlett and directed by Kevin Rich, imagines what might happen when Queen Elizabeth II passes away and Prince Charles finally inherits the throne of England. It’s a modern-day Shakespearean play, written in iambic pentameter and including allusions to several of Shakespeare’s own plays. And there are accents!

Performances run July 19th through August 11th at the University Theatre on the University of Colorado-Boulder campus. You can find more info and tickets here.

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As You Like It

I’m spending much of the summer in Boulder, CO, as a Voice/Text/Dialect coach for the indoor shows at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. It’s been a delight to spend my time working on Shakespeare’s language with a lovely group of artists and also exploring the mountains around Boulder.

The first indoor show of the season, AS YOU LIKE IT directed and adapted by Carolyn Howarth, starts performances tonight. It’s a beautiful production with original songs by Sam Misner (of Misner and Smith) that will stay with you long after the show. Performances run through August 10th at the University Theatre (on the University of CO, Boulder, campus). Tickets and more information here.

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If We Were Birds

My latest project started performances last week at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, CT. IF WE WERE BIRDS by Erin Shields and directed by Helene Kvale is a re-telling of the story of Procne and Philomela, two sisters and princesses of Athens. After Procne is married to Tereus of Thrace, he captures and assaults Philomela. After taking revenge on Tereus, the sisters and he are transformed by the gods into birds. This telling of the story threads in tales of modern-day women who were assaulted in contemporary wars and genocides. It’s both beautiful and harrowing. Performances run through Sunday, April 7th. Tickets and more info can be found here.

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The Mystery of Edwin Drood

My latest project started performances on Thursday, February 28th, at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, CT. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD by Rupert Holmes and directed by Paul Mullins runs through Sunday, March 10th. It’s a delightfully light-hearted whodunnit musical based on Charles Dickens’ last, unfinished novel. What was his intention for the character of Edwin Drood? Was he in fact murdered? And who did it? You, the audience, gets to decide based on clues dropped throughout the night. Tickets and more info available here.

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Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood

My next project starts previews at the Cleveland Play House tonight. The play is Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, and it’s directed by Adam Immerwahr. It’s a light-hearted, action-packed telling of the myth with loads of accents - including accents of Nottinghamshire. The cast is wonderful, and the design is lush. If you’re near Cleveland, don’t miss it! Performances run through February 24th. More info and tickets are available here.

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A Civil War Christmas

My next project is A Civil War Christmas by Paula Vogel and directed by Elizabeth VanDyke at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, CT. The play takes place on Christmas Eve, 1864, and follows the lives of many historical figures - and some invented - over the course of that one day. There are many different characters, and, as such, many different voices in the play - from Abraham Lincoln to John Wilkes Booth to Elizabeth Keckley to James Wormley.

Performances run November 29th through December 9th. Tickets and more info here.

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GOOD CHILDREN and CHARLEY'S AUNT

I coached two shows that opened last week.

The first is GOOD CHILDREN by Tracy Thorne and directed by Michael Bradford at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. It’s a new play that takes place in a world where language is dangerous and secrets abound. People disappear, and no one can do anything about it. The production runs through November 4th, and more information is here.

The second is CHARLEY’S AUNT by Brandon Thomas and directed by Joseph Discher at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. It’s a beautiful production of this rarely produced British farce - and the upper-crust RP accents contribute greatly to the hilarity! It runs through November 18th, and more information is here.

Long Lost John: A Lennon Family Story

Long Lost John: A Lennon Family Story written and directed by Ed Zareh opened last night as part of the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival. The play tells a story of John Lennon's early life, exploring his relationship with his mother, Julia, and follows him through his first encounters with Paul McCartney. I coached the Liverpool accents and had a great time! There are two more performances: August 6th at 8:30pm and August 11th at 1:30pm. All performances are at the Theater at the 14th Street YMCA in NYC.

 

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The Wolves

Tomorrow The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe opens at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. I directed this production and had the honor of working with several student and faculty designers on the creative team. The cast of student actors is doing detailed and precise work. I'm really proud of the production (and delighted to have unearthed my high school soccer skills in the process). Performances are March 27th and 29th at 7:30pm and March 31st at 2pm. More info and tickets here.

 

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Pygmalion

My next project starts previews tonight. BEDLAM's production of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and directed by Eric Tucker runs at the Sheen Center in NYC March 16th through April 22nd. It promises to be a production that will challenge your understanding of this iconic story and that will challenge your ideas of how socio-economic class and race contribute to identity and our perception of others. And it will make you laugh.

More information and tickets available here.

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A Cavalier for Milady

Tonight will bring the last performances of White Horse Theater Company's production of the rarely produced Tennessee Williams play, A Cavalier for Milady. The WHTC production is directed by Producing Artistic Director Cyndy A. Marion at The Players in NYC. I coached Mid-Atlantic, Queens, and Russian accents for the play, which has some secrets in it that I won't give away here.

Tickets are available here for tonight's performances at 7 and 9:30pm.

 

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Source: http://www.whitehorsetheater.com/

Familiar

My next project starts previews on February 5th at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. The play is Familiar by Danai Gurira, and this production is directed by Adam Immerwahr. It's about a family who has emigrated from Zimbabwe to Minnesota, and now one of the adult children who has grown up in the States is marrying a white American man. There is Shona-accented English in the play, as well as some Shona language. There are two native Shona speakers working on the production, and we were able to work together to describe the sounds of the language and the accented English. It's been a thrilling process, and it's a wonderful play! 

Performances run at Woolly (641 D. St. NW, Washington, D.C.) February 5th through March 4th, and tickets are available here.

 

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Good Men Wanted

This week, I went up to Poughkeepsie to do some dialect coaching for New York Stage and Film. The play is GOOD MEN WANTED by Kevin Armento and directed by Jaki Bradley. It takes place during the Civil War (sort of) and follows the journeys of several women who, for various reasons, disguise themselves as men in order to enlist and fight in the war. It's a powerful and engaging new play, and I had a wonderful time working with some of the cast on these historical accents.

Performances run July 20-30 in the Powerhouse Theater on the Vassar College Campus in Poughkeepsie, NY. More info and tickets available here.

And here's a snap shot from the train ride along the Hudson - always beautiful.