KING LEAR
West Virginia Public Broadcasting and West Virginia University College of Creative Arts
Directed by Jerry McGonigle
Coming March 13th, 2022 8pm EST on WVPB
The Experience: First-ever time acting in a feature length film, so
why not start with something simple, like one of Shakespeare's most epic plays? There were so many out-there aspects to this project: adapting to the needs of the pandemic, getting comfortable working in front of a camera, learning how to convert all those stage skills for the screen. Plus getting to act opposite Robynn Rodriguez (yep, the same one who directed Hedda Gabler) as the Kent to her Lear.
HEART'S DESIRE
Written and performed by 2 Dimensional Theatre Collective
Trailer TBA
The Experience: This was originally conceived to be a site-specific,
live performance that would take place in the basement of a local tavern, but when life hands you a pandemic you learn to pivot. Instead, we rewrote the script for zoom and performed from the comfort of our own living rooms for a virtual audience. Based on W.B. Yeats' The Land of Heart's Desire, our interactive performance reimagined this spooky, mystical tale in a contemporary setting and invited audience members into the performance as guests of Mary and Shawn's (virtual) wedding reception. Devising this project offered so many interesting challenges and opportunities: a bit of writing, a bit of acting, and a crash course in literary adaptation. Everyone wore many hats within this process, and we came out of the experience invigorated by the little bit of magic that our work brought to life.
HEDDA GABLER
West Virginia University
Directed by Robynn Rodriguez
The Experience: This was my graduate thesis, which meant I fueled
this process with deeper research questions than your average performance. I came out of it with an appreciation for how academic investigation can help unsettle our preconceptions about even some of the most well-known stories in theatre history. In a narrative where the titular heroine is so well-established, so loved and reviled, what do we do with sweet, naive, brave little Thea? I was grateful to be working with a director who shared my impulses that there was more to this character than previous research and critique had given credence to. Typing this now is bittersweet, because this was my last show from the "before times," but I was glad to get the chance to live so fully in the shoes of such an often underestimated character from theatre canon.
TWELFTH NIGHT
West Virginia University
Directed by Corey Atkins
The Experience: Shakespeare out of place and time is par for the
course these days, but have you ever seen Twelfth Night set in Greece during a hybrid of the 1770s and 1980s? The minute the director told me the basis for Olivia's costume design was early career Madonna I knew we were in for a good time. This one was packed with hijinks and 80s bops, and I had a blast gliding around the stage in one of the largest wigs I've ever seen outside a drag show.
STORMING HEAVEN: THE MUSICAL
Based on the book Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina
Book by Katy Blake and Peter Davenport
Music and Lyrics by Katy Blake, Flip Anderson, Tracey Lawrence, and Peter Davenport
West Virginia Public Theatre
Directed by Mia Walker
The Experience: Dramaturgy this time! A major step in a new
direction for me.
I had the gift of hundreds of relevant historical resources within steps of our rehearsal space, which proved exceptionally handy when creating a quick yet thorough guide to the Mine Wars for the cast and creative team. Every step in this process underscored how personal this narrative was for the local community, and it was a privilege to be a part of the show's world premiere in a theatre so near to where the events that inspired its source novel took place.
THE MACBETHS
Developed and performed by the Davis Lab Theatre Ensemble
The Experience: Two weeks. That's how long it took us to trim
one of the Bard's most famous works to an hour and twenty and rehearse the sucker before welcoming in an audience. Did I mention there were only six of us, and that I somehow managed to play three different characters who died by stabbing? This was a wild one. We were crazy to try it, and it's even crazier that we managed to pull it off.
THE MOORS
West Virginia University
Directed by Lee Blair
The Experience: What a pithy and strange play, and what an
excellent way to begin my graduate career. I fell in love with Jen Silverman's wit over the course of this project, and as someone who watched all the various version of Pride and Prejudice before I was in high school I appreciated how the script subverted gothic romance tropes in the most delicious and shocking ways. Definitely one I'd love to revisit if the opportunity came again.
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
A STAGED READING
The Experience: This was such a touching and powerful experience.
As a cast we were able to share experiences related to the play over the course of rehearsals - several of the younger members had family members who were Holocaust survivors, and one actor had recently visited the Anne Frank house. The performance felt so present and alive, especially in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, and it served as a stark reminder that the Franks' story remains vital for current audiences.
[GAY] CYMBELINE
Theatre Prometheus
Directed by Tracey Erbacher
Press: ★★★★ "stellar... the dectet [of the cast] works like a well-oiled
machine" -THEATRE BLOOM. ★★★★ "gamely tackles this challenge and offers the audience just enough of a wink and knowing smile..." -DC THEATRE SCENE. "A treat... the cast members should be commended for their comedic timing and physical humor" -BROADWAY WORLD. "crisp and wittily inflected diction along with antic physical comedy" -DC METRO THEATRE ARTS.
The Experience: "Make Shakespeare Gay Again" was our tagline,
and we took it pretty seriously. I got to dive into a number of shoes for this one, including the long-lost Arviragus, but my absolute favorite was playing Cloten's inept yet loyal henchman - highlights included serenading poor Imogen with a rousing ukulele rendition of "Wonderwall."
RIOT
Highwood Theatre
Directed by Sue Schaffel and Garret Schaffel
Press release here
Press: ★★★★★ "so exciting and original, so drop-dead funny and
knock-out suspenseful, that I left the theater dazed and euphoric" -DC METRO THEATRE ARTS.
The Experience: Devised theatre meets improv meets choose your
own adventure meets audience participation - this one had a little bit of everything. This project served as my first taste of interactive theatre and ignited my interest in implicating the audience in the play's story. There was so much power in building to a moment of tension, humor, or violence and then shifting the spotlight so that we were looking into the audience and asking, "in this situation, what would you choose?"
THE NIGHT ALIVE
Scena Theatre
Directed by Robert McNamara
Press: ★★★★★ "authentically and convincingly rendered" -DC
THEATRE SCENE. "bursting with superior, naturalistic, subtle performances" -DC METRO THEATRE ARTS. "Supernaturally good... the characters are instantly sympathetic" -BROADWAY WORLD. "Balances humor and heart... Goff manages to show us the character's warmer side" -DC METRO THEATRE ARTS. "incredibly sobering, yet delightfully hilarious" -MD THEATRE GUIDE.