Phantom of the Opera @ Synetic

Following my Synetic Theater debut last year with The Snow Queen, I am thrilled to be returning to join the company of The Phantom of the Opera as understudy for the Moncharmin track and as a swing for the remaining male-identifying ensemble members. I am already scheduled to go on for several performances, so please contact me personally and I will happily share those dates. The Phantom of the Opera, a new take on the Gaston Leroux novel in Synetic’s signature, wordless, physical style, runs at Synetic Theater from February 5 to 29 in Crystal City. This production features the Helen Hayes Award-winning trifecta of director Paata Tsikurishvili, performer/choreographer Irina Tsikurishvili, and costume designer Erik Teague. Purchase tickets here. Learn more about Synetic here.

When tragedy strikes, a talented but now scarred ballerina takes refuge deep beneath the Paris Opera House. Years later, she becomes enraptured with the ingenue Christine in the corps de ballet. Known only as the Phantom, she terrorizes the Opera House and manipulates Christine, cultivating her talent and demanding she be cast in more prominent roles. Synetic’s adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera will honor the pathos and beauty of this classic French tale while examining longing, legacy, and the tragedy of unrealized dreams.

Script Evaluator for Sundance Institute

I am elated to join the phenomenal team of evaluators reading scripts for the 2020 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab.

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program emphasizes intensive short-term interactions with creative mentors, held within the context of retreat settings removed from the commercial pressures and other demands of contemporary life. Though the Theatre Program has a long history of supporting the development of US new work for the stage, their international activity also supports mentorship and cross-cultural exchange, focusing now on artists from Arabic-speaking countries based in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Learn more and submit your play for consideration here.

Spring Classes @ iStage, ETC, & BCS

This spring I will continue teaching with Imagination Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, and Educational Theatre Company. If you’ve taken a class with me before, I hope you will join me for another this season so we can continue to develop those skills! Please feel free to contact me directly for further details on how to get registered.

• Main Stage Residency - MOMOTARO!: 2nd to 5th Grade. Wednesdays & Thursdays, 3:45pm to 5:30pm, January 8 through March 13. Educational Theatre Company at McKinley Elementary School - Arlington, VA.

• Acting - Scenes on Stage: 4th & 5th Grade. Sundays, 11:30am to 1:00pm, January 26 to May 10. Imagination Stage - Bethesda, MD.

• Actor’s Toolbox: 6th to 8th Grade. Tuesdays, 3:00pm to 4:15pm, January 14 through March 3. Imagination Stage at Pyle Middle School - Bethesda, MD.

• Drama Club (Resident Voice Instructor): 9th to 12th Grade. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4pm to 6pm, October 2019 to May 2020. Baltimore Center Stage - Baltimore, MD.

• Shakespeare in the Schools: 1st to 12th Grades. Scheduled on a rolling basis. October 2019 to May 2020. Educational Theatre Company at various public and private schools in the Arlington, Alexandria, & Fairfax School Districts.

Stay tuned for more class updates during and after spring break!

Lady from the Village of Falling Flowers Remount @ Baby Wale & Spooky Action

I am pleased to announce that after an extremely successful run at this year’s Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival, the world premiere production of Tennessee Williams’ The Lady from the Village of Falling Flowers will be returning to DC for a limited engagement run. Our puppeteering trio will be performing during happy hour (with each ticket including a complimentary cocktail) on the second floor of acclaimed DC restaurant Baby Wale in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of DC throughout the month of December. Come for the show, stay for dinner! With some shows already sold out, tickets are going fast, so reserve yours now. Reserve tickets here. Read Christopher Henley’s 5-star DC Theatre Scene review here.

However, as a piece truly built to appeal to the child in us all, we will be returning to Spooky Action Theatre’s space on 16th Street for four family-friendly performances to bring the kids to on January 12 & 19, 2020 as well. Kids get in free with the purchase of a ticket for their adult supervision. Reserve those tickets here.

Meet Murasaki Shikibu @ Avant Bard Theatre

I will be joining the cast for a reading of Meet Murasaki Shikibu Followed by Book-Signing, and Other Things by Julia Izumi, in the role of “A Person,” which will be presented by Avant Bard Theatre as part of their Scripts in Play Festival of their 30th season. On the tails of last summer’s American Spies, this piece will be my first time performing a role predominantly written in Japanese. The reading, directed by Dan Westbrook, will take place at Theatre on the Run in Arlington, VA, on Friday, December 13, 2019, at 7:30pm, with a feedback session to follow. More info on the reading here. Learn more about Avant Bard here.

She’s finally doing it. After a millennium, countless translations, and a well-earned place in the literary canon, she’s… going on a book tour. Who? Oh, only Murasaki Shikibu, the semi-anonymous author of, oh, only the first novel in the history of the world, The Tale of Genji. In this sharp satire, a timeless Lady Murasaki visits your favorite small, independent bookstore. She speaks on important historical subjects like juice cleanses, Taylor Swift, the extremely overrated Sei Shonagon, and, when she feels like it, her very important book. Along the way, she’ll touch on a millennia of cultural change, what it means to lose one’s language, and what it feels like to be forgotten before you’re ever properly remembered.

Unexpected Turbulence @ the Fridge

Fresh off its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019, Unexpected Turbulence will be performed for the first time in the United States at the Fridge DC, at 516 8th St. SE. Performed by Alexander Burnett of the École Jacques Lecoq, written by Steven Elliott, and directed by me, this airline comedy that is part drag show, part clown show, will play September 26 & 27 at 8pm. Purchase tickets here.

The Snow Queen @ Synetic Theater

I am thrilled to announce that I’m cast in the ensemble of The Snow Queen at Synetic Theater, directed by Ryan Sellers and adapted by Em Whitworth. This family-friendly theatre for young audiences runs December 3 to 29. Show times alternate between 11am, 1:30pm, and 4pm. Find the performance schedule and purchase tickets here. Learn more about Synetic here.

Join Gerda, a little girl with gumption, a magic mirror, and a quest to save her best friend, as she sets out on a life-changing journey that takes her over mountains and across distant lands to the Snow Kingdom. Once there, she harnesses her inner strength and wit to defeat the coldest threat of all.

By Sea w/ Cohesion Theatre Company

I will be joining the cast of Laura Fuentes’ new play By Sea in the Cornelius / Player King track. The staged reading, directed by Dani Turner, will be the culmination of her Playwrights Fellowship with Cohesion Theatre Company. Performances will take place at 7pm, Saturday, September 14th, and at 2pm, Sunday, September 15th. The venue will be Baltimore Shakespeare Factory’s space at 3900 Roland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21211. Purchase pay-what-you-can tickets here. Learn more about Cohesion here.

Amanda, the steadfast captain of the humble ship Forthright in medieval Elsinore, is trying to keep her business afloat. She must navigate her teenage daughter’s wrath, reluctant noble passengers, rowdy actors, and her unnamed feelings for her first mate all while a certain something is rotting in the state of Denmark.

Fall Classes @ iStage, ETC, & BCS

I am pleased to announce that this fall I will continue teaching with Imagination Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, and Educational Theatre Company. I hope you will join me for a class this autumn. Please feel free to contact me directly for further details on how to get registered.

• Fundamentals of Acting: 4th & 5th Grade. Sundays, 11:30am to 1:00pm, September 22 to November 24. Imagination Stage - Bethesda, MD.

• Acting Out: 2nd to 5th Grade. 12:30pm-3:30pm daily, October 21 to November 1. Educational Theatre Company at Barcroft School Intersession - Arlington, VA.

• Fairytale Remix: 3rd to 5th Grade. Mondays, 2:45pm to 3:45pm, October 7 to December 9. Educational Theatre Company at Charles Barrett Elementary School - Arlington, VA.

• Drama Club (Resident Voice Instructor): 9th to 12th Grade. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4pm to 6pm, October 2019 to May 2020. Baltimore Center Stage - Baltimore, MD.

• Young Playwrights Festival Residency: 6th to 8th Grades. October 2019 to December 2019. Baltimore Center Stage at Deep Creek Middle School - Essex, MD.

• Pre- & Post-Show Workshops for Baltimore Center Stage’s Men on Boats: 6th to 12th Grades. December 2019. Baltimore Center Stage at Deep Creek Middle School & Baltimore City College.

• Shakespeare in the Schools: 1st to 12th Grades. Scheduled on a rolling basis. October 2019 to May 2020. Educational Theatre Company at various public and private schools in the Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax School Districts.

Acting & Improv, April 2018, Dahl Arts Center (Rapid City, SD)

Dirty Laundry @ Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival

I will be joining the cast of Dirty Laundry by Amanda Zeitler as The Tramp, for Nu Drafts, staged readings of five new plays and a talkback presented by Nu Sass Productions for the 18th Annual Page to Stage New Play Festival at the Kennedy Center. This free, public, staged reading excerpt, directed by Nicole Marie Maneffa, will be performed in the brand new venue, the Reach, on Saturday, August 31, from 12pm to 1:30pm. Learn more about the Page to Stage Festival here. Learn more about Nu Sass Productions here.