This is for mi gente

So I am back in rehearsals. This time assisting DP Alum Davis McCallum on the premiere production of Quiara Alegría Hudes play, WATER BY THE SPOONFUL. We are a week in and Davis has already staged a first draft of Act I. The energy in the room is so great in part because, for some of the team, this is a reunion of sorts. WBTS is the second play in the Elliot trilogy, and was commissioned by Hartford Stage. Davis, also directed the first play in the trilogy as well, with two members of this cast starring in that production. This ethnically diverse cast is so invested in the world of this play, and it is only week two. The play has already opened my eyes to the ways in which I have created community and faced addiction.

Quiara is in the room, observing and responding to the work of Davis and the actors. We've tested new pages and edits daily. To be a part of this process is inspiring, and to feel welcomed into the dialogue about the play feels like a rare gift for an assistant director. What I think I love the most is when Quiara says "I hadn't thought of it in that way, but that could work." Her utter faith in the actors and trust of Davis is awesome, as is her willingness to let the story live. Davis and Quiara have such a great relationship. I NEED more playwright friends.

In more personal news, my kid turns 10 tomorrow. I can hardly believe that I am a parent let alone that I have a child who is 10. I have been a parent practically my entire adult life, and, oddly enough, in a field where women with children seem to have a more difficult go at it, I've been a parent the duration of my professional career. Ok, just needed a moment to reflect on that. On to DirectorFest.

I will be directing Lisa D'Amour's MY CALIFORNIA as part of the Drama League DirectorFest. It is the perfect fit for my taste: poetic, interwoven dialogue, non-linear, musical, and magic. I love it, and am sooooo excited to work on it. December almost seems too far away.

PS - talk about addiction, on Friday the staff at Hartford Stage did a fridge purge and my 2 20oz bottles of Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi were lost in the shuffle. I hadn't labelled them, nor did I think they would disappear. When I came to rehearsal on Saturday and discovered that I would have to make it through the day without my usual fix, I silently wept. I am not even joking...this really happened...my new stash is now clearly labelled.



Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue
Armando Riesco (center) returns as Elliot, joined by Zabryna Guevara (right) as Yaz