In what way/s are you involved with THE NAKED I: SELF-DEFINED?
I am directing Black Hole Queers by Jayce Koester.
Why is it important to tell the stories in THE NAKED I?
Visibility, community engagement, and healing. The vast array of individuals that make up the Queer/Trans and Queer/Trans POC community possess a plethora of experiences, stories, and identities that should be celebrated openly, validated, and given a home. Naked I is an opportunity to shape that home in a world where we find a lot of stigma and marginalization.
What aspects of your identity do you hope to express through your involvement with THE NAKED I?
My blackness, my fluidity, my femme-ness, and my creativity.
Talk about your background as an artist. What sort of artistic experience are you bringing to this production?
My performance background is primarily in ensemble acting and spoken word. But as a student at Augsburg College I studied playwriting and a bit of technical theatre. I’m bringing to this production a variety of tools and experience that I hope shines through in this awesome show.
What social issues are important to you and how do they inform your work?
Homelessness and education. Many Trans/Queer folks need accessible safe housing and educational institutions that support us instead of leave us behind. Ultimately, it all boils down to safety and I think Black Hole Queers is a piece that gives power to Trans/Queer folks to embrace themselves and simultaneously let it be known that we will not be discarded or disrespected.
What other artists or shows have inspired you?
Sha Cage. She’s been doing amazing work for years and I value and adore her tenacity as an artist and educator.
What is your favorite hangout spot and why?
I don’t really have one. I just prefer to be with/around the people I love.
When not involved in this production, how do you spend your time? What are some of your hobbies?
Writing, drawing, playing video games, reading, cooking, and spending time with people dear to me.
Tell us about your pets, real or imaginary.
I had two parakeets when I was kid that my parent got rid of because I was not responsible. I let them out of their cage to fly around the house around Christmas and they ended up resting in our Christmas tree after exploring, but they were really cute.
What other projects are you working on or hope to work on?
Hopefully just performing more and completing a chapbook, maybe even being selected for the Catalyst Series at Intermedia Arts. Those are my main artistic goals for the year.
Through the lens of Greek tragedy, If We Were Birdspresents an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its devastating aftermath, particularly for the women who become its victims.
20% Theatre Company is excited to present this beautiful, shocking and brutal new play by Erin Shields at Nimbus Theater September 13-27, 2014. Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you the chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this interview, meet actor Ethan Bjelland.
Actor – Ethan Bjelland
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?
I got to play Johnny Appleseed in this 15 minute community theatre play in my little town of Decorah, Iowa, when I was, like, five or so. I loved wearing a pan on my head and playing improv games, and then I was hooked.
I performed in community theatre and school productions growing up, and I felt totally at home on the stage. When I was experiencing the worst, and most dramatic parts of high school life, I would sneak into the school auditorium and turn on the lights and just lay on the stage to get away from everyone. I’d start to make up monologues of things I wanted to say in real life, but could only find words for in a theater, with rehearsal.
I planned to become an elementary school music teacher, but instead, fell right back into theatre at Gustavus Adolphus College. I found a student troupe of people using theatre as a tool for social justice (“I Am We Are”). There is so much value in a theatrical process and performance as a way of learning and teaching about humanity.
Since College I’ve performed around the state, settling recently in Minneapolis, and have been completely thrilled at how welcoming and personal the artist community is here!
What excites you most about If We Were Birds?
I am fascinated by the myth itself, and the depth of the characters in this retelling. I was cast as Pandion in college, in another version of this story, The Love of the Nightingale, by Timberlake Wertenbaker, and I felt so attached to the story and the themes, and I devoured so much of my time in rehearsal trying to figure out what was going on with the characters in the myth that drives them to do what they do. This play recontextualizes the entire plot, and flips so many of the characters on their heads for me–they all feel so local and tangible. (And I’ve only had two rehearsals so far!) Myths, like fables, are so often less about the souls of the people than the situation and outcome of the plot they find themselves in. If We Were Birds speaks with soul.
What is your role in the play? What do you think will be the most challenging and/or rewarding part of performing this role?
I play Tereus, the son of Ares, the god of war. Ethan, however, the son of Scott and Sue Bjelland of small-town Iowa, is scared of guns and war, and isn’t really excited about excessive competition or displays of oo-rah masculinity. So that’s already a bit of a battle to connect with. I’m definitely working with some tough themes… It’s difficult to find motivation and honesty behind a character with whom you almost hate more than you sympathize after your first read.
Tell us a little bit about the character. Is this role similar to roles you have played in the past or will this be a stretch for you?
Tereus may feel like a bit of stretch for me at the start, but we have commonalities that come up each time we rehearse a moment with the other actors. As I mentioned, this is such a relationship-based piece, because so much of who Tereus is in any given scene hangs on how he is viewed by the other characters. So far, I can say that Tereus is probably more introverted than I am, but he plots and rehearses what he’s going to do in battle, just like I rehearse for a show, or like I would rehearse what I wanted to be and say in high school. I find that his weakness lies in his emotions. Tereus always wants to be in control of his emotions in order to make clear, sound decisions, and when he loses control, he works quickly to fix what is broken, and pack them all back up. I can find so much in that.
What do you hope the audience will walk away from this production knowing, feeling, or thinking after seeing If We Were Birds?
This play will strike many chords, I’m sure. Gender, sexuality, violence and war are not always black and white. There’s so much more than just the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ to so many of these stories, even though they may seem clear from the outside. On the inside, however, the relationships, the brutality, and the conflicts are still very human and motivated.
What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?
I speak Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish, and I am a Norwegian teacher with Mindekirken Norwegian Language and Culture Program in Minneapolis. I also work at Moods of Norway, the cooky Norwegian fashion brand that has just opened its third American store in the Mall of America. (Huge name in Norway, I promise). I like coffee and black licorice and salted caramel, and I am a big fan of awkward situations, paperclips, night walks and night games.
What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?
Right now, I could eat my way through the Twin Cities. There are so many awesome foodies, restaurants, and urban farmers.
What is your favorite type of bird?
A friend of mine told me about this type of parrot called a Kakapo. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated, and I would get really excited if I got to see one sometime, in real life. It’s endangered, can only be found in New Zealand, and cannot fly because it’s so big. It looks and moves like a big green beaver mixed with an owl, and has the most adorable pudgy face and beady eyes. Instead, it uses its wings to parachute off of trees, and its huge feet to climb them. They live to be about 60 or 70 years old and they only mate when this specific New Zealand pine tree makes a lot of pine cones. They also do this really weird mating ritual called “lekking”… Sage Grouse do it, too. And there are some pretty funny videos of lekking out there, in case you’re interested…
Through the lens of Greek tragedy, If We Were Birdspresents an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its devastating aftermath, particularly for the women who become its victims.
20% Theatre Company is excited to present this beautiful, shocking and brutal new play by Erin Shields at Nimbus Theater September 13-27, 2014. Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you the chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this interview, meet stage management apprentice Chandler Daily.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?
My little sister did theater when we were kids, and I wanted to as well but did not get my kicks from acting. Someone gave me an opportunity to stage manage a play called The Curious Savage my freshman year of high school and I have been doing that ever since. I love everything about theater, and no aspect is really boring to me, from the front of house to the sound design to the dramaturgy. That’s why I love being a stage manager, it’s the one place where I get to be a part of all of it. It really hasn’t occurred to me to do something else with my life.
What originally drew you to 20% Theatre’s Apprentice Program?
I have been an admirer of 20% since I moved to the Twin Cities for school and always hoped to work here someday. It has long been my goal to make theater that speaks to the lives of queer people, transgender people and women, and 20% Theatre does such amazing work that is so crucial to the community here. I also appreciate how dedicated 20% is to supporting artists, and I was drawn to the learning opportunity that an apprenticeship would provide as I start working more in the professional theatre community.
What do you hope to learn or gain from this apprenticeship with 20% Theatre and If We Were Birds?
I hope to gain a new perspective on stage management and an opportunity to develop best practices in a way that I don’t get to when I stage manage and have to spend my time staving off crises instead of reflecting on strategies. I have also had the amazing chance to learn a lot about various artistic processes through observation. It has been amazing to work with so many wonderful feminist artists in the warm cocoon that is 20%. They somehow manage to be close-knit and familial while staying incredibly open and welcoming. It’s pretty magical.
What do you think will be the most challenging and/or rewarding part of ASMing this production?
So far, I have really enjoyed watching Lee direct and work through the material with the actors. It has been an incredibly beautiful and organic process full of emotional and artistic collaboration. I anticipate it will be challenging to support actors when they have incredibly strong relationships with some of their fellow actors, and rarely if ever share the stage with others, given that this is a play where many of the characters are existing on entirely different planes and have been rehearsing separately. If that sounds vague and mysterious, good! Come see the play!
What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?
I am a junior at Hamline University, where I’m on the executive board of Spectrum and do other queer organizing. I am especially passionate in educating other queer and transgender people about their sexual health and empowerment, and building more inclusive radical communities. In my free time, I talk to my little sister, read, and seek out increasingly obscure punk bands on the internet.
What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?
I love how supportive and interconnected the communities are here. Maybe it’s just the infamous “Minnesota Nice” attitude, or maybe it’s that the Twin Cities are much smaller than my home city of Chicago, but I feel like artists and activists here are interested first and foremost in building strong connections and communities. I have experienced so many people reaching out to me since I moved here, giving me opportunities to grow as a theater maker. There has never been a sense of competition or gatekeeping with anyone.
Through the lens of Greek tragedy, If We Were Birdspresents an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its devastating aftermath, particularly for the women who become its victims.
20% Theatre Company is excited to present this beautiful, shocking and brutal new play by Erin Shields at Nimbus Theater September 13-27, 2014. Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you the chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this interview, meet actor Jill Iverson.
Actor – Jill Iverson
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?
I grew up in a very small town in Northern Wisconsin where music was consistently being sung and played. I would watch movie musicals at my grandma’s house every time we visited and have been enamored with stories from a young age. I began doing theater, because my brother was doing it. Dress up, clowning, and make-believe have always been a part of my life, and the more I refine and grow in my craft the more in love with theater I become.
What excites you most about If We Were Birds?
If We Were Birds is such a challenging piece of theater upon first read…and second…and… it will just always be tough, because it is real. These situations still happen everyday, somewhere in the world. You can’t shy away from the material because it is all right there in it’s most basic and honest form. Erin Shields is a powerhouse in her language and makes the images remarkably vivid. These stories are not traditionally spoken aloud by the ones inflicted. This play has a kind of unique responsibility to the text and it’s origins past and present. These are the stories that need to be heard.
What is your role in the play? What do you think will be the most challenging and/or rewarding part of performing this role?
I am playing the role of Procne, elder sister to Philomela and wife to Thereus. The most challenging part will be allowing the play to work on me every performance and visiting those scary dark places. This play is such an acting gift to women, who primarily interact with other men on stage. Her relationship with Philomela is a part of sisterhood we don’t see viewed as often as we see rivalry. I am delighted to play such a strong, lion-hearted woman.
Tell us a little bit about the character. Is this role similar to roles you have played in the past or will this be a stretch for you?
Procne is such a strong maternal figure in this piece. I feel she embodies everything society values within a mother. She is such a beacon of love and courage up until the end, when her trials have proved too great to be handled graciously. This role will definitely be a stretch because as a viewer one is completely on her side until she does the unspeakable. Making that switch believable and valid for the character is going to be my greatest challenge.
What do you hope the audience will walk away from this production knowing, feeling, or thinking after seeing If We Were Birds?
The effect of this piece, like every piece, will be different for everyone depending on their world view. What I hope happens is discussion and awareness into a committed compassion within daily life. That is the dream. If an injustice is happening anywhere it needs to be discussed and a solution pursued. I think some people may feel violated, but I also hope they ask themselves how they view others that seem different or lesser than themselves and how the consequences of that thinking might be if viewed on a grander scale. If you sit with outright cruelty long enough, the only solution is its opposite. I want these women in the play to be seen and their voices to be heard. However that extends outside the theater is completely dependent on the viewer.
What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?
Singing makes me happy! I also nanny throughout the workweek. I find children fascinating, and I love getting the chance to view the world through their untainted eyes on a daily basis. They challenge and compel me to consistently question my views on everyday life. It’s pretty cool!
What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?
The theater scene in the Twin Cities is so varied and compelling. Fringe Fest is definitely a yearly highlight to participate in because you really get to see just how vast the community is. Summer in the cities is like one continuous block party. We don’t take a beautiful day for granted.
What is your favorite type of bird?
I have always loved birds in all shapes and forms, but my first really profound memory was when my mom pointed out a Blue Heron to me and we watched it take off. Watching a bird of that magnitude take flight at sunset in your home town is pretty breath-taking. Every time I see one in the wild I have to stop and marvel at it for a while.
Through the lens of Greek tragedy, If We Were Birdspresents an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its devastating aftermath, particularly for the women who become its victims.
20% Theatre Company is excited to present this beautiful, shocking and brutal new play by Erin Shields at Nimbus Theater September 13-27, 2014. Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you the chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In our first interview, meet actor Siddeeqah Shabazz.
Actor – Siddeeqah Shabazz
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?
I got into theatre when I was about 14 years old. My dad didn’t want us hanging around the house another summer so he got my sister and me into the Black Rep. Group Theatre. We did The Wiz and it was my first play and I was hooked from then.
What excites you most about If We Were Birds?
I can’t wait to see the set. I have a vivid picture in my mind and I want to see if it’ll come close to that. I am also enjoying everyone’s voice. The characters that are already starting to form with just the few rehearsals we’ve had.
What is your role in the play? What do you think will be the most challenging and/or rewarding part of performing this role?
The Bleeding One (part of the chorus). The most challenging thing is making sure I portray this character just right. She’s a more outside herself than usual and I want to show that and her strength and her tenacity. I think that’s the most rewarding too.
Tell us a little bit about the character. Is this role similar to roles you have played in the past or will this be a stretch for you?
This will definitely be a stretch for me. She is a strong woman. She doesn’t have much but what she clings to is enough to still show hope and life and the willingness to keep going.
What do you hope the audience will walk away from this production knowing, feeling, or thinking after seeing If We Were Birds?
I’m not sure yet. It’s still early and I’m still growing/learning.
What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?
Teen programming at Pillsbury House Theatre.
What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?
This place is very community based so the block parties, concerts, festivals that happen all summer and it really brings people together.
This week, our Communication & Development Intern, Brianna Olson-Carr, interviewed Intrigue With Faye Assistant Stage Manager, Emma Squire.
Q: Tell us a little about you and your background…. How did you get into theatre, and specifically stage management? A: I started performing in children’s theatre when I was 8 years old after my parents recognized that I loved being on stage but that tutus and tap shoes weren’t for me. After years of performing I all but dropped theatre in college, only performing in a few student productions. Out of boredom the summer after my junior year I started volunteering as an ASM at the TRYPS Children’s Theatre in Missouri. I enjoyed it, I fit backstage better than I had expected. Three days after graduating college with a Art History and History degree I started working as a stage manager at TRYPS.
Q: What is your favorite part of the rehearsal and/or production process?
A: I really enjoy tech week (which many people loathe). The adrenaline! The malfunctions! The problem solving! Only having time to think about the production…
Q: What are some of the challenges? A: Having a group of intelligent, artistic, and ambitious people working on a time sensitive project together will inevitably result in some head-butting, but its also exciting. Trying not to let conflicts disturb the flow of the production can be challenging.
Q: How did you get involved with 20% Theatre Company, and what has your experience been like?
A: I responded to a post for an ASM for Faye on Minnesota Playlist after checking out 20% Theatre Company’s website. I was really excited about the work they were doing and
luckily was granted an interview with Claire (Executive Director) and Nicole (Director of Intrigue With Faye).
Q: What types of shows do you enjoy stage managing? Any favorites? A: I really enjoy working on large musicals. I enjoy the pacing, large casts, and working with music. However, as an audience member, I would rather go see a small ensemble play – like Faye – because I feel I can relate more to the story and characters.
Q: What are some of your other interest/hobbies when you’re not working on a show? A:I like going to concerts, trying out new bars and restaurants, karaoke, beer tasting, cooking, and watching British television shows!
This week, our Communication & Development Intern, Brianna Olson-Carr, interviewed set designer, Karen Lee Tait, who designed the set for Intrigue With Faye.
Q: Can you tell us a little but about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?
A: I originally grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then moved to Columbus, Ohio, with a goofy accent and a history of renovating houses with my family. We fixed up three houses in six years so I got pretty good at laying floor and building cabinets. I was on the bus one day when these two ladies came up to me and asked me if I would be interested in building them a window seat for their play. I was desperate for friends so I went along with them. I had acted a little here and there, but coming from a small school I was clueless about tech and had no idea how sets were built! That window seat I built for them was to code and weighed a TON! We would joke that if a bomb ever went off we would all climb into it and use it as shelter. It was absolutely ridiculous. I quickly learned how to build things efficiently and cheaply. There was no going back after that – I was totally hooked. When I went to college at Bowling Green State University, I spent a few years studying Biology. I was dead-set on being a dentist, which didn’t last long. Two days after graduating in December 2011, I packed up everything I own into my itty-bitty Kia and started driving. I was planning on moving to Chicago but hit rush-hour traffic and saw my life flash in slow motion before my eyes. I kept on driving and was lucky enough to land a few jobs within the first couple days of moving to the Twin Cities.
Q: What attracted you to set design?
I never meant to be a set designer! As a carpenter, bringing other peoples’ designs to life, it is difficult to not let your own ideas surface. I’m totally a visual learner. I have to see something to understand it. One time in college I had to read The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In order to understand what the main character was doing in her chambers I started sketching rooms. Where was the bed? Where did the light source come from? Where were the cracks in the wall? Those kind of sketches were all over my English Textbooks. My designs become completely inundated with meaning behind every little detail. Ever take an English class? An author misspells a word and suddenly that extra letter means something. The color of his shirt…means something…the double layer baseboard…means something. It just happened and again, there was no turning back.
Q: How did you get involved with 20% Theatre Company?
A: I stumbled across 20% Theatre on Minnesota Playlist’s website, and sent Claire an email in attempt to learn more about the company and the work that they do. I had just had two great interviews for local theatre companies and then wasn’t hired because of my “lack of real-world experience.” I was hitting a wall, and it hurt. If you don’t give me a job, how will I ever gain real-world experience? The 20% Theatre website was encouraging because it mentioned how they provide learning opportunities for the underrepresented and green. I put that to the test and was lucky enough to be hired to design their winter mainstage production. This has been an amazing opportunity that I am so very grateful for. I have learned a lot about myself as a solo artist, carpenter, designer, and teacher.
Q: What is your favorite genre or type of theater to design? What are some plays on your set design “dream list”?
A: This is a tough question, as I don’t feel I’ve been in this field long enough to be partial to one genre over another. I’m just excited to work on any play offered to me! For me, it is all about the director and their vision. If a director comes to me and says: “I want a green wall with purple trim and 4.5ft between point A and prop B” I have nothing to design. I’m shut down. The director has dictated exactly what they want to see and has given me zero room to collaborate. In the case of Intrigue With Faye, Nicole gave me a thought, a philosophy, a place to go, a painting, and a sentence that summed up her feeling about the show. In this case I felt such a freedom…… Now, what is my budget?!
Q: What are some of your other interests/hobbies when you’re not covered in paint or sawdust?
A: I am currently planning a hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2014 — over 2,000 miles, and it will take about six months. So, when I am not covered in paint or sawdust, I put on my wool socks with lace trim and my boots, pack my bag and take a hike. I trade the paint and sawdust for dirt and grime. (BTW – I really do believe there is always room to feel pretty and about 90% of the time my socks really do have lace on them.)
20% Theatre Company’s new Communication & Development Intern, Brianna Olson-Carr, is helping us launch ARTIST INTERVIEWS for our new blog! This week, we interviewed Nicole Wilder, company member, workshop facilitator, and director! Nicole has directed and co-directed numerous plays for 20% Theatre, and is the director of our winter show, Intrigue With Faye by Kate Robin, performing January 25-Ferbruary 9 at Nimbus Theatre.
Q: How/when/why did you get into theatre?
A: I started pursuing theatre in 7th grade by way of acting. Honestly, I think I first got involved because I wasn’t really into sports but didn’t particularly like taking the bus home after school, so why not? Having rehearsals meant I was guaranteed a ride home 5 nights a week. I had always exhibited a flair for the dramatic, though (just ask my mom). So I think I fell into it pretty naturally.
Q: What drew you to directing, specifically?
A: A professor I had in graduate school, Dr. Paul Jackson, really opened my eyes to the power of directing. I realized I had things to say. I realized I could say them much louder with theatre. I realized that through the act of directing, I could live my politics in lots of ways…in the plays I picked, in my casting choices, in my rehearsal process, in the way I treat my audience…Directing became my conversation starter and a megaphone for the ideas that are important to me.
Q: How did you get involved with 20% Theatre Company?
A: I first got involved with 20% Theatre through an open call for directors, back when we were working on The Naked I: Monologues from Beyond the Binary. Although…20% had been on my radar way before then. 20% Theatre Company’s mission and my desire to work with other socially conscious artists basically pulled me back to the Twin Cities from Ohio.
Q: What drew you to Intrigue with Faye? How would you describe the play to someone who knows nothing about it?
A: So remember everything I said about being a socially conscious artist? Forget all of that for a second. What drew me to Intrigue with Faye initially was that I saw myself in both of the characters (how scary is that?). However, I personally don’t believe that’s a good enough reason to actually go through all the work of staging a play. I wouldn’t ask an audience to watch me put me on stage. I think it was my desire to make sense of these flawed characters that kept me interested in staging this production. These characters and their sick interactions are a symptom of something bigger…something we all need to talk about. These characters suffer from a lack of presence in their own lives. Constructing my concept and rehearsing this production became an exploration of that “something bigger”.
Q: Why should people come see Intrigue with Faye and/or what do you hope audiences will walk away with after seeing it?
A: People should come and see Intrigue with Faye because there is a little Kean and Lissa in all of us (the two main characters). We all suffer from a lack of presence. We all suffer from a fear that our emotions are just a little too much…that with some distance from our emotions, we’ll be better off. This production challenges that notion. Or maybe it doesn’t. Really, it’s up to you to decide. But you can’t decide unless you show up. I hope that after seeing this production, audience members will walk away a little more likely to actually look at the person they are with instead of burying themselves in their smartphone. I hope that the next time they see a beautiful sunset or a really cute kid or a hilarious typo on a billboard, they will make an effort to capture the moment with their mind instead of their camera. Looking at the world through a viewfinder so you can obsessively document your existence through Facebook or Instagram is one way to live, but it’s not the only way to live. Let’s use technology for what it’s meant for: to augment our reality, not to replace it.
Q: Talk about working with a two-person cast. What are the delights and challenges?
A: Working with a two person cast makes for a very tight team. I make a conscious choice to work collaboratively, and working collaboratively and reaching consensus tends to be easier with a smaller group. Of course, it’s also a challenge. There’s no diffusion of responsibility. Everyone has to bring their A-game all the time. Fortunately for me, I had a stellar cast and production team to work with.
Q: Do you prefer directing new plays?
A: I prefer doing new things. You can do new things with an old play, and you can also do old, boring things with a brand new script. It’s not so much the publication date that determines whether a play is old or new in my mind. That said, if I had my choice, I would create devised work all the live long day, with all sorts of people. I guess that means I prefer directing SUPER new plays.
Q: Where else have you lived/worked, and how do you think the Minneapolis theatre scene differ from elsewhere in the country?
A: I grew up in St. Cloud and attended the College of St. Benedict, so I guess I’m a local gal at heart. I earned my MA in Theatre from Miami University, which is pretty close to Cincinnati, OH. I have also studied in Athens and in Rome, and I spent a summer doing nothing but seeing theatre in the Czech Republic. I love the Minneapolis Theatre scene. I think it’s vibrant and diverse, not just because there are so many theatre makers, but because there are so many theatre watchers. Here in Minneapolis, more than in most places, we understand that to make theatre, all you really need is an actor and an audience and an idea, all in the same place at the same time. That means that as long as people keep showing up, theatre can be (and is) everywhere.
Q: What are your other interests aside from theatre/directing?
A: I also sing in a band called Spencer McGillicutty, and I’m learning to play the ukulele. I try to write every day. I love to paint. I like knowing a little bit about a lot of things. I like talking to strangers. Laughing is my favorite thing.
