On Curating Whistler in the Dark Theatre's Schollah Holla Project

01/03/2013

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As some of you know, I became an Artistic Associate of Whistler in the Dark Theatre in late 2011 after numerous collaborations.  Part of what this means is that I have the ability to initiate projects through the organization.

I'm currently curating two ongoing projects that are near and dear to my interests: the Playwright Incubator Program and the Schollah Holla Project.

I'd like to take this opportunity to discuss the Schollah Holla Project, as it has already had public events, and as we have one more Holla coming up soon as part of our programming for our production of Vinegar Tom (January 27th for those of you intending to come).

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THE AVENGERS, TROJAN WOMEN, and the Special Features Section of Live Performance

05/25/2012

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This post is largely about backstory.  I will try to avoid spoilers, but lately I am becoming of the belief that there are very few real spoilers out there for those that are aware of plot structure and the societal background of many of the stories we tell.

I bring this up for two reasons.  One: I recently saw The Avengers (which was awesome).  And two: Whistler in the Dark is not only producing Trojan Women, but through them I have put together (and will be moderating) the pilot panel of a new initiative called Scholars' Echoes, in which advanced doctoral candidates and recent PhDs from New England universities will be sharing their expertise with our audiences.

You may be wondering what these things have in common...



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Despite All of his Contributions to Modern Stage Combat, Capo Ferro Was Not a Fight Director

02/29/2012

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A plate from Capo Ferro's Treatise
Curating information is a task that demands that one think carefully about how various types of material are being presented.

As some of you may have noticed, I recently started working on a page of Stage Combat Resources for this site, as I feel that there is a need for such a thing.  (I also started a more modest one for Playwriting & Dramaturgy, but that is more to guide people to the more established resources that are already out there).  On the stage combat page I've listed (among other things): links to professional organizations, weapons suppliers that I can vouch for, some teaching organizations in NYC that I've trained with, and links to a bunch of stuff by & about me (including my recent McSweeney's interview, which I have to admit made me feel mildly famous).  And perhaps most importantly, a selected bibliography. 

The bibliography is where I am having some trouble.  While books by B.H. Barry and J. Allen Suddeth are obvious and required reading, I don't quite know what to do with Ridolfo Capo Ferro. Or Vincentio Saviolo.  Or Morihei Ueshiba for that matter.  Let me explain... 
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On My Experience @ TEX: Tufts Idea Exchange & The Value of Informal Education on the Internet

02/27/2012

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This past November I was one of two alumni speakers at TEX: Tufts Idea Exchange.  TEX is an event inspired by and modeled on TED.  If you are not familiar with TED, do yourself a favor and click that link.  Be sure that you don't have anyplace important to be for a while. 

I'm coming back to this long-overdue post now in part because I've noticed through social media that they're soliciting speakers again, and to urge anyone among my readership in the Tufts community to apply.  And also, anyone with access to any similar events, like TEDx for instance, to make a point of going and/or somehow getting involved.  (I met many of the people involved in TEDxSomerville, and they are awesome, one of the TEX presenters will actually be speaking at their event).  For something even more informal, check out NerdNite. 

I want to talk specifically about TEX, and generally about what events like this have to offer.  Let's start with my presentation and go from there...

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Some Thoughts on Theatre, Business, and the Internet

01/15/2012

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I've been thinking a lot lately about the relationships between social media, online marketing, and live performance.  I use the plural because the internet is now a broad enough topic that the relationship between say, twitter and audience development is very different than the phenomenon of critics with blogs, which again is very different from online ticket sales, which is again not in the same universe as online script sales and licensing.  On top of this, we now have the phenomenon of active audience participation through smartphones in some performances, as well as some theatres now having a "twitter section" where audiences are welcome to use smartphones to tweet their experiences as they're happening.  (There has recently been a whole lot of discussion on this phenomenon, my feelings on it are mixed and I am waiting to see what comes of putting this policy into effect.)

Now, some of you who know me as a scholar know that one of my major research interests is the entrepreneurial imperative of the American artist, or, in more plain English: the business of being an artist.  A great deal of the business end of things is now happening online.

What follows are some (very) loosely organized thoughts on the relationships between the theatre community and the internet.  (I may expand on specific segments of this post at a later date.)
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In Which I Write About Writing About Books

11/18/2011

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In order to maintain some momentum in the aftermath of my dissertation defense and subsequent graduation, in the past few months I did a couple of book reviews for scholarly journals.  Both reviews will be appearing in the next few months.

My review of Eugenio Barba's latest book, On Directing and Dramaturgy: Burning the House (Routledge: 2009) will appear in the next issue of New England Theatre Journal, and my review of John Donohue's Kage: The Shadow (YMAA: 2011) will soon be appearing in The Journal of Asian Martial Arts.
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Obligatory First Post/What I've Been Doing With My Summer

08/22/2011

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So, here I am with a shiny new web domain.  This is all still very much under construction and as I get more fluent in design elements the site should improve.

This is probably a good time and place to discuss some recent and upcoming projects:

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