Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Education: University of Utah (Actor’s Training Program)
Why theater?: Because it is a communal experience that incorporates the audience. The energy exchange between audience and performers is always so fascinating and exciting to me. How the audience affects the performance and how the performance affects the audience. Also I love the collaborative process.
Tell us about And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little?: Miss Reardon… is a dark comedy about three sisters trying to hold on and move forward.
What inspired you to direct And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little?: Initially I was struck by the dynamics of an all-female family of educated, career oriented women in the late 1960’s. All of the characters have such depth and are witty and smart and wonderfully wounded. During my research, I was struck by how many clear political and cultural parallels there are between 1968 (when our play is set) and our current environment. I was excited to explore how those external pressures influenced this family. Also, it is a dream to work with such a sensational cast and phenomenal designers and crew.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I am often inspired by paintings or photographs and how a single image can tell an entire story or express an unfeigned emotion. I will often try to capture moments like that on stage, where a character reveals their underbelly and the audience gets a snapshot of something profound.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Well before this production, I would have said Sara Thigpen… but here I am enjoying working with her on Miss Reardon…. There are so many artists that I would love to work with: Nat Cassidy, Jordana Williams, Ari Laura Kreith, Mac Rogers, Greg Oliver Bodine, Savian Stanescu, Carl Andress... Seriously, I could go on and on.
What show have you recommended to your friends?: Whenever I have friends come to NYC, I always encourage them to see shows that are running Off and Off-Off-Broadway. The Broadway shows are obvious. If you are coming to NYC, of course you are going to see a Broadway show. However, some of the most memorable experiences are performed on intimate stages. I love the work of the NY Neo Futurists, Gideon Productions, stuff at HERE Arts Center, The Brick, LaMama, and of course Retro Productions.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: It would be called “Taking the Shay,” which is a term that my friends use – it’s a little embarrassing. “Taking the Shay” is basically making a decision. It is like when a group of people are all standing around talking about where to go for dinner and it just keeps going around-and-around and finally someone says, “That’s it. We’re going for Indian food.”
If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I would have loved to see some Ancient Greek theatre.
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Peeps and video games.
If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: My immediate reaction to this was marketing and psychology. But really if you were to blend marketing and psychology up in a blender… you’d get theatre.
What’s up next?: The New York Innovative Theatre Awards. Basically Miss Reardon… ends just in time for us to start production for the 2017 awards.