Getting Started

Hi Everyone - Laura here.

I couldn't agree more with everything David has said. These experiences have blown my mind, and I have been continually struck by what a singular opportunity this fellowship is. Where else can you become part of a small "ensemble" of directors, work with actors of such a high caliber, be welcomed into the theatre community by such an established and generous community of alumni, staff, and board members, and be challenged to do the best work you possibly can??

The staff and board were gave us such a warm welcome throughout our Wonder Week and retreat. And I must second David's comment that being cut off from New York for four days was just about the best thing that could've happened to us.
So my schedule is slightly different from the other Fab 3 this year, in that I already completed one of my two assistantships. I had the incredible opportunity to serve as the assistant director on TWELFTH NIGHT for the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park, directed by Daniel Sullivan and featuring a cast of some of my all-time favorite performers.

The best thing that came out of this assistantship was a rekindled love of Shakespeare. I hadn't worked on Shakespeare since college, and never as in depth as in this process. I got to watch this outstanding cast, each of whom came from a very different theatrical background, come together to deliver a smooth, buoyant, ensemble-driven production. Watching Dan, who has directed a lot of Shakespeare (and two other TWELFTH NIGHTs), Barry Edelstein from The Public, who literally wrote the book on performing Shakespeare, and the inimitable vocal coach Liz Smith gently guide this cast through the process was amazing. The work on the text was in depth, so that the cast had a real ownership of the words. But there was also room to play and discover live, spontaneous moments in rehearsal. There is a lot of music in the script for TWELFTH NIGHT, and our production took full advantage of that. The band Hem composed gorgeous music, which I never tired of hearing -- of course having it sung by Raul Esparza, Anne Hathaway, David Pittu, and Audra MacDonald didn't hurt.

This was a huge show with a cast of 26, a stage management team of half a dozen, and a house of 1800 seats -- definitely the largest production I've ever worked on. For me, it meant that there was always something to do, which isn't always the case for an assistant director. I had daily pow-wows with stage management to update them on text, props, costumes, or music, changes. I took down blocking, attended production meetings, and kept track of details pertaining to everything from marketing to the set design. By the time we moved into tech (or as I like to call it, Monsoon Season) at the Delacorte, I had a good handle on all the elements of the show, and was able to make myself useful.

I got to watch this show go from casting to rehearsal to tech and finally to being received by packed audiences every night. And now, it seems that I've got Shakespeare back in my life to stay. Both monologues I was given to direct at the retreat were by the Bard (one from TWELTFH NIGHT, in fact). I'm currently directing an Opera/Theatre event called "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," for the Old Vic New Voices Network, and my second Drama League assistantship will be assisting Diane Paulus at the A.R.T. in Boston on a gospel and R&B adaptation of THE WINTERS TALE called BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!

So my Drama League experience is off to a tremendous start. And my new pals Mike, Ed, and David are rocking my world. Our shared loves of theatre, travel, and most importantly FOOD have made us fast friends. It's strange to be without them after our two intense weeks together -- but we already have multiple dinner parties planned.

Next up: picking my Directorfest piece! Too bad Shakespeare didn't write any one-acts....

(posted by Laura)

[photo: the retreat company at Stump Sprouts]