Blizzard

I have been having a great time with my family in Michigan for the holidays.
My flight was scheduled to take off tomorrow morning but, alas, the blizzard on the east coast has taken over.
I will be in Michigan for another 2 days! It will be nice to spend more time with my family and write my fellowship applications.

On Wednesday I head to Boston, then Friday back to NYC to prep for Ave of the Americas and Bite the Apple.

Monday January 3rd starts Bite the Apple and Tuesday January 4th starts Ave of the Americas-2011 here I come!

Exhale

Home with my family for Christmas.
While I am home I will be prepping for Ave of the Americas and Bite the Apple.
Both shows are cast and in good shape going into the holidays.

Madame Bovary went exceptionally well. I'll write more about it later, right now I am a bit tired out.

Merry Christmas!

Madame Bovary-The Tank

In case you have forgotten; Madame Bovary is at The Tank tomorrow (Sunday) night at 7pm. It's the first reading of this baby play.
Come out and see what's cookin!

The Tank is on West 45th street between 8th and 9th ave.

DirectorFest-Check! Onward with Madame Bovary!

After two and a half weeks of hard work DirectorFest has finally come to a close.
Overall it was much smoother than last year, but the crowds were smaller.
It's always a relief to finish DirectorFest because it means Christmas Vacation is coming soon!

But before Christmas there is Madame Bovary at The Tank!

It's the first full reading of Madame Bovary, the play I've been adapting the past few months. It started in May at The Directors Company and I started writing again after The Tank gave me the space and time to do the reading for free, amazing!

I'm putting the finishing touches on the script tonight, one scene is giving me a hard time between Leon and Emma. The problem is that their entire relationship at the start has no words, only feelings. Lots and lots of feelings. I wish I could write "They stare at each other for 5 minutes until the audience gets the idea" but that isn't helpful to anyone.

In case you want to join me Madame Bovary will be at The Tank (on west 45th between 8th and 9th ave) at 7pm on Sunday December 19th.

After Madame Bovary I get a nice vacation in Michigan to see my family for a week before heading back to NYC to prep for Ave of the Americas and Bite the Apple. Both shows rehearse in January. I also have to start getting fellowship stuff together-yikes!

DirectorFest 2009

Today is load in for DirectorFest.
This next week will be awful for me.

I will be miserable until Monday December 13th at 3pm-that is when it's all over and wrapped up.

Ugh......

The Actors Studio

I have been invited to join The Actors Studio Playwright/Director Unit.

A piece of good news during DirectorFest is always welcome.

DirectorFest Day One

Today marks the first rehearsal of Directorfest.
I am the co-production manager with the wonderful Peggy Samuels.
I'm not going to talk much about it because, well, there isn't much to tell. It is two weeks of crazy that takes up my entire being.

Lucky for me we have four wonderful directors and I have an amazing intern.

I think of it as a test of organization and sanity. Also, sitting in the theatre gives me extra time to prep for Bovary.

Alright, that was it. DIRECORFEST here we go.

Thanksgiving "Vacation"

The four days off for Thanksgiving are a mini countdown of stress for me.
I know that tomorrow begins DIRECTORFEST at Drama League and marks the fact that I have 3 weeks to put together MADAME BOVARY.

Awesome.

Ave of the America-CAST

I am thrilled to announce the cast of Ave of the Americas by Martin Blank.

Laura Yost: Katie
Timothy J. Cox: Jay Green
Chris Davis: Phil
Virginia Bartholomew: Woman
Leo Goodman: Man

We start rehearsals on January 4th.

I am also directing for Adaptations Workshop with The Directors Company in January. It's a very excited new play exploring the ladies of Grimms Fairy Tales by Linda Manning.

Ave of the Americas and Directors Company

Check out the Ave of the Americas logo!
Cast to be announced this week.

In other news; The Directors Company has changed their format for the Adaptations Workshop. Now they only take two projects a session. For the upcoming session Nagle Jackson invited me to direct the second piece. I am thrilled to be joining the team. It will be a joy to work on another project with The Directors Company.

Director/Dramatists Exchange

Today I am being represented as one of 20 directors in the Director/Dramatist exchange in Chicago.
The event is being held tonight at The Goodman Theatre.
Since I could not make it out, my information has been passed along to all of the attendees and the master of ceremonies will give my introduction.
I have been looking for more regional work, hopefully this will spark some new collaborations in Chicago.
Thank you to Elizabeth for allowing me to be absentee.

Ave of Americas

Avenue of the Americas auditions are today with callbacks tomorrow.
We have a full schedule of about 100 actors coming in for the roles.
I only called in one actor, Timothy Cox, whom I've worked with on several occasions.
We are casting this weekend to have the rehearsal schedule in place before Thanksgiving.
I am looking forward to seeing Martin Blank, the playwright, and our two amazing producers, Phil Newsome and Kristin Cantwell.

Theatre this week

Theatre I have seen/are seeing this week:

Tuesday-Long Story Short, Colin Quinn's One Man Show
Thursday-Elf
Friday-Double Pinter bill with Atlantic at Classic Stage

Long Story Short was fun, my biggest problem was that it is not a Broadway Show, it's a comedy routine. That being said it was an enjoyable night out with my best friend Anna.

I cannot wait to see Elf. Christmas is my all time favorite holiday. I will be taking off my judgement hat and enjoying the spectacle.

Stagedoor Manor 2011

I got my invite on Monday to return next summer to Stagedoor Manor!
I really enjoyed my time there last summer and am looking forward to going back.

Ave of the Americas-Auditions!

Auditions for Ave of the Americas are fast approaching!
Are you interested? Below is the breakdown, submit to the information below.
Spots are filling up fast so please mention my name when you submit.
Thanks!

Avenue of the Americas

By Martin Blank

Director: Katherine Carter

Synopsis: A woman escapes a mental institution to write television advertisements that become dangerously successful.

Seeking Non-Union Actors for the following roles:

Katie: a woman in her 30s, she writes advertisements, smart, clever. Actor must have comedic timing and the ability to look beyond the text. Experience in heighten language a plus.

Jay: a man in his 40s, owner of Jay Greens PR agency, classic American business tycoon, an ex-Marine with a drinking problem.

Phil: a man in his 40s, wealthy playboy, CEO of steel company, he falls head over heels for Katie. The new romantic lead.

The Man: plays multiple characters. Actor should have a range of characters to choose from, improvisation skills are a plus.

The Woman: plays multiple characters. Actor should have a range of characters to choose from, improvisation skills are a plus.

Rehearsals start January 3. Bring any conflicts!

6 performances at The Tank on:

Friday 1/21 @ 7:30pm

Saturday 1/22 @ 7:30pm

Wednesday 1/26 @ 7:30pm

Sunday 1/30 @ 7:30pm

Wednesday 2/2 @ 7:30pm

Sunday 2/6 @ 7:30pm

*Small stipend will be given to all actors*

Auditions: Saturday 11/20 from 10-4 by appointment only! Please email avenueauditions@gmail.com with your headshot and resume to schedule an audition. Write the name of the character you’re submitting for in the subject of your email. Auditions will be a 1 minute contemporary comedic monologue.

Callbacks will be held on Sunday 11/21 from 12-3.

Darwin and Fitzroy, My Mom, Mme. Bovary, Brief Encounters

Darwin and Fitzroy had it's reading on Monday night at The Actors Studio.
I could take about the experience of directing at the actors studio, or how great it was to work with a wonderful playwright and actors, but the best moment was in rehearsal with my Mom.

On Monday, for the first time, my Mom got to watch me direct. Sure she has seen my shows, when her or Dad can get up to NYC, but she has never watched me actually do work. It was a very special 90 minutes for us to share, and at the infamous Actors Studio no less. She was very proud. It was the perfect way to end our weekend of fun together. I have to take a moment to say that I have the most supportive family in the world, and not just my immediate family but my aunts, cousins, close friends, family I've had on stage-they are all wonderful, especially my Mom and Dad. They have let me figure it out from the start from horse back riding (when I was in elementary school, I got 2nd place) to figure skating (middle school) to acting (high school) to directing (college) never a negative word or thought. If I was having doubts I could talk to them knowing I would not be critiqued or "I told you so". I can only imagine how funny I looked when I wanted to be a figure skater, I went for it, we are talking coaches, lessons, competitions, skates the whole 9-yards. All the while my parents drove me around, knowing that I had no grace what so ever. So Thank you parents for giving me that go-getter confidence. It was lovely to share my passion with my Mom for a short while. I look forward to my Dad in my rehearsal room, chances are he will want to direct it himself. ha ha.

Alright, so Darwin and Fitzroy happened, and AFTERWARDS there was a Directors Lab 2010 mini-reunion. AMAZING. I love the directors lab alumni more than I can say. From that I may have some exciting news about The Lark, but we will see what happens.

Now its on to Madame Bovary and DirectorFest 2010.
I havent mentioned DirectorFest because I am just the production manager, which is a crazy amount of work but not directing so I don't need to talk about it.
Madame Bovary should have its first rough draft done on Wednesday. Very rough draft.

This weekend is THEATRE CRAZY
Friday-The Devil Boys from Beyond at New World Stages
Saturday-After the Revolution at Playwrights Horizons with Nick
Sunday-Wings at 2nd Stage with Nick, then both of us head over to judge the Harvest One Act Festival

I saw Brief Encounters on Wednesday-what a delightful piece of theatre. Go see it.

Ave of the Americas, et all

Ave of the Americas is going strong!
We have our dates from The Tank Theatre for January and auditions will be in late November.
I have really enjoyed working with Kirstin Cantwell as the producer, what a joy!

Today is catch up day for me with theatre.
I will be updating all of my media, working on Bovary, making the casting breakdown for AofA, reading/prepping for Darwin and Fitzroy, and looking at undertaking another project in December (pending on the script and dates of show). This plus the usual Sunday household stuff and I have a full day ahead.

Did I mention it is Halloween? It is. Nick and I will be passing out candy to kids and watching scary movies, that is if I can ever put down my work. ;)

Darwin and Fitzroy

I am pleased to announce that the cast of DARWIN AND FITZROY is:

DARWIN: Chris Stack (School of Rock, One Life to Live)

FITZROY: Anatol Yusef (Boardwalk Empire, Last Orders)

Here is the official announcement. Tickets are not on sale because this is a closed, invitation only, reading.
We start rehearsals tomorrow night-how exciting!



The Actors Studio
Playwrights & Directors Unit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday 8 November at 6pm

DARWIN and FITZROY

By

Joel Gross

Directed by

Katherine M. Carter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cast: Chris Stack, Anatol Yusef
Narrator: Sonja Mauro
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Running time approximately 1 hour 25 minutes / No intermission

DARWIN AND FITZROY is a drama about the young Charles Darwin, and his turbulent relationship with Robert Fitzroy, Captain of HMS Beagle during the five-year voyage (1831-36) that provided the raw material for the theory of evolution.

7:32 Interview with Hannah Marie Elison

It was delightful working with Hannah and KT on this interview. Hannah is always a wonderful woman to work with.
Check it out:

Interview: Director Katherine M. Carter and Author KT Peterson of the New Musical 7:32
By Hannah Marie Elison
Website: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/interview-director-katherine-m-carter-and/page-5/#ixzz13BpXuYrE

Critically acclaimed stage director Katherine M. Carter is about to embark on her latest project, the New York premiere of the dramatic musical 7:32, which tells the tale of the Ashtabula Disaster, the notorious railroad-bridge accident that rattled 1876 America, and the scandal that followed surrounding the Chief Engineer of the bridge, Charles Collins.
The new work, which Carter calls "one of a kind," was created by KT Peterson, who wrote the book, lyrics and music with Cedric D. Lyles. The work is going to be presented in a four-performance showcase at the Bridge Theatre (at Shetler Studios) on October 23rd (2:30PM and 6:00PM) and October 24th (1:00PM and 5:00PM).
The cast includes Nicole Elaine Phifer, Ashleigh Lay, Claire Wilcher, Joe Popson, Taiwan Norris, and John Lopez.
Winner of the 2009 Music Theater Award (Best Book) in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and nominated for the National Playwriting Award, 7:32 tells a dramatic story, according to the show’s press release: “steeped in the sweat of railroad men (and the women who love them), this soul-soaked ride through folk, bluegrass, and blues stares down the early and gritty world of big business and the insatiable American appetite for bigger and better-no matter the cost.”
Both Ms. Carter and Ms. Peterson took a few minutes to sit with Blogcritics and discuss 7:32.

Tell us a little about yourself. Your background, training?
KT PETERSON: When I was young I wanted to grow up to be a male opera singer. This was very specific. I didn't actually want to be a man, I just wanted all the good parts. I studied voice at Indiana University and ended up changing my major to Musical Theatre, which was [a major] you had to build, because it didn't exist at the time. I'm not certain if they've crossed to the dark side or not, as far as making that more easily available as a major.
I originally wanted to go to graduate school for directing but ended up going for my MFA at Towson University because I discovered they kind of let you do whatever you want to do/whatever you need to do—which is not always a quantifiable or grade-able occurrence. I couldn't believe such a program existed. Much of the program is based on guest artists who come in for brief or extended periods and you immerse yourself in their worlds for a while. It was an incredible way to expand knowledge as well as deepen your own aesthetic.
I danced growing up, I played the trumpet, I broke things. I think I started writing in eighth grade. It was a novel about castles and horses and boys. I would stay up all night and look up words. I couldn't believe how awesome it was. Not the story—it's pretty embarrassing, but I just honestly loved to write. I didn't get into puppetry or writing music until I worked in the museum world at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. I was lucky enough to meet DeDe Boezi and Nancy Eddy and they, again, kind of let me do whatever I wanted in their Lilly Theater. I performed, directed, wrote, and studied puppetry as part of a gallery I was supervising under Carey Meier, my favorite boss ever. Hi, Carey!

Talk about the genesis of 7:32? What drew you to this material?
KATHERINE M. CARTER: I could not put this script down. When someone first hears about 7:32, they likely say, "A musical about a 19th century disaster? That's a strange thing to write a musical about…I want to see that." I thought something similar to that when KT first approached me with the script; I wanted to read it.
KT PETERSON: I have always been terrified of trains. I'm not anymore, I guess, but I always found them so deeply sulky and weirdly beautiful. The romance of trains is certainly nothing new to anyone—I just found them (and continued to find them, as I worked with them daily at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore) scary. I suppose it's an impression many liken to their run-ins with outdated technology that usually elicits a feeling of triumph in us—like we've come so far, we win, we are the best. Obsolete technology is something so obviously of the past and no longer useful that it's like a paperweight to humanity's past small ideas—ideas at the time. But I think anyone who gets intrigued by what they're looking at is really dealing with the energy that is inside of what they see—that hopefulness that never stopped, or the silliness or embarrassment, or just appreciation of "Wow, someone MADE this." Especially the art deco period and trains—My God. So much stumbling hope. But the 1876 period for engines is just stunning. There's an 1876 engine at the B&O that I would go and visit every day in the roundhouse when I worked there—it was destroyed in the roof collapse the museum suffered and will (happily) soon get repaired. Courtney Wilson, the museum's director, has been a great fan and friend to this piece and to my work.
KATHERINE M. CARTER: After my first go-through of the book and score, it was clear to me that there was something unique about this American story. Nowadays, you hardly hear new musicals written with such a strong influence of classic musical style. The score has an almost timeless feel to it, blending acting and music, so you get caught up in the emotions of the characters.
KT PETERSON: Years ago I found a book at a thrift shop in Indiana that was simply titled Train Wrecks. I was kind of disgusted and allured (kind of like Jersey Shore) but I bought the book without knowing why and it got lost in my car for a couple years. Shortly before I moved to go to Baltimore for grad school I was cleaning out my car and found the book. There were many intriguing things about it, but I kept coming back to the Ashtabula Disaster over and over again. I felt something deeply. I don't know that I have ever been so drawn to write about anything like that.
KATHERINE M. CARTER: On top of that the book spotlights the risks we've taken in the name of progress throughout our history as a nation and the effects those choices have on our future. I hadn't heard of the Ashtabula disaster before, but the story grabbed me from the first page.
KT PETERSON: I visited Ashtabula two times while in grad school, at the urge of an instructor, Sabrina Hamilton, and that first visit was a moment in time that has shaped my life. If my work, or my oeuvre, to use a word like that, has any kind of credo, it is piecing together that which has been broken. That I have an obligation to do so. And this (the Ashtabula Disaster, when I originally became aware of it) all kind of coincided with my meditations on 9/11 and how humanity intuitively deals with the event horizon of tragedy. When I went to Ashtabula and hung out with the amazing Jean Metcalf, I could feel that that event horizon was still there. In the soil, in the rusting metal. In the water. We are all beings of such selective memory, yet certain events transfer such power they are still living in some way—what must be done to interact with them? To soothe them? To soothe ourselves? Well apparently singing about it was my answer.
At the time of 9/11, I was in rehearsal for a musical I'd written as my undergraduate thesis at IU with Rich Rundle directing. My partner at the time worked in WTC on the floor where one of the planes hit, and had just recently moved to Indiana to be with me. Poor man was completely at sea with his feelings. Still I had rehearsal that night. That night. Everyone showed up. The piece was a mess, but it was embracing us from some kind of healing and generative perspective, so we trudged on. I didn't really know I was going to write about this theme and I certainly didn't know I would use such an event to explore it—and I am loathe to think that people will call this musical a 9/11 play, because it's not. But it is. It's all part of that really simple candle that most of us carry around—shining a light to make brightness in dark places. I do believe that. I believe in that little candle.

How much research did you conduct before you and Cedric Lyles began to put things to paper?
KT PETERSON: I'd say I worked with the material for almost two years before we hopped to it.

7:32 does have a production history. How has it been received? For this upcoming showcase, what changes have been made to the script, if any? To the music?
KT PETERSON: 7:32 was my thesis project at Towson. It was nominated for the National Playwriting Award for KCACTF and was invited to perform in Philadelphia for the Region II festival in January of '09. I was fortunate to receive the Music Theatre Award at the Kennedy Center for the book. Lots has changed since then—characters added, scenes and songs deleted, new songs written. It's been a very productive six months or so.

How did your collaboration with each other come about?
KT PETERSON: Our mutual friend, Gabriel Shanks, introduced us. She said she was looking for new stuff and I think I told her I had "a bunch of shit hidden under my bed" if she wanted to check it out. I sent her the script, we ate a lot of pancakes, and here we are.
KATHERINE M. CARTER: We got to chatting about 7:32, our love of pancakes, and hit it off right away. It has always been a very organic working relationship. We are always talking about changes, sleeping on ideas, and then talking more.
KT PETERSON: She's an incredible woman. She's been a champion for the piece and really pushed me to clean it up, clean it out, and go for it. I can't tell you how helpful it is to trust someone like that. She has had a tremendous amount of trust in me, too—not hearing all the stuff even now as I write this. She hasn't heard all the music yet, as we're still tweaking (and writing another song—yikes, just one more!) That's faith.
KATHERINE M. CARTER: KT is an artist who directors love working with. She takes every idea, mulls it over, considers how it will affect the story, then comes back with a whole new version. You won't meet a more giving artist. Working on 7:32 with KT has been nothing but a joy.

What is it about this story that you’re hoping a 2010 audience will walk away feeling?
KATHERINE M. CARTER: I hope our audiences will want to race out to the library and look up more information on the Ashtabula Disaster, Charles Collins, and that whole period of industrialization in America.
KT PETERSON: Musical Theatre is in a really interesting place right now. I feel like the landscape is changing, and the desire is there for really rich stories that ask a lot of the audience. Ask them to listen and feel.
KATHERINE M. CARTER: I want them to see this show and think about the recent blunders we've made: the risks we take in the name of progress, the lack of foresight and the recklessness at the heart of the American Dream. This musical may be about a disaster lost to the pages of history, but it's the same story, in many ways, of our current struggles as a nation. With its classically-influenced score, I also believe 7:32 will get people excited about new musical theater that doesn't jump on the pop bandwagon. Hopefully, audiences will walk out of that theatre buzzing with a desire to see a new breed of musical on Broadway.
KT PETERSON: I was really influenced by Floyd Collins, Assassins, Dessa Rose and now FELA, Burt Part Boys, Next To Normal—people need story and some big ol' resonant sound that makes you feel like your skin is gonna fall off. They need to understand two things: they're not alone and that everything is gonna be okay. To quote my own mother, she always says, "this life, it isn't for sissies." Musical Theatre is kind of like your mama: hold tight child, everything gonna be all right. Thanks, Mom.
For information on the production, please visit the official 7:32 website at www.732themusical.com. To reserve tickets, please email contact@732themusical.com

Darwin and Fitzroy

I will be directing a staged reading of "Darwin and Fitzroy" by Joel Gross at The Actors Studio on November 8th.
I am very excited to be working with Joel and at The Actors Studio.

Madame Bovary-The Tank

Great News!

The Tank will be producing the first full staged reading of Madame Bovary on Sunday December 19th at 7pm!
I have about two months to finish the script, rehearse it, and put it up for all to see. I cannot say how excited I am for this opportunity.

My original cast is almost entirely rejoining, I am still waiting for one actor, which means I have one open role. The original cast has been supportive and energized about the project since the first day, it will be a joy to work with them again.

Tonight starts the writing process. Here we go.....

732-first read through

The cast of 7:32 was together, minus 3 actors, for the first time yesterday morning. It was the reveal of our final workshop script and the first time they got to hear the music. Thrilling!

One of my favorite parts about working on a new script with a talented cast is the creative energy in the room, there is nothing like it. Every member of the cast was listening intently to every word a song, ready to ask questions as they arose or just take it all in. Afterwards we spoke about somethings that could be clearer, all with positive energy.

This cast made KT and I extremely excited to begin rehearsals because of the way they spoke of the script. There is one thing I hate in the rehearsal process of a new play and that is negative energy. There is never room for that in the rehearsal room but especially with new plays. I'm not sure when I learned this but there is a right way and a wrong way to offer a critique of a new play. The right way to go about it is to ask a question, like "I'm unclear on XYZ, could you explain why Y is there with X?" then give the playwright a chance to explain. Maybe that will answer the question, maybe it won't. A good, receptive, playwright will see the question as an opportunity to talk about something in the play that was unclear and we brainstorm from there. Sometime the solution is a line change and sometimes the director is responsible for making it work. Either way, it all gets figured out in the process, or at least (we hope) the majority does.

The wrong way involves stating your opinion as fact or repeating the phrase "On the page"-this bothers me. If you don't see it on the page theres a good chance it's not there for a reason. Perhaps, it's the in direction or the way a word is said. People are so quick to judge things that aren't "On the page" but that is what the director is there for.

I am happy to say that our entire cast carried a positive energy with their questions and there was none of the above with them. yippie!

Rehearsals start on Tuesday October 19th-it's gonna be a crazy 4 days!

Today and tonight I have meals with good friends. For brunch it's my High School drama director, and also my adopted stage mother with three friends who were in my directorial debut senior year. I directed CLUE, I made three people cry...opps. But it was a great show, such precision! (ha ha). Tonight is dinner with a mixed group of friends from college, shows, and stagedoor. I am looking forward to a lovely Sunday.

7:32 Complete Casting

After two days of auditions last week we have found our cast for the new musical 7:32.
7:32 will feature
Nicole Elaine Phifer, Ashleigh Lay, Claire Wilcher, Joe Popson, Josh Davidson, Taiwan Norris, and John Lopez
Book and Lyrics by KT Peterson
Music by KT Peterson and Cedric D. Lyles

There will be 4 staged readings presented at The Bridge Theater (@Shetler Studios)
Saturday Oct 23rd at 2:30pm and 6:00pm
Sunday October 24th at 1:00pm and 5:00pm
The show runs 2 hours with an intermission
Tickets are $5 and reservations can be made at contact@732themusical.com

First read through is saturday. KT has done one final reworking of the script based on suggestions I made after our reading. I look forward to reading it tonight.

Honest Abe to be published

Honest Abe by Stephen Cooper is going to be published this December.
I got this message from Stephen a few weeks ago but forgot to share it until now.

“I am forwarding this message about the publication of Honest Abe Mazulu in a forthcoming book, THE BEST 10-MINUTE PLAYS 2011. I did not send it in to them, but rather the editor selected the play after seeing your production at the American Globe Theatre.”

Woo hoo! Myself and the cast will be in the book as the original production cast.
I am excited for Stephen's success, congratulations. I have to also thank my cast for their performances that made this play stand out.

Double show Sunday

Today I am seeing The Divine Sisters at the SoHo Playhouse with Brian Coffey, good friend and mortal enemy from Stagedoor. Then heading to meet with the ever charming James Parenti about a possible Hamlet project before heading to the invited dress rehearsal of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

I guess that means I should shower....

7:32 Audition Announcement

7:32
a musical
Book and Lyrics by KT Peterson
Music by KT Peterson and Cedric Lyles

7:32 is the passion of the Ashtabula Disaster—the railroad-bridge accident that rattled 1876 America and the scandal that followed surrounding the bridge’s Chief Engineer, Charles Collins. Steeped in the sweat of railroad men (and the women who love them), this soul-soaked ride through folk, bluegrass, and blues stares down the early and gritty world of big business, and the seemingly endless human desire for bigger and better, no matter the cost.

Rehearsals starting October 11th, performances on October 23rd and 24th at The Bridge Theater

Auditions will be held on Saturday September 25 from 4pm-8pm and Sunday September 26 11am-1pm at Shelter Studios. Prepare two contrasting 16 bars- classical and contemporary

Please email contact@732themusical.com with a resume, headshot, and preferred time slot. Plan an hour for the audition process. You will receive an email with a confirmed time slot.

Vocal Ranges for each character:

Chloe (F3 - F5) Alto/Mezzo - needs chest/mix sound up to Eb
Soulful, African American woman (dramatic)

Mary (A4 - A5) Soprano - needs chest/mix voice up to Eb – dramatic
Wife of Charles Collins (dramatic)

Neassa (G3 - Eb5) Alto/Sop chest mix
Vivacious female, ability to do an Irish Accent a plus (comedic)

Vincent (C3 - C5) High tenor / chest voice & soul
Railroad Man, rough and dynamic (comedic)

Amasa Stone (Bb3 - Ab4) Bari-tenor * must be able to carry low harmony parts*
Dynamic Male (dramatic)

Cornelius Vanderbilt (C3 - C5) High tenor / chest voice & soul
African American character actor (comedic)

Charles Collins (G2 - A4) Tenor (less of the bottom needed)
Leading Man

Labor Day passed-No more White and No more relaxing!

Well, as you can tell "Though a Day" went really well......

Quick Update:

Had a wonderful Labor Day weekend in the Boston area
Prep for 7:32 is almost complete-audition notice will be posted next weekend
Apartment is almost complete as well-need to put up curtains, shelves, and take a trip to goodwill
My Mom is visiting me in November, I cannot wait
Seeing childhood friends Daniel and Megan tomorrow night for dinner, love it
Starting babysitting again tomorrow
Drama League semi started this week, official start on Monday
Madame Bovary gets revisited after Sept 15th
Essentially everything is hauling into gear-it's after Labor day! Summer is Over! Get back to work!
Tonight hanging with the lovely James, one of my nearest and dearest for 6 years
Need to call AEA about 732

My roommate is a harp player-it;s like being in heaven all the time

Thought a Day

I've been hearing about these "Thought, idea, inspiration, photos, random thing, etc" a day for a year.
That seems like a lot. I'm gonna give it a go. My goal: to write something everyday. This can be lame, awesome, or somewhere in between.

But since I already did one yesterday and that was September 1st I figure I will continue on until I forget.

Today I:
-Went to The Drama League to look at resumes for Internships
-Mailed a box of stuff home
-Watched Master Chef
-Arranged a dinner meeting with the lovely KT for tomorrow evening
-and am now heading to see MEMPHIS with Roger Danforth and the Fall Fellows

Thought: I'm looking forward to seeing MEMPHIS

This time for me!!!!

Is there anything better than watching great legends of stage perform "Roses Turn"? I think not.
Inspiring x100000

Nothing like some musical theatre to accompany my cleaning.


I remember watching the Tony awards in 2003 when Bernadette did this song. I was still in high school, never been to New York, never seen a Broadway show (or any show outside of Michigan for that matter) and I just sat there stunned. For me in that moment there was nothing more amazing than watching her perform that song, I cried.

When I finally made it to NYC I was lucky to see Patti play Rose in the Revival and at Encores. Another inspiring performance.

Anyways, that's all, inspiring women kicking some ass.

Mattress over-On to NYC

After three weeks at Stagedoor Manor I am finally back in NYC.

Sadly, I will not be going to California this year because of money reasons-there just isn't enough of it.
Directors Lab West was wonderful in allowing me to defer my acceptance to next year, when I will be attending. Let's hear it for planning ahead!

Once Upon a Mattress was a wonderful experience. My cast was a talented group of 13-17 year olds who rocked the house down. I could not have been prouder of them. Out of my entire Stagedoor experience the kids were my favorite part. They were always full of energy (well sometimes they were exhausted) and ready to work, you can't buy a cast like that. There is an award at Stagedoor called "Best Ensemble" it's given to three casts who (in theory) work together the best. While my cast was not given this award officially to me they were the best. I have never seen a group of kids work together so well. Congratulations to the entire cast. Oh! And to top it off my tech was stunning. I mean, wow. My crew came together and worked extremely hard for the show. This resulted in myself buying everyone drinks on the final night, which resulted in a high bar tab, which has resulted in my budget for the remainder of the summer. (ha ha)

Currently, I am working on getting the rest of my life together before I start work after Labor Day. Right now it's moving into a new apartment and gearing up for the 7:32 Workshop. I always find it funny how much time moving takes up, and this is a big move. I have cleaned out everything from the past 6 years in NYC-giving away 8 boxes of books I have read, clothing I do not wear, and stuff animals that can be put to better use in a loving home. While it's hard at times there is a good feeling of streamlining that has begun to happen. I'm a big fan of Uncluttered.com and Erin's idea of uncluttering to be happy/successful. How can you work towards a goal if there is stuff holding you back? Since I am trying to travel more I'm making things easier on myself by making my room "subletter friendly". Lots of work ahead. In the morning it's time to buy an A/C unit and curtains.

Speaking of morning I have not been able to sleep the past two nights. Huh. Guess I will continue to unpack until the sandman takes me away again.

First Run of Mattress tonight

We have our first run through of Once Upon A Mattress tonight in the space.
I have to give a shout out to my wonderful cast of kids who are working their butts off for me in this production. Wow.
While other shows are still finishing blocking we are RUNNING THE SHOW!!! Happy! Now, its going to be a rough run but a run none the less. How wonderful?

We only have two more days of classes and rehearsals before we switch to the all rehearsal all the time schedule, which Im looking forward too. The artistic staff has 12 hour days at minimum, it can be alot.

This Sunday some of the staff is going White Water Rafting on the Delaware river, Im not sure if I will join them as my latest edition of 7:32 (the new musical Im working on with KT) came into my inbox this morning and I would like to spend Sunday reading it/prepping for the upcoming workshop.

Well, that is all for the moment. Have to head on over to the theater now!

Once Upon A Mattress Week 1

Week One at Stagedoor Manor is almost over-Who knew?!

It's been a crazy week of casting, rehearsals, classes, and general theater-ness.
Lets stat with my classes: each artistic staff member teaches 2-3 classes a day. This session I am teaching 3 classes of Musical THeater Auditioning (each one with a different musical director) and two classes of Physical Theater, every other day I get one class off (which oddly enough is right now). Each class is totally different and enjoyable in their own ways. I am espically having fun with Ryan in our Musical Audition class. Ryan is very honest with the campers, we have already made 2 girls cry when we told them that they just cant sing "Holding to the ground" from Falsettos, BECAUSE THEY ARE TWELVE. I've also enjoyed the random answers i get when I ask kids the following questions:

1. What's your favorite musical and why?
Answer: Wicked. Because it has good music.

2. What's this song (I know the truth from Aida) about?
Answer: A girl discovering herself and she is happy.

3. What musical is this from?
Answer: I dont know.

Favorite Questions from Campers:

1. How do you get on Broadway now?
2. Can you get me on Broadway?
3. Have you ever been on Broadway?
4. Do you know anyone who has ever been on Broadway?
5. Once Im on Broadway I never have to audition again right?
6. Do I need to take voice lessons if I want to be a better singer?
7. Can I sing On My Own as my audition piece for Into the Woods?
8. Who is Journey?
9. Do you know anyone who worked/s on Wicked? And can you get me tickets?
10. How old are you?

Favorite thing I have been stopped for:
Them: "You are supposed to be in Bed!"
Me: "Um...I'm directing Once Upon A Mattress..."
Them: "Oh, so your not a camper?"
Me: "No."

Favorite Quote:
Me: What are you trying to do?
Camper: Love.
Other Director: Okay, go ahead, act LOVE.
Me: And while your at it, act purple too.


On to the show: Overall its going well. Some rehearsals are better than others but the kids are absolutely wonderful to work with and so much fun. Im planning a run of Act 1 for Monday night. :)

Tonight starts my day off!

Stagedoor Week 1

Once Upon a Mattress has our first rehearsal tomorrow morning. I am both excited and terrified of the 30 cast members I have to teach to act, sing, and dance.
Cant write much since I have to block the show tonight, but I want to say that Stagedoor Manor is FABULOUS.

For Better Opens-Off to NYC for meetings

Opening Night went fine. We had a lovely audience of about 150, small for a 350-seat theatre but it was a Tuesday, who were mostly from a Southern Baptists Church group. This was a terrifying thought for me at first, how would an older group react to a show that is untraditional and revolves around technology? I was pleasantly surprised with their reaction! More than pleasantly, just surprised! They laughed at random jokes, clapped after every scene and made comments during the big fight scene. On top of that every time a phone ringed on stage each of the checked their cell phones, looking at their friends with that “didn’t you turn off your phone?!” look. After act one they got the picture, it was apart of the show. My favorite moment of the opening was when an audience member answered her cell phone in the middle of act one and preceded to chat on it for a solid 3 minutes as she made her way out of the theatre. Talk about life imitating art. At the end of the show this lovely audience gave my hard working cast a standing ovation. I’m not sure it was an earned standing ovation, but it was nice to see the audience responding so well to the show. The evening ended with a small opening night party at the theater where my cast was joined by the cast for the next show, Run For Your Wife, including the always joyful Tim Cox and Larry Lesher. Larry and I see to have parallel summers at the moment, he just finished at Stagedoor and now I am heading there. Him, Tim, and I spent a good hour just talking shop over a drink. I retired early and left the party rage on into the wee hours of the morning.

The staff at the Playhouse seemed to be pleased with the work I did, especially Miss. Charlotte, the wife of the man who built the Playhouse 61 years ago. Holly and Robby gave me nice compliments on the show itself. While I'm not entirely sure that FOR BETTER was the best choice for the Playhouse audience I hope they enjoy it. Now, if my actors could only get those lines right at the end of act one.

Early this morning I departed for the airport for my 10am flight from Lexington to Detroit. Lucky me, I was delayed several times, and may finally land around 8:30pm. Now you may be thinking, Katherine, that’s not too bad. Unfortunately for me I have to be back in New York tomorrow morning for meetings at work, which means I will have a good 10 hours to return home, do laundry, pack, get things together for said meetings, and then kiss my parents goodbye again before hoping on the 7am flight to NYC. Phew.
Needless to say, I’m not the happiest of campers right now. The good news is that I got a lot of documents organized on my computer, worked on my website, and wrote this entry.

Danville was a lovely way to spend two weeks, despite the unending heat and rollercoaster that is having to cast the artistic director, the people all have the best intentions and are oh-so sweet. We will see if I get asked back next summer. Either way, I had a nice time and I wish the whole Pioneer Playhouse gang the best with the rest of their season!

In case you forgot on Sunday, August 1st, I leave for Stagedoor Manor in the Catskills. Stagedoor is about two hours from New York, which means that Nick will be driving me up on Sunday. Send good travel thoughts my way for tomorrow and Sunday, one day of non-stop travel was enough for me!

Opening Night of FOR BETTER

After two long weeks in Danvile, KY the opening night is finally upon us.
This morning will be our final rehearsal/run through and at Noon we are all done before the 8:30 go.
I have to say I am excited to get back to NYC, there are a few projects brewing there, but Danville has been a nice break. The people here are all very sweet. While I did feel like a fish out of water at first the last week it's sorta grown on me. It's like being at camp.
So! for tonight let's all hope it doesn't rain, that the pace keeps up, the actors remember their lines, projection is with them, and that the audience likes it.
This afternoon I will be packing everything up for my 10am flight out tomorrow.

On Sunday August 1st I wil be heading up to Stagedoor Manor for 3 weeks, I am extremely excited to be with them this summer.

Heres to Opening Night! 11.5 more hours to go....

Tech

Tech has begun!
This morning the crew spent the entire morning painting the set. if all goes as planned we should have the entire thing (minus the big floor) all set by 7:30pm tonight. I will be setting the chairs and furniture at 6:30pm.



UPDATE:
Just after I finished typing that a HUGE thunder storm came through and (more or less) soaked the stage....

I guess tonight may be longer than expected.

24 Hours until Load In

TGIF does not apply here at the Playhouse since tomorrow we go into our tech rehearsal.
Woo hoo!

Today I spent the entire day working act one. Lines are still an issue for a few of the actors and personal drama keeps creeping into my rehearsal hall. But i assume that is what happens when you have been staying with the same people for 8 weeks. I am always trying to be a positive force in rehearsal and so far I thin all is going well. I do have to admit that I will be excited when the show opens on tuesday night.

Here is a run down of the next four days:

Saturday Morning: Work Act 2
Saturday Afternoon: Run of show in Rehearsal Hall
Saturday Evening: Final performance of The Dillenger Dilemma
Directly following that STRIKE of Dillenger set and Load in FOR BETTER SET (we begin at 11pm)
11pm-2am: Entire Backstage Change over (Costumes, Props, etc) while the sets are being switched
2am: People working on Costumes go to bed-Crew continues to work on the set
Whenever: Once the entire set is complete Crew goes to bed

Sunday:
9am: Paint Crew (whomever went to bed first) Touch up on sets begin
from 9am-Noon: Paint touch ups, set fixes (installing the chairs), setting all props, costume parade and anything else
Noon-One: Lunch
Afternoon OFF (extra time for set work)
7:30pm-Cue to Cue begins

Monday:
9am-Noon: Tech Run Through
Noon-One: Lunch
One-3: Rehearsal in the Hall
3-6 Off
6-7 Dinner
8:30pm Dress Rehearsal

Tuesday
9am-Noon: Tech Run
Afternoon Off
8:30pm Opening night of For Better

Wednesday-10am Flight back to MI

Week One Complete

Saturday is the final work day of the week here at Pioneer Playhouse which means I get Sunday and Monday to do....something.
I dont have a car, and most people are leaving town this weekend and Im at least 90 minutes away from any friends so it looks like I will be heading into Lexington to see a show with the Artistic Director, her brother, and her cousin. Hopefully I will be seeing friends afterwards but who knows, when you don't have your own car it sucks. The good news is that on Monday morning I will be working on the show and in the afternoon/evening I'm taking myself to the movies (I can borrow a friends car that day).

This was a really fun first week for me at the Playhouse, and a productive one at that! I got the entire show prelim blocked, had 2 production meetings in each department with a big one after our run through this afternoon, and finally made some nice additions/modifications to the set. Overall I think we are in good shape going into next week, our only week of rehearsal before tech next Sunday and Monday. The cast is small hard working group, good to have. My biggest concern are those lines. I hope they work them this weekend....

Well I can hear the show outside ending which means it's time for me to get ready for Playhouse Prom, yes thats right, PROM.

FOR BETTER Press Release and Photos

The fourth show of the Pioneer Playhouse is a comedy called "For Better," by Eric Coble and stars the creme de la creme of the Playhouse acting company. Playhouse artistic director Holly Henson will be making her only stage appearance of the summer as a scene stealing femme fatale. Kabby Borders, daughter of Lexington physician, Dr. Jim Borders, plays her impulsive friend, who is arranging her entire engagement and wedding...online.

Ms. Borders was selected from over 800 auditionees at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, held in Lexington last April. Joining her are comic standouts Chris Kateff, Katie Sawhill, Jay Thomas and playhouse favorite Daniel Hall Kuhn, playing a father who is befuddled by it all.

The characters interact via cell phone and computers, for most of the play, with the
father's "living room" anchoring the entire stage in real-time, while the rest of the playing areas could be satellite stations, for all that the actors ever meet face-to-face.

"For Better" is a hilarious romance for the digital age, making fun of our love affair with speed and technology. Directed by New York director Katherine Carter and playing Tuesday - Saturday, July 27 through Aug. 7.

Pioneer Playhouse Day 1

I am at the end of my first full day at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville.

This morning, after a run around the campus, I finished up auditions in about an hour and went right into the first read through. Directly following that I met will all of my designers for our first design meeting. Because everything in the show has to be set on Saturday (including blocking) the next three days are action packed with meetings and revisions. I'm spending tonight in my room blocking the show. The hardest thing about the Playhouse is that everyone pretty much shuts down by 4pm because of the heat, and you want to keep going but darn that weather wipes you out! Nap times are a must here in this weather.

This evening I was lucky to have dinner "off campus" with three of the actors and one of their parents. We went to this delish pizza place in Danville, brand new. I was starving! I don't think Pizza ever tasted so good! I love how friendly people are here, especially the volunteers here. All of them work so hard every day, two of them re did my entire room before I even got there. Apparently they are taking bets as to how long I last in the room, I told them I am as happy as a calm since I have AC. Also, everyone is involved with the actors and staff. I have invited the volunteers into my rehearsal process since many of them expressed interest after meeting me last night at the opening night for THE DILLENGER DELIMA. I get a lot of questions about New York.

Tomorrow my goal is to get the entire show blocked with entrances and exits, the set will be finalized tomorrow afternoon so I can start to sketch everything in on Friday. I booked a designer run for Saturday-which I think may be a new thing here since everyone sorta looked at me like I was from outer space. All of the designers have great ideas and I am looking forward to getting things set so we can get to work.

Well, I had better get back to work if I want to wake up early to tape the space. Goodnight!

Pioneer Playhouse Tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon I will be at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, KY
I'm going to try and update daily on the process of rehearsal but I've heard from a friend who is down there that the internet is not always the best, so we will see.
I spent this morning saying goodbye to Nick before sending him back to Boston and the evening with my family and packing. Right now I'm waiting for my laundry to dry. Even though I leave tomorrow afternoon I have a few things to take care of in the morning and will have lunch with my parents. It's always hard to leave the family, even if its only for two weeks.

I'm still waiting on more information from Directors Lab West in CA. I hope to hear from them in the coming weeks.

Looking forward to the next two weeks in change, rumor has it there is some sort of Prom on Saturday night, which I hope is true!

Thats all for now

Summer Vacation Update

After almost two weeks of family vacation, this one including my main squeeze who came all the way from NY/Boston, I am getting geared up for Pioneer Playhouse starting on Tuesday. As you know I am directing FOR BETTER by Eric Cole, a romantic comedy about technology in our lives. One of the fun things about directing is that you never know what issues are going to come up in the process, especially when you are going into a theater you have yet to see or a casting pool you have yet to audition. One of the things I am working on is to prep the show as much as I can, without having seen the space, so I can go into that first week with a plan. Its a quick schedule-Tuesday afternoon I arrive to unpack and check out the space before watching the opening night of the show before mine. Wednesday morning we have auditions with a read through that afternoon. What is nice/tough about the rehearsal schedule is that my rehearsal days end at 3pm, giving me the entire afternoon and evening to having meetings and prep. This is great because I can always be as on top of things as possible (taping out the rehearsal space, prod meetings, etc) but I lose time with my cast in the room. Overall, I am looking forward to getting down there and to business.

On the Stagedoor Manor front I have been told what show I will be directing and all I can say is that I am beyond excited!

Right now I am also planning a move in August, a downsize! After five years of living in New York with more stuff (I have 15 extra binders...just in case..why!?) at the end of August I will be going through ALL of my stuff in storage and either throwing away or giving away everything that I do not use on a weekly basis, the only exception of this will be my book collection. The reason? As I (knock on wood) start to travel more for directing and life, even if its only a few times a year, I want to be able to pack easier and smarter. Downsizing will allow me to focus more on what I need rather than what I want. I've been very inspired by Unclutter.com and Tiny Ass Apartments (blogspot). On top of that I can stay cleaner quicker and hopefully it will help my style just a bit, hey a girl can dream!

Now off for lunch at Rainforest Cafe and Despicable Me with my Aunt Vicky and Cousins.

New draft of 7:32

A quick post to let everyone know that the new musical by KT Peterson "7:32" is going to be amazing.
I just read the new draft of act 1 and am beyond excited to start rehearsals.
A reminder that the workshop is going up in October in NYC at The Bridge Theater. There will be more information once I get back to new york and auditions/contracts are formalized, but just to keep in the back of your minds.

I have to say its a joy working with KT. She is one of those artists directors love to collaborate with for a large list of reasons, not to mention incredibly talented. This workshop is going to be such a wonderful theater experience.

Directing wise I am on my family vacation for two weeks in Michigan before heading out to Danville to direct "For Better" at the Pioneer Playhouse. These two weeks are great because I get to spend time with family, visit some of my past teachers, and see old friends. On top of that I get asked to teach classes on Shakespeare and basic acting workshops, a nice way to give back. Last night was my time with Rising Stars. We had a lovely chat but I did embarrass myself when they asked me to do a monologue....yikes! Overall it was a nice evening, but I was exhausted afterwards.

Coming up I will be working with several of my past directors on shows they are currently working on and continuing my tour with the camps to talk about "working in New York" the kids as the cutest questions. And next week someone very special will be coming to hang out with me in the mitten, can't say Im not excited about that as well.

Finally the website is finally all set for the next 3 years and I just got my new business cards from Zazzle (they are the skinny kind).

Time to get back to reading new plays!

Rising Stars on Monday and Starlight reopens

I will be judging the final monologue auditions for Rising Stars on Monday. While this may not be a big deal to most people in the world it holds a special significance to me. Rising Stars is a community theater group for 7th-11th graders in my hometown of Bloomfield Hills, MI. The group meets twice a week and puts on 5 shows a year, one of them a touring children's show, one shakespeare, one musical, one summer show (usually an action one like Robin Hood or Three Musketeers), and the 5th one is whatever Tom wants to do, usually a 3 hour show that is far beyond an 8th graders natural capability. It is, still, one of the most crazy theater experiences ever because you don't have that much time to learn an entire show, which he never cuts, and then you have to get up there and do it. You also always have to audition at the top of every show, which can be terrifying.

On top of all of that there are also point systems for being good in class, rewards, top monologue places, mentors, and an end of the year banquet where awards are given out. I never got any awards, top monologue yes but awards, no. I was in Rising Stars for 2 and a half years until High School and the other theater Tom runs (The Startlight) took over my entire life. In my time with Rising Stars I was in such shows as: Alice in Wonderland (The Duchess), Oliver! (Nancy), Robin Hood (Marian), Frog and Toads Great Adventure (The Bargewoman...Tom wont let me live that one down), TItania in Midsummer, the lead girl in Groovy (a musical tribute to the 70;s where I demanded my first stage kiss), The Skin of Our Teeth (gypsy, which i would learn later is the symbol for the devil), and a bunch of highly inappropriate parts in a show that is all dead people and its all monologues I cant remember the name right now. I also met the people who I am closest with today, most of whom have moved to NYC, and learned more lessons about directing and running a theater than any class could teach me.

So why is this important? Well, during directors lab chicago I got a lot of questions about where I learned to direct, and I replied from my experiences, all of which started with Rising Stars. So, I wanted to take this opportunity, since it was on my mind when Tom asked me to come by and judge, to thank Tom Logan for his generous support of my career for all of those years. He always pushed me to do better, and was always proud. Because of Rising Stars and Starlight I can put up any show in 2 weeks.

Now there have been several people who have helped shape me as an artist but with the great news that Starlight, which closed last August, has found a new space and is reopening and Tom asking me to come in for judging on Monday I found it fitting to thank Tom today. Good luck to Rising Stars and I will see you tomorrow night!

Last day in Pittsburgh with Andy!

Directors Lab Chicago

Directors Lab Chicago was one crazy week.

I met some amazingly wonderful people and could not stop talking about theater! It was non stop from 9am to 9pm everyday, sometimes later. We started calling it directors camp because it was just like camp for adults. I have to say I have never had so much to think about as an artist than I did in that week. On top of it all my birthday was celebrated at a tech rehearsal and final dress for "Alice" at the Looking Glass Theater, lovely.

Here is a list of some of the things we did:
-Observed tech rehearsal at The Goodman and Looking Glass
-Observed Steve Scott at rehearsal for "After the Fall"
-saw Baal at the Chopin
-Saw Looking Glass Alice
-Saw Dead Letter Office
-more meetings with professionals than you can imagine
-lots of talking over wine about the future of the theater
-and lots of talking about process

On saturday I was asked to direct a short scene for the entire lab and it was thrilling and a bit nerve racking at the same time. I got a lot of great feedback and overall it was a great experience.

I have one more day until Pittsburgh-its time to pack!

Exhausted after hour 15

Had a 15 hour day of non stop theater discussion yesterday. Then everyone went out, I did not, I am not that awesome.
Today I have to direct a scene for the entire lab, and then they talk about it.
Woke up at 630am when i dont have to be there until 1130.
Contemplating staying an extra day but part of me really needs to get back to work. I may leave tomorrow night post final lab.
So many ideas swirling around in my head right now.

Well, I guess I go for a morning walk to clear my head.

More when I arrive back in the mitten.

Day One of Directors Lab Chicago

Wow. What an amazing, wonderful, smart, giving, fun group of people.
Today we talked a lot, played getting to know you games, and talked a LOT of theater. It was so energizing to be in a room with so many ideas and opinions. On top of that everyone is respectful and open, wow. Loving it.
We ended tonight with a panel on "the female voice" with three women directors. They spoke to some great ideas that have been swirling around in my head. I'll have to debrief at the end of the lab since I am pretty tired right now.
Lets just say I cannot wait for tomorrow, and not just because its my birthday.

Tomorrow we will be at the Looking Glass Theatre watching a tech rehearsal of "Alice"

And, we will be going dancing for my birthday, another reason I am staying in tonight.

OH! Before I go. In a "small world" moment one of the other lab directors had see my adaptation of Madame Bovary! I know! What? Crazy. I mentioned it in the "who am I" section and she stopped me and said "Oh! I loved it!" then she came up to me later and complimented my use of space. It was a nice way to start my day.

Chicago Arrival Day

Waking up at 5am to catch a 6am train out of Michigan was better than expected. My Dad, always fun to drive with, was the brave solider who came with me and stayed until my train pulled up. I'm not sure it will ever be easy to leave either of my parents, my Dad especially, he even waved to the train as we pulled away. It must be the Daddy's girl in me.

After our goodbye it was 6 hours on a train, my first time! Unfortunately it was Michigan to Chicago; not much to see there, but fun none the less. I did a lot of staring out the window and sleeping. It was very cute watching the kids wave to the train as we passed schools and such, I guess the train is still cool no matter what.

Arriving in a rainy, overcast, Chicago around 11:30am (Chicago time) I hopped into a cab and headed to check into my hostel. The hostel is good, I think. It seems fine enough; clean, big, free breakfast, friendly staff, comfy bed, strange bathroom, but I cant help but feel like this is what normal college dorms are like. I have never lived in a normal college dorm, a Marymount dorm for one year, but never a "this is your room and the bathrooms are shared and you need a key card to get everywhere" dorm. So far, good. The biggest "issues" I foresee are: not many showers (problem in the mornings?) and the metro (or subway or CTA) runs right outside my window, fortunately the second problem should be okay with me because of NYC. But I digress.

Check into Hostel and.....pause. I have no idea where I am or how to get anywhere. Feeling a bit overwhelmed I ask the information desk for help. She gave me a map and said there was a book fair. Very sweet woman, less than helpful in some respects. After staring at the map for 30 minutes I set out on my journey. But where was my journey too? Well, the only place I know in Chicago was The Cheesecake Factory. It was a 2 mile walk from my hostel and I figured I could zig zag up, eat, and walk back. I did that (the total journey took 5 hours) and realized that Chicago has everything New York has so I was a bit cranky, not to mention exhausted. I arrive back at the hostel, shower and settle in for the night when I get a call from my friend Matt who is bar tending "really close to me" (he says) "come have a drink on me". I agree and start walking to his bar.

The bar, The Big Bowl, was 2 miles away right next to the Cheesecake Factory. But I was less cranky because I had showered and there was a free drink and a good friend. Matt and I chatted for about an hour before I headed back to the hostel, where I am now, to finish up my reading and get some shut eye. It wasnt an eventful day but a good one none the less.

Tomorrow I'm going for a morning run around the park, I want to find a good path for the week, and then checking out some culture in the museums. To finish it off I will be meeting up with Matt at the top of the Hancock building for a sunset toast over Chicago. But first some sleep.

Goodnight!

Ps. pictures to be added at the end of the trip.

Planning for Chicago

I arrived in my home state of Michigan yesterday with three days to prep for my 10 day chicago trip.
Here is one major problem-I know nothing about Chicago. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to work their version of the subways. It's a good thing I will be staying with my friends Matt and Brian while over there and that I will have the whole weekend prior to the lab starting up to figure it out.

What I am getting excited for is the reading material we have been assigned. This years theme is "The Rehearsal", we have reading material from some of the master directors of our time, lucky us. It is always good to have a jumping off point when having big group discussions, I'm glad we will all be using the same vocabulary. First thoughts on the reading assignments coming soon, but first-laundry and lunch with my brother.

Mme Bovary a workshop success

Madame Bovary had a great three night run in the adaptations workshops. I am pleased to say that I got a great response from the audience and my peers that have encouraged me to take the script to the next level and continue with the workshop. I couldnt be more excited. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the workshop. Production photos, by Nick Ronan, are up on the website right now. They are wonderful, check them out if you have a moment.

In other news, my final day at Drama League for the summer was yesterday. The office threw me a mini going away party with some cupcakes and well wishes for my summer. I'm spending this week finishing up some work in the mornings but really taking a little break before heading away for the summer. I have to say, it will be nice to spend some time in the city without having to be at work or rehearsal, this way I can jump into my summer of theater without being burnt out.

I will be posting more regularly as the summer picks up next week, until then enjoy the warm weather!

Bovary Tech and Invited Dress

Monday night was tech for Madame Bovary. About 20 minutes into my 2 hour session our master director/playwright, Nagle Jackson, gave me the thumbs up and left. I was a bit concerned at the time, shouldn't he be here incase I mess something up?
The rest of tech went fine. We got a great lighting designer, Sarah Riffle, who really took care of all three pieces. After a long evening, we were ready for our invited dress last night.
Still wondering about Nagle's absence I was pleased as punch to receive a lovely email from him tuesday morning. I wanted to share the opening:

Katherine: I was so impressed with your work last evening; I left because I could see everything was in excellent hands. I admire your artistry coupled with a real professinal discipline. Listening to your conversation with Sara concerning lights I was delighted to hear you ask for "less is more', but was also pleased that you decided to use the window gobo which is very effective for Emma's monologue.
So pleased with the way you've orchestrated the Fair scene; brava! I like the way you choreograph when necessary....
All in all, a most impressive job. Congratulations. - Nagle

An encouraging email during this week of feedback.

Tuesday night was our invited dress both Roger Danforth and Joey Guastella were in attendance. While I was worrying about the details of the big picture it was encouraging that both Roger and Joey were following the story. Joey wrote to me last night with his thoughts, my personal favorite was the following:

Having the men stand about in the background is a good device-- I liked it a lot. To me, it signified how the men in Bovary's life just come and go. And what was also quite interesting, was that even though the men remained present the entire time, I had absolutely no trouble accepting this piece as Bovary's play. She remained a central character throughout, without any distractions.

Yeah! It worked! When I first conceived this adaptation the men as a constant presence on stage was extremely important to me. I cannot say how thrilled I am that it was received that way by an audience member.

For my part-the pacing was a bit slow and the cast, as a whole, were a bit off. That being said, I'll give them their notes via email today, and some encouraging words before the performance today and then let them go. I think tonight is going to be fabulous-a packed house of reservations and some of my favorite people in attendance.

Performances are Tonight and Tomorrow at 7pm at The Directors Company-311 West 43rd Street, Fourth Floor

Bovary Opens in 2 Days

Monday night is the final rehearsal and tech for Madame Bovary, We have two hours of tech and two hours of rehearsal. Tuesday night is the invited dress rehearsal. To remind you all the shows are Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm. If you would like tickets email DirectorsCompany@gmail.com

Bovary and the weekend

About to head into Madame Bovary rehearsal when I get the call that my leading man is ill today. Oy! I need him to be better before Monday night. I only have 2 or 3 more full cast rehearsals before we open on the 25th. Le sigh.

In other news, I had a lovely brunch with Anna this morning. Always a delight to start the day with my best friend. Later tonight I'm meeting with playwright David Rigano about a new group of short plays he is writing. After that its dinner with Alex Krasser, a good friend and actor. We've been trying to get together for months. Ah well, better to be busy than not.
Finally I will be seeing Restoration tonight at NYTW with Nick for The Drama League. Our alumni, Chris Ashley, directed it. I'm looking forward to some good work.

Sunday is a day of fun (either sailing or wine tasting) toped of with a show at The Women's Project and catching up with another playwright Monet Hurst-Mendoza. She is on fire right now-seriously, get to know her name.

It's hard to believe I only have 3 more weeks in NYC.

Madame Bovary and Stagedoor Manor

My adaptation of Madame Bovary opens in a little over a week.
Talk about nerve racking. I am no playwright, by any means, but I believe its going to be okay.
We have been getting good feedback from the other two adaptations in this workshop. I have to say I am excited to see what my colleges have to say about it. It's always good to get feedback about your work.
The adaptation workshop has an invited dress rehearsal on May 24th (Tuesday) and performances on Wednesday the 25th and Thursday the 26th both at 7pm. The performance is free.
If you are interested in reserving tickets please email directorscompany@gmail.com

In other exciting news, I was offered a directing slot at Stagedoor Manor from August 1-24th. While this means I am away from NYC a little longer I am thrilled to be spending a month there.

For those of you keeping track my summer looks like this:

June: Fly to MI in the first week, Directors Lab Chicago the second and third week, fourth week with my brother Andy in PA celebrating hi graduation from high school

July: two weeks vacation in MI to see family, two and a half weeks in Danville, KY at Pioneer Playhouse directing For Better

August: Directing at Stagedoor for three weeks and then back to NYC

September: Directors Lab Chicago from Sept 1-13th, and back to NYC on Sept 13th

I am looking forward to each of these amazing opportunities, and am grateful that The Drama League is very supportive of my work.

My plan is to update this blog much more this summer, hopefully once a week.

Directors Lab Chicago

Good news!
I've been accepted into the 2010 Directors Lab Chicago! It will take place from June 14-20 in downtown Chicago.
I am extremely excited and honored to be one of the 20 selected this year.

Mme Bovary is going well. Casting should be finished sometime in the next 48 hours and I have all afternoon on Friday and all day Sunday to write the script we will start work with on Tuesday.

Now to enjoy the beautiful weather!

Writing Mme. Bovary

Writing an adaptation is harder than anticipated, and I haven't even gotten to the hard part.
I'm working on finding the best place I can work where I have just enough distraction without excuses, so far no luck.
I have written two pages of one of the scenes. Now this is a good start but I still have another ten minutes to write before the end of the week, oy! With four scenes in total it's going to get interesting very soon.

Well, here is to hoping I finish one of the scenes tonight.

In other news I met with two of my favorite collaborators this weekend-Monet (a playwright) and Jill (a sound designer) while both were on separate unrelated occasions both were a delight. Monet had some interesting things to say about American Idiot. Since I am seeing it tomorrow night I look forward to speaking with her further. Jill is always fun.

I saw Anyone Can Whistle on Thursday last. Great music, awful book. Interesting combo.

April Showers...

Well so far two of my applications have been accepted-still waiting to hear back from a few, but that's another story.

Madame Bovary Adaptation
-I am one of three directors selected to take part in an adaptation workshop happening at The Directors Company from now through the end of May. We have a master class once a week with Nagle Jackson to present work and discuss as well as 12 hours of rehearsal time a week to work and build our adaptation. We only work on a 25 minute section of our over all piece but with that 25 minutes I will be able to build it into a full length. Casting is next week and I need to have at least one scene done before the 18th of April. I am so thrilled to have this opportunity

Directors Lab West
This takes place over seven days in Pasadena, CA. It's run by master directors who give lectures, lead discussions, workshops, etc. It's a great place for collaboration, meeting people, and getting to know the CA theater scene, something I know nothing about. This years lab takes place in August.

Two exciting bits of news this week! Im still waiting on Women's Project, Fringe, Playwrights, and Williamstown.

What a Week!

March is already in high gear!
This week I:
-Submitted for 2 labs and 1 residency. Only 2 applications to go.
-Saw The Pride (okay that was last saturday), A Behanding in Spokane, Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers, and Next Fall
-Had dinner cooked for me
-Debated three musketeers until 4am with other artists
-Experienced my first Musical Mondays at Splash
-Finished rehearsals for Almost Olive Juice (which opens tonight)
-Baked a Cake
-Started packing for my move
-Was offered the 4th show at Pioneer Playhouse in KY FOR BETTER
-Had an eating tour of Little Italy (yes nothing to do with Theatre, but fun none the less)
-Got a lovely mention in an article by Hannah at BlogCritics (http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/why-bad-theater-puts-me-in1/)
Or
" Let me point out an example of quality theatre. Using The Secret Theatre in Long Island City once again, allow me to cite the best production I have seen there: their winter production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Katherine M. Carter. Ms. Carter's entire production was critically acclaimed across the board because it was creative, imaginative and a joy to watch from start to finish. Did she have expensive sets or costumes? No, she dressed the entire cast in pajamas and her set with two white blocks and four pieces of fabric hanging from the ceiling, representing columns. Carter and her design team allowed their imaginations to run wild, in the end creating a fun show for all. That's quality theatre in my book. Ms. Carter and her entire cast and crew took an idea, ran with it and was a success, whereas Cyrano de Bergerac was, overall, a lazy production and therefore, bad theatre in my book."

This week:
-Tonight Almost Olive Juice Opens
-Finish 2 Applications (Adaptation and Williamstown)
-I am seeing Titus at the American Globe, The Book of Grace at The Public, and another show on the 13th
-My brother Dan has a birthday
-My friend Nick has a birthday
-I'm moving offices at The Drama League
-Im having dinner with no less than 4 of my Midsummer cast members
And Matt Mancuso is coming for a visit!

Phew!

Almost Olive Juice

I'm directing the piece Anniversary Special in this new festival by ArtEffects Company. They are a great group-and the show is going to be a laugh a minute.
Hope to see you there!
-Katherine

Two New Plays

February has proved to be better than January.

First-I signed on to direct for the Almost Olive Juice festival with ArtEffects Company. We had an amazing set of auditions on Saturday afternoon. This is my first time working with this new company and I have enjoyed my experience so far. They have a lovely Monday Night Reading Series and a Playwrights club as well. Its nice to be surrounded by go-getting artists
The show will take place on MARCH 8TH

Second-Liz at The American Globe asked me to direct for their 24 hour play competition this year. Im working with playwright Steve Cooper on his new ten minute play. Steve lives in FL so the show is in my hands. I'm looking forward to getting some great actors for the script.

Finally-Applications for fellowships are slowly getting completed. By the end of this work week I should have two more turned in.

In other news, I'm looking forward to visiting my family in Michigan for a few days. It will be nice to have some family down time and enjoy the mitten in the bitterness of winter.

The Rose Gardener

Tonight The Rose Gardener opens at The Tank Theater on West 45th between 8th and 9th Ave
Show goes up at 7:30pm both tonight and tomorrow (Monday), tickets are free

This experience has been both exhilarating and exhausting. We had several road bumps along the way-little rehearsal time, tech time did not go as planned, and I am running the tech. Now, I took tech in college and have done my fair share on shows from time to time but nothing like running your own tech while trying to direct. Good news-I can now program a light board and am able to run projections.

It's going to be an amazing reading tonight and tomorrow-if you have a chance I HIGHLY recommend it. On top of that I love hearing feedback about the show.

In other news application season is in full swing. In the next 24 hours one more will be turned in. Before I go home to Michigan I plan on submitting 3 more.

Looking forward to seeing you at The Rose Gardener!

Katherine

The Rose Gardener

Reserve your tickets for The Rose Gardener now on BrownPaperTickets.com

Applications and Rose Gardener

Well January is underway-2010 Fellowship Application Season.

I'm kicking it off with filling out applications and directing a reading of The Rose Gardener at The Tank Theatre.
Applications are a part time job when you are an emerging director. All of them have essays, letters of recommendation, and various supplementary materials. Needless to say its time consuming and a marathon. But, it must be done. Women's Project was finished on Friday, one down.

The Rose Gardener is a show I've directed twice before with playwright Sara-Ashley Bischoff. We are in our final text work stages. Sara-Ashley is hard at work today reworking the script while I focus on some of the design elements. All of our prep work needs to get done today before our first read through tomorrow. I'm hoping to keep this blog updated with how the process is coming. Its going to be a quick two weeks but I have a feeling this reading is going to bring something special to the table.


A lot is happening over the next month-keep in touch!

New Years

And I would like to become a better writer.
Forgot to mention that.

I need to spice up my writing skills in order to rock those applications and grants.


Speaking of, I have some artistic statements to write.