As a Devisor...
I stand on the shoulders of giants. Kari Margolis, Eugenio Barba, Anne Bogart, Frantic Assembly, Blessed Unrest, and the creative artists from the LIDA Project deeply inspire my work.
My Ever-Evolving Process
Like the six sides of a cube, this devising framework offers six points to anchor, clarify, and shake up my devising process. Similar to Moment Work, the notion of the cube offers filters by which I and my collaborators can develop a moment.
The six points are:
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Text
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Movement
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Mise en scene (Design/Technology)
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Dramaturgy
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Fun
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Feeling/Frame/Focus
With each project this work gets expanded, refined, and deepened. I look forward to future projects where The Cube can come further into focus for me and my collaborators.
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The cube is supported and supplemented by my work and research in Margolis Method, Lessac Kinesensics, Noh Theatre Performance, and Contemplative and Compassionate Pedagogies.
Building Connections, Creating Conversation, Working towards Social Change
As a creative researcher, my devised project of Beautiful, Useful, True allowed me to apply my research of Margolis Method and Lessac Kinesensics. This project was inspired by Eunice Newton Foote whose voice was not heard in her lifetime, despite her discovery of the Greenhouse Effect. With a focus on issues of gender equity and climate justice, I wanted this project to elevate female voices. To do this, I interviewed thirteen female faculty from Appalachian State University and female leaders from six regional organizations as source material for this production. Through hours of collaboration with the interviewees, production dramaturg Dr. Derek Davidson, and the student-devisors, we wove the words of these women into the playscript. The result was a mosaic of voices, inviting the audience to consider the value and efficacy of women’s contributions to science and humanity.
After each performance, a talk-back panel composed of interviewees engaged with spectators on topics of gender equity and climate justice. We created conversations beyond the production itself to inspire spectators to remain engaged in these topics following the play. This production allowed me to forge a strong relationship with the university Quality Enhancement Plan leaders Dr. Shea Tuberty and Professor Laura England who seem eager to support future projects like this.
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Future creative projects include adapting Beautiful, Useful, True into a solo production. The aim would then be to perform this at regional schools in collaboration with area organizations such as Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.