Happy August, everyone! It's been a lovely summer. Just over a week ago, I was sitting on the beach in North Carolina, enjoying my first true, week-long vacation since moving to D.C. It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past 8 months. I have been so fortunate to have connected with such talented, supportive artists!
Past Productions
Mary Kate Olsen is in Love performed a short but popular run at Studio Theatre's 2ndStage. Audiences really seemed to get it; one critic, in particular, described it with great dramaturgical insight:
"In a country where its art and culture are increasingly at odds with the health and well being of its citizens, both men and women, where can the young turn for guidance? The famous mythologist Joseph Campbell spoke about the difference between the hero and the celebrity. The hero (or heroine) “is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” She does and accomplishes that bigger “something.” On the other hand, our modern celebrity doesn’t do, but simply is. Mary-Kate Olsen is in Love yearns for the former while sifting through the latter. Campbell also wrote: “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” And that holds true, whether that life was planned for us by the cultural narratives around us or by some more esoteric and ancient means. Mary-Kate Olsen is in Love leaves us hoping all will “follow their bliss” and have such a life." -- Robert Micheal Oliver DC Metro Theater Arts
I couldn't have put it better myself.
Current Projects
I've just about finished filming as a costar in a new webseries produced by Chiet Productions called Redmonton. The series follows the lives for four, 23-year-old best friends transitioning to adulthood in a small, mid-western town in southern Missouri. I play an aspiring ballerina who is struggling to get back on pointe after an injury. We've had so much fun filming Season 1 that the creator/director/screenwriter, Angie Walls, has already begun writing Season 2.
The eight, 8-minute episodes will premiere in late September (specific dates to come). Keep up with the latest updates by following @RedmontonSeries or tweeting with hashtag #thisis23.
I am so happy to be working on this female-centered project!
The eight, 8-minute episodes will premiere in late September (specific dates to come). Keep up with the latest updates by following @RedmontonSeries or tweeting with hashtag #thisis23.
I am so happy to be working on this female-centered project!
Upcoming
Speaking of female-centric, I've begun conversations around an exciting project that will premiere as part of the Women's Voices Theater Festival in September. Be on the lookout for more information in next month's update.
Inspiring DC Theatre
I was fortunate to see two excellent new works as part of the Capital Fringe Festival 2015.
It's What We Do, written and directed by Pamela Nice, took interviews from the Breaking the Silence project, creating scenes from the memories of Israeli soldiers. The play gave voice to an often overlooked perspective in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: how does the experience of Israeli soldiers change how they see their relationship with Palestinians? Having worked on Priceless Gem: An Athlete Story, I also found it fascinating to see another show that relied on 95% interview text, creating dynamic theatre.
No AIDS, No Maids -- I was grateful to see DeeDee Batteast's new one-woman show, not only because she is a remarkable actress, but also because her piece confronts the challenges faced by black women and gay men in the entertainment business and how it ostracizes their stories in daily life. DeeDee says this piece is a work-in-progress, but I can only imagine how much more this already very compelling and intricate piece could become.
That's all folks! Enjoy your final month of summer, and I'll try to loose the many freckles I've collected before filming begins again. ;)
-Ali
It's What We Do, written and directed by Pamela Nice, took interviews from the Breaking the Silence project, creating scenes from the memories of Israeli soldiers. The play gave voice to an often overlooked perspective in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: how does the experience of Israeli soldiers change how they see their relationship with Palestinians? Having worked on Priceless Gem: An Athlete Story, I also found it fascinating to see another show that relied on 95% interview text, creating dynamic theatre.
No AIDS, No Maids -- I was grateful to see DeeDee Batteast's new one-woman show, not only because she is a remarkable actress, but also because her piece confronts the challenges faced by black women and gay men in the entertainment business and how it ostracizes their stories in daily life. DeeDee says this piece is a work-in-progress, but I can only imagine how much more this already very compelling and intricate piece could become.
That's all folks! Enjoy your final month of summer, and I'll try to loose the many freckles I've collected before filming begins again. ;)
-Ali
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