Research:
In Development: Explorations into DIY-Punk and Alternative Music Scenes
Coming soon: Conversations and thoughts on the crossover between Do-It-Yourself Alternative Music Scenes and Theatre Communities. I am interested in the production models DIY artists use to put on concerts and how they could be implemented by theatrical artists who are interested in producing theatre that is less reliant on commercialization.
I set a control group for research of scenes from the Southeast and I have completed recorded interviews with leaders and musicians in scenes from:
Atlanta, GA
LaGrange, GA
Birmingham, AL
Mobile, AL
Hattiesburg, MS
Interviews and conversations are still in process, but more information can be shared upon request.
Hedda Gabler: A Woman on the Edge
Creative project and research completed for the completion of the MFA in Acting diploma from The University of Southern Mississippi.
Abstract:
The tragic heroine Hedda Gabler was created in Norway in 1891 by Henrik Ibsen. He wrote the realistic play Hedda Gabler to comment on the politics of the female condition. In this creative project I was tasked with playing the titular role of Hedda. I had the added challenge of working with a directing and design team that transplanted the classically European show into the year 1963 in America. Their bold creative license led me to create motivations for my role in a modern age that could tell the story Henrik Ibsen initially intended to be told in 1891. This design choice catapulted me into a creative process that would meet this challenge.
After the artistic team set the time period, I came to the conclusion that the specific geographic location would inform most of my character’s theatrical motivations. My research led me to Hartford, Connecticut. This area of the country limited women and their right to reproductive healthcare and education in 1963. The director implemented my research into the process and set the show in Connecticut. The social and political confinements my character faced were essential to leading to the final breaking point for Hedda, the Woman on the Edge. I created a script analysis based on formulas created by David Ball and James Thomas and implemented acting methods by Uta Hagen and Fay Simpson. I also explored physical and vocal techniques created by Rudolf Laban, Arthur Lessac, Kristin Linklater and Moni Yakim. The creative project led me to leap off the edge of the conventional experience for a modern actor, and into a collaborative conversation with the design team to create a femme-centric leading woman fit for any decade.
