WonderDays (...and weeks and months and years...)

As Adam and Lauren said, we've now arrived at our housing in bucolic Dryden, NY for our summer at Ithaca's Hangar Theatre. I've sufficiently nested enough to make our new home feel homey (thanks, Target!), and the bustle of our former lodgings on Union Square has given way to farmland and a little (dorm) room to reflect.

Not being much of a blogger, I was trying to think of how to make this entry more than just a list of the incredible events that made up WonderDays. Five shows, from A(lbee) to X(anadu); conversations with two of those shows' directors, DL alumna Pam McKinnon (Albee's Occupant) and Anne Kauffman (God's Ear), as well as alum Carl Forsman (Artistic Dir., Keen Company and Dorset Theatre Fest.); playwright Jenny Schwartz (God's Ear, and a Hangar Lab alum!), and scenic designer David Korins (Passing Strange); Liz Frankel, Lit. Assoc. at The Public; Dani Super at Super/Capes Casting; Peter Flynn, Molly Kramer and Barbara Pasternack at TheatreWorks USA; Laura Penn and Gretchen Michelfeld at SSDC (Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers); and Sharon Jensen and her amazing staff at Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts. --Not to mention helping out at the 74th Annual Drama League Awards, which meant coming in direct contact with the likes of S. Epatha Merkerson, Frances McDormand, Deanne Dunnigan, Patrick Stewart, Martha Plimpton, Bobby Cannavale, Lauren Ambrose, Julie White and MANY more amazing artists, all without having to lurk behind bushes or peek in windows! That in itself would be a plenty impressive blog, I'd say.

But in thinking about all of these phenomenal experiences, it struck me that WonderDays really was 'more than the sum of its parts.' In truth, the experiences of WonderDays were all about one thing for me: possibility. After getting my MFA a year ago, I'm finally moving in to The City at the end of the summer, and while I've worked at regional theatres across the country, I know NYC is a whole new ball game. But in every meeting and conversation, every one we spoke with opened doors and windows onto this new landscape for me. Each had a unique perspective to offer--their personal career path, their individual goals and opinions and passions--all of which made the sense of the possible palpable. Pam and Anne spoke about their processes on individual productions, as well as the path that led them to the place they are in their careers; Carl talked about his directing work, growing Keen Company and the challenges of taking over another company; David gave us the dual perspective of a scenic designer who had an incredible collaboration with his director and lighting designer on Passing Strange, as well as co-Artistic Director of Edge Theatre Co.; Dani Super shed light on the business of art...and on and on... The enormous amount of information gleaned in those 5 days was revelatory, and these artists' candor and encouragement let me see my potential, gave me a context in which to place myself and my goals for my career in the coming weeks...and months...and years....

So--working as a director in NYC: Overwhelming? Yes. Kinda Frightening? Youbetcha. Possible? Eminently.

(P.S. All of the above could describe the upcoming months as co-Artistic Director of the Hangar's Lab Season, too... We just finalized the season and assignments this afternoon... But more on that next week...  It's called a cliffhanger, people.)

-CA