reading the fall away

I’ve had a satisfying close to 2009: a year full of stimulating theatre and collaborations, fulfilling travel and rewarding times at home. The Picture of Dorian Gray was an incredibly challenging and growing experience. The cast had a great run together and the Round House audiences loved the show.

Since we closed in October I’ve been busy working as a standardized patient at George Washington University Medical School, where I get to utilize my acting and teaching skills helping medical students develop their communication and technical proficiency for when they work with real patients.

I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in several readings this fall, which have been a great way to work with new artists and further develop relationships with theatres in town. I performed in an evening of adapted Philip Roth by Derek Goldman at Theatre J, as an opening event for the 2009 DC Jewish Literary Festival. Also at Theatre J, I read as Rachel in End Days by Deborah Zoe Laufer, directed by Shirely Serotsky.

I was thankful for the chance to return to Arena Stage, my first employer in DC, to work with the wonderful Ellen McLaughlin for a day on her new musical in development, Inconnu, with music by Peter Foley. Up in Bethesda at Round House Theatre I participated in two readings, a new adapation of Ford Madox Ford’s The Good Soldier by the acclaimed writer Jeffrey Hatcher, directed by Rick Corley, as well as Blake Robison’s new adaptation of Alice McDermott’s novel, Charming Billy, directed by Mark Ramont.

Hopefully some of these plays will be chosen to move into production in the 2010-2011 season. My most recent staged reading was part of Washington Shakespeare Company’s Tuesday Reading Series: a new work by local playwright, Stephen Spotswood, called Fire Burn, which was directed by Jessi Burgess. I really enjoy the reading format and opportunity to work with lots of wonderful artists in a condensed amount of time, hopefully I get to work with all of them on a longer project in the near future.