The photo above was taken at a recent rehearsal of . Somehow the grainy image of this picture adds to its power. It is a deeply intimate and heartbreaking moment in the play that not only beautifully captures ANIMAL, but also the brokenness we all sometimes feel. Sometimes we need a shoulder to cry on […]
ANIMAL @ Alumnae Theatre’s Fireworks Festival
October 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Raina Shepherd is bi-polar, schizophrenic, visited by ghosts…and she likes to bite. A spellbinding journey into the mind of a disturbed woman, struggling to find the truth, plagued by what is real and what is hallucination. All Raina really wants is to love and be loved…… But is it too late? ANIMAL plays at the […]
Introducing the ANIMAL Cast
October 10, 2018 by 6 Comments
And here they are – the five actors who will be playing the Shepherd Family, standing in front of the Alumnae Theatre where ANIMAL will be performed. From left to right, I’m proud to introduce DAVID PLANCHE (Daniel Shepherd), SPENCER STREICHERT (Griffin Shepherd/ Mark), CRAIG MARTIN (Cliff Shepherd), ALEXANDRA MILNE (Raina Shepherd) and PAT PARISELLI […]
Together Again
October 1, 2018 by 4 Comments
When my upcoming production of ANIMAL was looking for a stage manager, I recommended the lady above. Leslie Ann and I go back a few years. She staged managed several seasonal theatrical productions that took a modern/contemporary look at Christmas and Easter. Back in those days, I was responsible for a group of volunteers […]
Face to Face
September 12, 2018 by Leave a Comment
A parade of actors have been auditioning this past week for my play ANIMAL. It is an exhilarating (and at times exhausting) process as you sit there and take in every actor who comes before you. I am drawn to an actor’s face. Their head shots leave an immediate impression. The face says so much […]
Say Hello to Miss Evelyn Marie Long
August 15, 2018 by 2 Comments
Evelyn Long will be directing my upcoming fall production of ANIMAL which will be staged at the Alumnae Theatre in Toronto, November 21-25 as part of their Fireworks Festival. ANIMAL has been years in the making with countless drafts over that time (and lots of breaks in-between each new draft). This past summer, I completed […]
Leave Your Ego at the Door
July 20, 2018 by 4 Comments
Writing is re-writing and more re-writing and everyone has an opinion and you, the writer, must remain open to others while staying true to your art. It can be stressful when you’re trying to figure out the direction of your story. I have just finished (yet again!) another re-write of my play ANIMAL. And as […]
Fear Not the Light
May 29, 2018 by 2 Comments
What is your light? What is the thing that gets you up in the morning. Maybe you don’t know. Or maybe you’re afraid of your light…afraid it might shine too bright and maybe scare others away. Whatever the case may be, embrace your light. If you’re searching and you have been for awhile, don’t give […]
ANIMAL Will Be Staged
April 18, 2018 by 2 Comments
Some happy news to pass on today. My play will premiere on a Toronto stage come this November 2018. After the reading of ANIMAL on March 24 at Alumnae Theatre’s New Ideas Festival, I was contacted by this same theatre company to include ANIMAL in their Fireworks Festival. Fireworks is a festival of 3 full […]
I’m Listening
April 2, 2018 by 3 Comments
The above photos and those included in this blog are pictures taken of the Talk-back that followed the staged reading of my play that took place on March 24 at the Alumnae Theatre. The actors did an awesome job of bringing the text to life. I’m grateful to them, to my stage manager Myriam and […]