Everyone of these four women above, in one way or another, have contributed bringing my play to life. Writing is re-writing and you need to have a strong constitution for it.  Creating art with others and for others who will read, work on it or witness it, can be contentious at times.  Opinions vary.   Constructive […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]