Dawn Monique Williams

what's next

2012-01-10T22:14:00.000-08:00

Now that my Drama League Fellowship is complete, everyone keeps asking me "what's next?" If I am being honest, I don't know. I don't have any gigs booked. I am on the job market with hundreds of others. My lease is up on April 30, 2012. This is what is true today.

As I move forward and try to plan a future for myself and Jordyn, I have been thinking less about what is the next thing, and a lot more lately about utility. What does it truly mean to serve or to be useful? How is theatre useful? How are the arts useful? And to what purpose am I an artist? What does it mean to be a good parent? And what choices are in the best interest of my child? I have realized through several uncomfortable months of feeling "lost," unsure, insecure, and doubtful, that I have not always been of use or an effective decision maker. This is what must change for me in 2012. It is not a resolution. I am not resolved to be useful, I have evolved to be useful.

I have given much thought to my core tenets, and not to solely focus on in my art, but in my life, as a human being, mother, artist, friend and neighbor.

Over the last several months I have discovered what is important to me and have distilled that down to:

Utility. It has become one of my personal goals, part of my artist mission, to be of service.

Community. I want to be a part of something; I want a sense of belonging; an active exchange of thoughts and ideas. I want to collaborate, converse, and create toward a common goal.

Leadership. I want to be not only accountable, but a willing representative of the values and mission of the community I serve. I want to facilitate, guide, and be a voice that people can depend on.

Language. This is my art and my politics. Through a system of symbols, signs, sounds, gestures, or the like used or conceived as a means of communicating thought and emotion, I want to make known my existence and the existence of those before me and the promise of those yet to come.

These are my four pillars. This is how I choose to move forward in space and time; how I am defining myself, and the work for which I wish to be remembered. Of course my identity is comprised of many things (a woman, mother, black, etc.) and I belong to multiple communities but at the center of my being and with the time I have to share this is what I seek.

DirectorFest is finally here

2011-12-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

This has been an intense past seven days. I arrived in NYC one week ago (Nov. 30) to begin work on DirectorFest ’11. For DirectorFest, I’m directing Lisa D’Amour’s short play, My California. Everyday I find myself more and more in love with this play. After months of rehearsals in which I was supporting the work of someone else, it feels amazing to wrestle with a text and collaborate with actors on something that I chose. I have the most amazing cast. These ladies, Kelly McAndrew, Kari Nicolle, and Kate Hare, are all gracious, gorgeous, uber talented, and above all, willing to jump right in. I must sound like a kook to them in rehearsals, but they never let on. They commit whole hog to the story, and at least three times a day give me the chills.

Rehearsals began Thursday and already today was dry tech. I can’t wait until tomorrow when we have the actors on the set, in costumes, and light. I am the happiest camper of all time in the theatre. Everything else (and there is a lot of everything else in my life right now) simply fades to the background while we play, create, and make belief. It’s also quite fabulous to be working with so many women in the theatre. Our design team is most women, and my stage manager, C. Renee Harris-Alexander, keeps it 100% and I LOVE IT.

Soon I’ll see what the other directors have been up to when we bring all the shows together in two days for our dress rehearsal and opening night performance. I think this will be the one I always tell the kids about, “when I was a drama league fellow…”

…the world was full of infinite possibility.

me, Lily, Desdemona, and Amanda
Your Fall 2011 Drama League Directing Fellows

Giving Thanks

2011-11-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

Well it is the day after Thanksgiving, “Black Friday” as it is commonly referred to, and I am sitting at a computer at my temp job thinking about my preparations for my extended stay in NY beginning next week.

It was about this time last year when the applications for the Directors’ Project went up, and so for this past year the Drama League has been a huge part of my life. For that I am tremendously thankful.

It is bitter-sweet that our fall fellowship will conclude in just under 3 weeks time, and the 4 of us will be off in the world (Des still under the auspice of the fellowship at Playmakers Rep). I can only begin to explain what this experience has been for me because I will reach the point where words fail. For the last 7 months I have been in rehearsal halls, techs, previews, design meetings, casting sessions, off and on Broadway shows, producers’ offices, actors’ dressing rooms, a lodge in the Berkshires, and here with you on this blog, and it has been the time of my life. And on a personal level I feel like I have achieved the impossible, because I have done it all while being a single mom (and as a member of a few other socioeconomically under privileged groups).

Now as I gear up for DirectorFest, I know that the rest is up to me; to go out in the world and make the art I am passionate about with people who inspire me, that I believe in, trust, and admire. IT IS SCARY, but I am ready, and so grateful for the time, investment, and resources of Roger, Gabriel, and the Drama League, and the camaraderie and support of the other fellows (fall, summer, musical, classical, present and past) has been terrific. (If you are reading this because you think you want to apply to the Directors’ Project, YOU MUST DO IT).

MY CALIFORNIA is all cast, and I couldn’t be more excited about these three women. This show has very quickly become an incredibly personal story for me and I am thrilled to bring it to life with these breath taking actors.

So I have a quick turn around trip on Monday to NY and back for our big production meeting, and then on Wednesday, Jordyn and I pack up for our 2 week stay in the big bad apple. WOW!

Diving in, in 5…4…3…2…

So Many Poets, So Many Plays

2011-11-10T09:13:00.001-08:00

So my assisting gigs are all done and DirectorFest is fast approaching. I am over the moon to get back to directing my own projects. The time assisting is invaluable and educational, but it also reaffirms that I am meant to be directing.

I will be directing Lisa D'Amour's MY CALIFORNIA, and it seems like the right time in my life to give voice to this piece. I am a native Californian, from the SF Bay Area (where MY CALIFORNIA starts), and have only been away from home for 3 years and some months to complete grad school. Right now I am feeling very homesick and, like the character Ashley in MY CALIFORNIA, have this idealized Cali that I am trying to make it back to.

I go in to casting next week and am so excited to work with Michele at Cindi Rush Casting. I've never worked with a casting director before (though I have had a few artistic directors who in many respects where working with me in that capacity when I was directing at their theatres). I love that there is some one who hears what I am looking for and brings me several options to choose from.

I have been revisiting the script almost daily and am more and more in love with the play with each read. I feel like I can get back to my core (director) values and aesthetic with this material and I am just really feeling ready.

In other theatrically stimulating news, I had the opportunity to attend two readings this past week. The first was Marcus Gardley's THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND, as part of the BrandNEW festival at Hartford Stage. The play is an amazingly rich and poetic adaptation of Lorca's HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA. I loved everything about it, and thought for a first draft it was remarkably ready for some rehearsal. He is just a genius, and I'm not only saying that cause he is my friend.

The second reading was Laurie Carlos' MARION'S TERRIBLE TIME OF JOY. Laurie Carlos is one of THE most amazing artists I have had the honor of meeting. I am so glad the universe saw fit for us to collide, because I am lifted by having experienced her. This play is very much a score, a rhythmic,in a jazzed aesthetic, bridging gaps in space and time to bring three woman together in a New York kitchen, as a gift to a friend. Truly inspiring on so many levels and gets me even more excited about MY CALIFORNIA, because in a number of ways Lisa's play is doing some similar things.

Ntozake Shange, in purple, with the cast of for colored girls, from left, Aku Kadogo, Paula Moss, Rise Collins, Janet League, Trezana Beverley and Laurie Carlos

Audacity has made Kings

2011-10-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

My last week with Davis McCallum and the Water By the Spoonful gang at Hartford Stage starts tomorrow. It has been a BLAST. This cast is an incredible and diverse group of actors with such a wide range of experience and hidden talents (Yoga Master, a crossword aficionado, incredible cook - are just a few). I have developed such an excitement for new play development AND love that I get to have a voice in the room.

We are just coming off of a weekend of 5 preview performances with a wide range of audience feedback, some great and some discouraging. It reminds me, once again, that theatre is an audacious act. At some point you have to believe in the work you are doing; in the story, in the effect it can have on audiences, in its absolute necessity. I believe in the absolute necessity of this story and feel so fortunate to sit with Davis and Quiara as they make the story stronger, clearer, and more immediate.

Tomorrow (well today I guess), we will put-in new pages in the afternoon and continue to refine tech. We are still adding and cutting props and scenery. I remember in my second year of grad school at UMass, when teching LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, the TD told me that tech was the time for the director to pull out the axe, that I shouldn't be afraid to edit. I realize I have been. I feel like some one worked hard and I don't want to hurt their feeling by cutting something that hours of human and financial resources went into. Working with Davis now, I get it. It isn't about feelings. Everyone is there to support the story. To make it the best it can be. Davis edits with such clarity of purpose that everyone is on board. And if anyone is cursing him under their breath, I certainly haven't noticed.

WBTS will open Friday. I will shift gears and be back in the driver's seat. Let me tell you, even in the best of assisting circumstances, nothing beats doing your own work. I MISS DIRECTING. Just talking to the designers about my play for DirectorFest has filled me with so much purpose. I don't know what my life will look like the morning after DirectorFest closes, but I know that there is nothing in the world like directing a play. I hope I can do it for the rest of my life.

Thinking Like A Turg

2011-10-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

So we are in our last week of rehearsal in the hall. On Saturday we begin spacing on the set and on Sunday we dive into our first 10 in 12. Over the course of this past week we have had the opportunity to run the show a few times, and the big conundrum remains, where to put the intermission.

New play development is such an awesome endeavor. I sit in rehearsal with my dramaturg hat on engaging in conversations on story telling and scene events. While the play is linear, Quíara's interest in writing a "free jazz" structure provides options for where the intermission can rest. But that decision also impacts whose story the audience feels they are watching and how the parallel story-lines ultimately collide.

For me, the question of intermission has always been about where the playwright put it or how to divide the play so that the second half isn't longer than the first. Awesome to be sitting next to the playwright as she and Davis, the director, decide. I need more playwright friends.

Water By the Spoonful - A Love Supreme

New plays devo

2011-10-03T19:52:00.001-07:00

Okay so before I go any further, I must first share the BEST news I’ve gotten in recent weeks:

“Dear Dawn Monique Williams, It is my pleasure to inform you that your thesis ““What Country Friends Is This?”: Creating Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Onstage, A Director’s Journey” has been accepted into Masters Theses of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst, and you have been cleared for graduation. Your transcripts will now show that you have your degree. Congratulations!”

I finished grad school in May, but with the fellowship starting right away, I was unable to defend my thesis until August. Then the Grad School has to scour the thing to make sure the formatting and such is all in order, so while school has been out for a while, I’ve been waiting for the official #gurlyoudonegetajob email. And this morning it came. Over the moon about it.

So me & Hartford Stage: we are at the end of week two and I feel like we are moving at a great pace. Davis has staged the whole show (he calls it a first draft) and on Sunday we ended the week with an AWESOME stumble thru of Act I.

I find myself obsessed with the dramaturgy of this play. Our discussions in the hall about storytelling and structure are so exciting for me; Quiara making sentence level edits, and Davis “drafting” versions of the scene to show her is all so new for me as my specialty is classics and published plays. New plays have scared me because having the writer in the room has always seemed so intimidating. But this process isn’t scary or intimidating at all. Quiara is open and receptive and she and Davis have an incredible trust and rapport. I think I need more playwright friends.

Quiara’s writing is so rich and each character so intriguing. I am incredibly moved by the depth of these relationships, and when you see the play (which you will *hint *hint *nudge *nudge) you’ll understand how gifted a writer she is to craft such moving stories about people who by in large communicate through a chat room.

Ok. I will leave you with a few gems from the rehearsal hall:
“Then it becomes some bad grad school acting exercise”
“That’s a little to artsy dancie”
“If this were my MFA thesis, I’d have a lot of explaining to do”

"Acting Faces" collage from my thesis production of 12th Night

This is for mi gente

2011-09-27T21:04:00.001-07:00

So I am back in rehearsals. This time assisting DP Alum Davis McCallum on the premiere production of Quiara Alegría Hudes play, WATER BY THE SPOONFUL. We are a week in and Davis has already staged a first draft of Act I. The energy in the room is so great in part because, for some of the team, this is a reunion of sorts. WBTS is the second play in the Elliot trilogy, and was commissioned by Hartford Stage. Davis, also directed the first play in the trilogy as well, with two members of this cast starring in that production. This ethnically diverse cast is so invested in the world of this play, and it is only week two. The play has already opened my eyes to the ways in which I have created community and faced addiction.

Quiara is in the room, observing and responding to the work of Davis and the actors. We've tested new pages and edits daily. To be a part of this process is inspiring, and to feel welcomed into the dialogue about the play feels like a rare gift for an assistant director. What I think I love the most is when Quiara says "I hadn't thought of it in that way, but that could work." Her utter faith in the actors and trust of Davis is awesome, as is her willingness to let the story live. Davis and Quiara have such a great relationship. I NEED more playwright friends.

In more personal news, my kid turns 10 tomorrow. I can hardly believe that I am a parent let alone that I have a child who is 10. I have been a parent practically my entire adult life, and, oddly enough, in a field where women with children seem to have a more difficult go at it, I've been a parent the duration of my professional career. Ok, just needed a moment to reflect on that. On to DirectorFest.

I will be directing Lisa D'Amour's MY CALIFORNIA as part of the Drama League DirectorFest. It is the perfect fit for my taste: poetic, interwoven dialogue, non-linear, musical, and magic. I love it, and am sooooo excited to work on it. December almost seems too far away.

PS - talk about addiction, on Friday the staff at Hartford Stage did a fridge purge and my 2 20oz bottles of Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi were lost in the shuffle. I hadn't labelled them, nor did I think they would disappear. When I came to rehearsal on Saturday and discovered that I would have to make it through the day without my usual fix, I silently wept. I am not even joking...this really happened...my new stash is now clearly labelled.

Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue
Armando Riesco (center) returns as Elliot, joined by Zabryna Guevara (right) as Yaz

Drama League Retreat

2011-09-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

So a week ago about this time, the other three fellows and I were all packed up and just about ready to leave Stump Sprouts Lodge after an unspeakably amazing four days of work. My final moments of retreat were spent in a private feedback session with Artistic Director, Roger Danforth, and our master director for the week, Shaw aficionado, David Staller. If you read Lily's post, you know we spent about 20 hours actively working with actors and David on a combination of Shaw and Shakespeare set against a backdrop of vivid green mountains and romantic sunsets. It was incredible, truly a gift to be given the time and ridiculously talented actors to play with, but for me the biggest lesson learned came in that last thirty minutes spent with Roger and David.

In this business you have to LOVE who you are. It sounds so simple, probably even cliche, but it is so true. To be an artist is an audacious act: "I have something of value to say/share, and you should/must listen." I have to be audacious; move forward believing that my unique experience of and in this world can and will be of value to others. And despite what names I am called, what others try to add to or take away from me, I have a story to tell. Only I can tell it and to do so with honesty and compassion I must love myself.

It is great to aspire to another's art, but of greater importance to honor all my parts and with the sum, tell my own truth, create my own art, and pay it forward.

The Universe is saying "Yes gurl!"

2011-08-05T11:47:00.001-07:00

In the wee hours of the morning (thanks to my new sleep schedule, ugh) I made a firm resolution to move in the direction of my dreams. It is a scary place for me. I have always talked big, but I always had a safety net. I have quite literally been in school for 30 years, and now school is done. I got the terminal degree and I don't see another one in my future anytime soon. So now all the protection and insulation I had are gone. I have to walk the walk.

I'm not quite sure how I am going to make a living as a director, but I'll start one gig at a time. I'll focus on creative sustainability. This pictured greeted me on my fb timeline this morning (well afternoon) and mock if you'd like, but I think it's a sign. The universe is saying to me, "yes gurl!" So for today I feel empowered and on the right track.

This time last year...this time next year

2011-08-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

So this blog is brought to you courtesy of fb. I refuse to update my status more than twice a week, but I have things I want to say out loud, so I thought hey, you have that blog you never post to, so here we are.

Because I am really really really broke, I have become a tea drinking idiot. I mean I was always a committed tea drinker, that's why I have thousands of tea bags on hand, but my limited (read no) funds have forced me to lay off the wild cherry diet Pepsi and drink up this tea. Of course drinking so much tea causes me to think of my time in the UK.

This time last year, I was in Stratford-upon-Avon, looking forward to the Edinburgh Fringe. I can't wait to get back there. Of course there is always some drama on the trip, you can't travel in a group of 15 and expect it to be all roses, but I am so in love with London and Stratford, and I am so happy there. The theatre I see across the pond motivates me for years, inspires me, and makes a permanent imprint. So if I have my way, next year at this time I'll be there again. Now of course in this moment that path isn't clear. How I'm going to raise the money is a mystery. How I am going to produce a show for the Fringe also unknown. What I do know is that to refuel, I've got to spend August away.

Especially since I am now official running low on my Scottish black blend from the Tesco.

So here is to big plans, big goals, and big dreams.

Now that that's done

2011-07-19T16:23:00.001-07:00

Well my time at Shakespeare & Company came to an end on Friday as the figurative curtain came down on a stellar opening night performance of Romeo and Juliet. It was an incredible and intense 8 weeks, that taught me many a lesson and reminded me why I do what I do.

I hope when “they” (lord only knows who the proverbial they are) talk about me, they will say I had a clear vision and a spirit of generosity. That is true of R&J director Ms. Daniela Varon, she also has the patience of Job. Despite whatever pressure she may have felt or been under, she always kept a positive attitude in the rehearsal room. On opening night she said to me “this is why you keep working until the last minute.” And it’s true, I learned that I have to be persistent and relentless but that there is a way of doing that that is gracious, supportive, and collaborative. Thank you Daniela for such an invaluable lesson.

So now what do I do? Retreat is a month away and I have plenty of Shaw to keep me busy. I also have my thesis defense happening right before retreat, so there is plenty to prepare for there. I’m taking some much needed time to just hang with my 9 year who will be 10 before I can blink. So that’s a regular helping of swimming and movie dates. But I am also teaching. Working as a teaching artist has its ups and downs of course, but it is always an affirmation of the work we do in the theatre.

I am currently working in Holyoke with a group of summer school students entering 9th grade in the fall, many are English language learners, and none of them have a background in theatre. It is AWESOME to rediscover Zip/Zap/Zop or sound and motion; they want to know why we do these ridiculous games, and I have to have a real and convincing answer for them. These kids are challenging, but they are also active and smart. My teaching partner and I can’t BS them, we have to be clear and articulate and engaging. We have to offer them something rather than expecting them to come to us. I am probably learning more about theatre than they are. This is the audience I want for my work; people who will insist that the work be resonant for them, engaging, clear, and that we not pander to them, but offer them something that is new, fresh, and challenging in a way that is relevant to them.

Ok, well that’s all I got for now.

Looking forward

R&J home stretch

2011-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

So R&J opens Friday night and will conclude my stay with Shakes & Co. It has been a blast. This production is truly wonderful. We started previews last Friday night and as I sat in the theatre with our first true audience, I found myself weeping. Of course this had to do with how beautiful the production is, how truthful the acting, but more than anything I was overcome with the feeling of "I have to do this." I have to find a way, against whatever odds, to give my life to theatre. There are moments when I feel like what I do is so superficial, like "there is a war on and I'm worried about 'dynamic stage pictures.'" But theatre is vital, possibly more vital at times of war, or in economic crisis. What I, and my cohorts, and artist around the world, do is so necessary. I sat in the theatre weeping, because of the awesome power theatre has to touch lives, maybe change lives, carry the culture forward, hold history. Yes it can be entertaining, and we need that, but theatre is the story of a people. I'm no soldier, but theatre is what I can do for and with others, how I can serve. I just hope I am always able to support myself as an artist.

In other news that doesn't require me and a soapbox, my production of The Winter's Tale opened last week, and has been going really well. It will run for two more week on the outdoor stage at the Center for Renaissance Studies in Amherst, MA. I'm already trying to butter the producers up for next year. I'm hoping the DL retreat will help as we have to pitch a production, and I don't know nothin' bout pitchin a show.

Like Des, Shaw scares me, and like Des I'm very excited about how retreat with expand my horizons.

Well until next week...

Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare & Company, 2011. Photos by Kevin Sprague ©2011. Featuring Susannah Millonzi as Juliet, David Gelles as Romeo

Birthday Wishes

2011-07-04T09:34:00.001-07:00

What a week! So we started tech in the Founder’s Theatre for Romeo & Juliet at Shakes & Co. on Saturday from 11-4. Also on Saturday I had a tech rehearsal for The Winter’s Tale at Hampshire Shakespeare Company from 6-11. And on Saturday, I had a birthday. I’ve heard people say on New Year’s Day that the way you spend that day is how you’ll spend the year. Well I hope that applies to birthdays too. I hope I can spend this next year in rehearsal. It’s what I love.

The Winter’s Tale will open on the 8th the same night that R&J goes into previews. Once R&J opens on the 15th, I will move on to my teaching gig, “Acting Shakespeare” with a group of young adults as a teaching artist for Enchanted Circle Theater. I have been giving a lot of thought to my year with Shakespeare lately. My relationship with his plays has really revived and focused me. Yes, I hope I spend this year in rehearsal with Shakespeare just as I spent my birthday.

We found out that for the fall fellow’s retreat we will focus on George Bernard Shaw. I am strangely excited. I always say I hate Shaw. His plays have never interested me or spoke to me in the least, but twenty years ago I would have said the exact same thing about Shakespeare. I look forward to diving into Shaw’s rhetorical prose and finding something to wrestle with. I have avoided Shaw like the plague until now, but now I feel ready. My mother raised us to try something before we said we didn’t like it, so stay tuned for my tango with Shaw. Maybe I’ll be converted…if not, at least I can say I tried.

Shakes & Co. R&J week five

2011-06-27T12:52:00.001-07:00

The lessons this week are about the logistics that happen outside of the rehearsal room. So scheduling remains a huge challenge as Shakes & Co. runs shows in rep. I’ve talked before about how we are sharing actors, but we are also sharing performance space so now we have to factor in change over time for our tech, preview, and performance schedule. Our stage managers have to keep a tight eye on the span of day to make sure we don’t put the actors into over time, the production manager has to manage time and personnel demands of the other departments, and of course the technicians and shop staff have to make the magic happen.

We start tech on Saturday and before then we still have several costume fittings, benches to rebuild, drops to be painted, blood tech, more choreography to learn, etc. We had a production meeting yesterday and discussed how much is left or not left in the budget to accomplish this and other production needs.

This is the most exciting time! The race to get everything done and ready and in the space by Saturday at noon. I know it will happen because theatre is miraculous that way. It takes many hands to make all the parts come together, and that is amazing to me. I know why I do theatre, but the women in the prop shop, the master electrician, and the technical director, they have devoted their lives to theatre too. It is their work that really gets us from the studio to onstage and sometimes we don’t even know their names. I’ve made a point to remember the names of the people I’ve met at Shakes & Co. From the artistic director to housekeeping.

In other tech news, my production of The Winter’s Tale starts tech on Wednesday. We don’t have a fraction of the production staff that Shakes & Co. has, but we have a group of dedicated volunteers who are ensuring that we are loaded in and ready for Wednesday night. I’m very excited for the next two weeks of previews and openings. And even in these high pressure situations, I feel revitalized. My passion for Shakespeare grows daily…if that is even possible.

I have also started following some leads for potential DirectorFest scripts. And as always look toward the future.

Shakes & Co. - R&J week four

2011-06-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

We are now past the half way point in rehearsals for R&J, and it is going really great! This week was like cramming for an exam because the actors who are also cast in AYLI are leaving us for 10 days to tech and preview that show.

On Tuesday we set all the choreography and live musical aspects, while sprinkling in scene work.

Wednesday tons of scene work, really looking at acting values before we got another day in the theatre, where the focus would no doubt be "putting it in." On our meal break, the creative team had a "blood submit," to discuss the best recipes and methods of delivery for all the blood in the show. Who knew that peanut butter could be used for stage blood? Not this girl, but now I do.

Thursday we put part 2 in the theatre and focused on spacing and staging in the morning and then did a run of part 2 in the evening.

Friday we worked notes in the rehearsal hall.

Saturday we were back onstage, with a donor rehearsal in the morning while we cleaned up staging, choreography, music, and fights. In the evening we did our first full design run of the show.

It was quite thrilling to watch the production as I scurried through the house checking sight lines and taking notes. I was really impressed with how much has really come together given we have only had 12 full company days. Following the run, the creative team had a working dinner where we shared our notes from the run, asked questions, discussed ideas. It was great to be part of such an active collaboration. Daniela is so generous, she has an open ear and mind to everything her collaborators offers while also clearly articulating her vision and preferences. It was a great way to recover from an intense work week.

Yesterday we were back in the rehearsal hall with only the actors who are just in R&J. We talked through some notes and ended the week with a much appreciated straight 6.

I’m still on the hunt for the perfect one act for DirectorFest, and I’m starting to get excited for our fall retreat in August. I miss the other directors terribly. It’s amazing the impact people can have on your life in just a short time. But I know they are out there working hard, and at least some of us will be reunited soon.

The Winter’s Tale is also coming along. With favorable weather, we have been able to rehearse on the set, and everything just makes so much more sense that way!

Shakes & Co. - R&J week three

2011-06-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well as you have come to expect, here is my weekly contribution to our “fall” blog.

This week was AMAZING in the rehearsal hall. We started our week with our Equity Daylight Day of Rest and an evening rehearsal onstage. Getting on the stage for the first time was great, we no longer had to theorize steps up or down, how long it takes to descend the balcony, or cross over the back of the house with rapier in hand. It was very exciting. Of course as we are in rep with As You Like It, we haven’t moved into the theatre permanently, so Wednesday, it was back to the hall. Part let down, but part relief, because something about being onstage creates the feeling that we have to set things and stop experimenting, and as we still have 4 weeks before previews we can still experiment with many scenes.

On Thursday we were scheduled for a run thru of act 1 when low and behold a storm hit and we lost power in the theatre. This amazing cast performed the run in the emergency lights. It was really kinda cool to sit in a dimly lit theatre and watch the balcony scene unfold in the darkness the text calls for. How awesome that our lighting designer was there for this run, I found it inspirational.

In other news, I had my first onstage rehearsal for The Winter’s Tale with Hampshire Shakespeare. Again the elements posed a challenge as it rained and my show is on an outdoor stage. We still got an hour or so of stage time though, and the show is really starting to come together.

So in honor of last nights TONY Awards, here is a little treat from my favorite acceptance speech EVER.

BEST ACCEPTANCE SPEECH EVER

Shakespeare & Co. Romeo & Juliet week 2

2011-06-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

I’m feeling a little self-conscious that I now have two blog posts back to back, but as I am the only fall director with a summer assignment, I guess it is to be expected. So you’ll have to indulge me.

I am now two weeks in with Romeo and Juliet at Shakes & Co. We are fortunate in that we have an 8 week rehearsal period for this production, the downside however is that half of our cast is also in As You Like It, which is also two weeks in and doesn’t get 8 weeks. In fact we lose those actors in week four to Tech/Previews and the like. On top of that, Shakes & Co. has several other shows as part of its summer season and we are sharing actors with a number of them as well. Mathematically speaking we will have a total of 12 rehearsal days in which the full company is available to us. Scheduling is like reconstructing a rubix cube, but somehow the SMs have it down to a science and both shows are making tremendous progress.

Our fight choreographer, Edgar, was in this week – and let me tell you the fights are bad ass. They are fast paced and exciting, and I have to add so sexy. This coming week the sound designer and choreographer will be in rehearsal adding their expertise to the mix. It is truly thrilling to watch all the layers get added in as are creatively scheduling to maximize our time with the actors. I’ve never rehearsed in rep that was quite this intricate. The theatre is constantly alive with activity.

In other news, I have begun the search for my short play to appear as part of December’s DirectorsFest. This is no easy task. There seem to be an unlimited amount of 10-minute plays, but finding a 30-minute play seems a little more tricky. I wonder how my colleagues are faring? Is the rule 1-2 minutes a page a true thing? It has been the case for my Shakespeare cuts, but maybe published scripts are different? Well so far I have found a handful of writers who really excite me: Quiara Alegria Hudes, Tanya Barfield, Luis Alfaro, Laurie Carlos, and Jose Rivera. Onward with my search.

Look at this gem of a photo. Remember Mr. Mark Rylance, who so graciously invited us to his dressing room following Jeruselum? Well here he is as Romeo in 1990 at the Royal Shakespeare Company. His Juliet is the actress Georgia Slowe.

Welp I’m all in for now. Stay tuned… “our toil shall strive to mend”

Shakespeare & Company Romeo & Juliet week 1

2011-05-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

It’s me again. Yesterday concluded my first work week at Shakespeare & Company where I am assisting Daniela Varon on Romeo and Juliet. I know I know, it’s not fall. But I am THRILLED with my first assignment. See I didn’t share my “spiel” in my first post, so you probably didn’t know that my interest as a director is in heightened language plays. This includes contemporary writers like Marcus Gardley, Lisa D’Amour, and Octavio Solis, but I have a special interest in classical plays and am most passionate about the works of Shakespeare. So of course I am in heaven at Shakes & Co.

Shakes & Co. has some unique training methods that seem aimed at getting the actor to really have a personal connection to the text…more than a connection, but to truly embody the text.

Already in week one I have seen how these methods are used in rehearsal. I have observed Daniela “dropping in” the actors, (this is a free association exercise for the actors in which they are given a word from the text to repeat while being asked a series of questions that “play” on them while they repeat the word). I have also been in the room on my feet with the actors “feeding in” the text (quite literally following them and providing each verse line of text at a whisper so they can continue in the scene uninterrupted and not needing to call for line). What is most exciting is to see how Daniela integrates the work – for some scenes we are up on our feet, for others we’re are still doing table work, some we are dropping in. She very quickly assesses the needs of the scene and the actors and works in which ever way will serve them that day.

R&J is rehearsing concurrently with As You Like It, directed by Tony Simotes. This makes scheduling tricky and exciting and the energy in the rehearsal studios is electric. It has all the energy of summer camp, with everyone living and working together knowing our time is already fleeting.

Well next week we begin fight work so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to share!

In the meantime, I’d love to share this video with you. It has nothing to do with the show I’m working on, but everything to do with the resonance of Shakespeare.

Drama League Professionals' Week

2011-05-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Well Professionals’ Week has just come to an end, and I totally get why all the OGs call it Wonder Week. I am still in a daze from all the amazing and gracious people we met and whirl-wind of activity. This week was like my own personal dream ballet. Truly surreal.

A lot of incredible things happened this week, but I have to say that for me there were three highlights. 1. Vicki Clark crossing the dais to hug Alexandra Socha as Alex shared her story of meeting Vicki at the stage door of Light in the Piazza and Vicki telling her to go for her dreams no matter what. AND 2. The STUNNING (did you catch that, STUNNING) Donna Murphy and 3. Mark Rylance both allowing us to spend time with them in their respective dressing rooms at 10:30pm following two of the most transformative performances I’ve ever seen. So classy, humble, and inspirational. I can only hope to work with such generous actors in my directing career.

Already I’m back in western Mass where I begin my first assisting assignment with Daniela Varon at Shakespeare & Co. This is the first time a current Drama League Fellow has assisted there and I am so grateful to Daniela, Roger, and Tony Simotes for making this a reality. I am PUMPED. Daniela is directing Romeo & Juliet, which is my favorite play (no really it is…that and August Wilson’s Fences…just wait, in 5 months it will all make sense).

Well that’s all I got. “If it be thus to dream, still let me sleep!”

Ok Ok You Got Me

2011-05-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

So I have sooooo not been blogging. My bad. Here is the good news - I will be blogging at least once a week between now and December. Why you ask? Because I am a Drama League Fall Directing Fellow. This is a tremendous honor and I am one of four women chosen from over 100 applicants to receive this fellowship this year. One of the conditions of that fellowship is that I blog weekly, so I will cross post those blogs for your reading enjoyment.

I will not rehash my whole last year of existence here, but let me just tell you that this last year has been quite the roller coaster. I directed three mainstage shows in my final year of grad school and feel extremely proud of that work. My thesis production was TWELFTH NIGHT, and it was truly a dream to work with that company of actors and collaborate with such a talented creative team and production staff.

I am moving forward now that grad school is done, and in the coming year I will assist on a least two LORT shows, have my NYC directing debut, and if all goes according to plan produce some of my work as well.

I am here world. Ready for the challenge.

Little Shop day 1

2010-02-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

So I am literally writing from inside the rehearsal room on the first night of Little Shop of Horrors rehearsal. This cast is sooo legit. They have already learned three numbers and sound amazing. I don't think I could've asked for a better cast.

Last week Erin presented her final costume designs, and this week Dennis will present his final scenic design. I am so excited. I think both of these designs are really great and support the show wonderfully. I will begin staging next week after all the music is taught and I simply can't wait.

My life long friend (more like my sister really) will actually be doing the choreography which is an amazing turn of events. She became available and Marcus Gardley (initial choreographer) was happy to invite her to replace him on the show so that he could focus his attention on being the dramaturgy adviser and chair of the season select committee. Jason, who is the production dramaturg, has been chronicling the whole process and will begin posting webisodes soon.

I am super excited about this show and this cast. More to follow.

THE TEMPEST

2010-01-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

Is keeping me up nights. I really really really wanna direct this show. I'm dreaming and day dreaming about it. I have so many ideas. I have decided that is the production I want to do my thesis on. I have even given my thesis a title. I've been trying to remember when my love affair with Shakespeare began because I distinctly remember hating Shakespeare in high school. I think it started when I did ACT's Summer Training Congress in 1998. That's when I met actor, director, and acting teacher, Tommy A. Gomez and he changed my whole opinion and understanding of Shakespeare. Now I am like an addict and can't get enough. CAN'T GET ENOUGH! I am trying desperately to find place where I can work on Shakespeare. I had hoped grad school to be one of them. That remains to be seen. But there is still hope.

I Know I Know

2010-01-01T23:14:00.000-08:00

I've been sleeping on the blog. Well it is 2010 now so I am going to try to commit to more regular and frequent blogging. So THE BURIAL AT THEBES came and went. It was extraordinary. I mean maybe the production wasn't, but the experience was. I fell in love with directing all over again every day in rehearsal. I fell in love with the cast and we really made magic I think. So I'm already on to LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS which I am just jazzed about. Can't even qualify the excitement. I have a great cast and am really looking forward to starting rehearsals on February 1.

I was so grateful for the Cali love as some great friends came out to visit and show some love this fall. A few have spring visits planned. This was legit my first Christmas away from home (and by home I mean my mommy and sibs), but I survived. Broadway eased the home sickness.

Yep, that's right, I've made a few treks into The City and had the opportunity to see MEMPHIS and RAGTIME. Another Cal State Hayward alum, James Monroe Iglehart, is in MEMPHIS and it was amazing to see him up there on that Broadway stage. I swear the most amazing and talented people I know I met on top of a hill in Hayward, CA. The most AMAZING people! I love being in NYC. I think Alicia Keys says it best in EMPIRE STATE OF MIND, "these streets will make you feel brand new, these lights will inspire you." To live and work there just seems like the best thing in the world.

I was doing some of my usual cyber stalking and discovered the humble beginnings of a number of Broadway stars and what kept coming to mind was Lin-Manuel Miranda saying "ay mama, what do you do when your dreams come true?" on opening night of IN THE HEIGHTS, and I am so inspired by all these artists like me with dreams like mine. I think I'm the next big thing.

In the words of Karen Olivo, "dreams come true bitches!" So I'm sayin here and now as 2010 pops off, you heard it here first, Dawn Monique Williams is bout to do her thang and you're gonna wanna stick around for this. Come see about me. (or at least send money)

Life affirming theatre

2009-10-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

So Jordyn wanted to go to NYC for her 8th birthday and see IN THE HEIGHTS, so we did just that. IN THE HEIGHTS was truly life affirming theatre. It wasn't the best show I have ever seen, but it was amazing. But more than being an amazing show with an amazing cast, breath taking choreography, and a sound track that I can't get out of my head, the stage was full of brown people. This comment may strike some as odd or maybe there is an expectation that I won't call attention to it, but it is HARD AS HELL being a woman of color in the American theatre and sometimes I question my "place" in this theatre world. I think "man you sure are audacious to think you can do this. What models of success do you have?" The fissure seems so great sometimes between who I am and what I do. Where for me they are the same, in the world they are at odds. So when I see theatre with an aesthetic that I love and people that look like me I get really excited. I think "it is possible. There are models!" Maybe I'm just rambling and my point isn't clear. But sitting in that theatre, knowing the success the musical has achieved, and that is was not based on a movie or book or comic but an original story, made me feel great! Reminded me that "audacity has made kings."

First Week Down

2009-09-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

So I've been back in class for a week. Year two is off with a bang. I am so excited about what is to come this academic year! The ball is already rolling with The Burial at Thebes and Little Shop will be right on its heels. But I am not just excited about shows, I am excited about my classes, and seeing all the faces I missed this summer, and making new friends. I am excited about Jordyn taking viola lessons, continuing soccer and girl scouts, and wanting to go to NYC for her 8th birthday.

For tomorrow's Directing Studio, we were asked to bring in "reference points and models of success." I am not 100% sure what that means, but I have translated it to mean the things, people, place, events, that excite me or inspire me or keep me engaged or fuel me and above all else, enable me to grow. I have assembled a collection of things that are pretty representative of what I would call a model of success or reference point. Ready to share that tomorrow with Toby, Gil, and Liz and see what they have to share. I love having the time in Directing Studio to share and discuss our work, the work, art, life, etc...

So I reflected on the things that I did over the summer, and determined that I read a shit load of books. I won't get that much personal reading time until Christmas break. AMAZING the number of smutty vampire romances I read. I even read a few standard smutty romances. Oh the things they must do to my subconscious.

I'm expecting visitors! Gillian is confirmed and coming in the first week of November to visit and see The Burial at Thebes. FABULOUS. David Toda is trying to make arrangements to come in October for opening night of The Burial at Thebes and do a quickie Meisner workshop with my students. Marcus Millet is confirmed for later this month to go with us to NYC for Jordyn's bday. So this joint is jumpin'

I'm teaching two sections of acting this semester. Certainly a new challenge, but we're having fun.

Summer Lovin'

2009-07-26T00:07:00.000-07:00

I am spending my summer lovin' trashy vampire romance novels, wild cherry diet pepsi, so you think you can dance, sleeping until noon or later, sauteed spinach and garlic, books, musical theatre, The Burial at Thebes, and gentle rain.

This is the first time in a really long time that I have had so much time to myself, as Jordyn is in California right now, and some of it I really love (the aforementioned) and some of it just doesn't suit me well at all.

After spending almost 8 years as a mom, I kinda need it. It doesn't feel right when Jordyn isn't here. I feel a little lost and without much purpose. I imagine if I was wrapped up in intense rehearsals or something demanding of my time I would be ok, but I have soooo much free time it is disgusting. The first few days were great - do some things around the house, get some research done - but now it is just lonely. I can't wait to go back to Cali and get her.

In the meantime though, From Milford to Mexico will open and close, and there is much to do to prepare for The Burial at Thebes. And well there is certainly no shortage of really bad (but oh so good) vampire romance novels to be read.

When I Think of Home

2009-06-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

I think something happens to you when you move away from home and outside of what is comfortable, safe, and known. Moving to Massachusetts (something I'm not sure I could have ever imagined actually happening a few years ago) has had a huge impact on me as a person. I realized that I have developed a higher tolerance for charm and have embraced people that possess the most endearing qualities, that in my own little corner I would have never extended a hand too. A much lower tolerance for BS, I am really here to get shit done with a lot on the line and a lot to prove and the last thing I have time for is bogus people.

Here I am some 3000 miles away from everything I have ever known and a fair number of the people that I love most in the world and yet the act of coming here has allowed be to be courageous, confident, and more than capable. I think I was a little uncertain of who I was because I had been in the same place for so long. I came here worried that I wouldn't make friends or people wouldn't like me, but I have found that that just isn't the case. And there are people here that are just as great as the people at home, and they don't replace those that I love and that love me, they merely make my life bigger and more precious. It is weird because I don't think I'm going back, but California will always be home.

Summer Plans

2009-06-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

So I have a problem. I am obsessed with the musical In the Heights. I haven't even seen the show and I am addicted. I watched a PBS special on it, I have the cast album, and I watch last year's TONY performance at least once a week. So this summer, broke or not, I vow to see In the Heights. I am also hoping to see some other shows in NYC, Boston, and the SF Bay Area.

This summer will definitely be a working one. I am directing a workshop production of a new musical called From Milford to Mexico. I will also being doing some documentation work for New World Theater this summer including work on Project 2050. In addition to that, I have given myself several projects and a strict schedule for getting them done. This all starts tomorrow - so I will have to cut WAY back on my smutty vampire romance novels. I'll let you know how my studies progress.

In other news it turns out I will be heading out west, at least for a little bit. I am excited about that!

So turns out summer 09 won't be so miserable after all. I'll still be broke, but I'll deal.

Checking in...this is a long one

2009-05-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

I have just finished my first year of graduate school! I have been out of touch for a while and thought you may be interested in the goings on.

We just closed our season with ...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi by Marcus Gardley who is from the Bay Area and new to the faculty here at UMass. I was assigned to assist Gil McCauley on this production, and in addition to Assistant Directing, I was cast in the show and made my return to the stage after a 5 year hiatus. The production was extremely well received and I had sooooooo much fun in the role of Miss Ssippi (I've attached a photo).

In addition to that, I directed 2 staged readings and a musical theatre cabaret this semester. If you can believe it, I am now an award winning playwright. A piece I wrote and directed Clothed in My Right Mind received a reading as part of the 5 Colleges Multicultural Theatre Committee's WORD! Festival. This came with a cash prize! The other reading I did was a capstone project for an undergrad playwright. The musical theatre cabaret was essentially a showcase to convince the department that we have the talent to make musicals happen (can you believe they don't do musicals here). Looks like we convinced because it has just been announced that I will direct Antigone in the fall and Little Shop of Horrors in the spring. Get excited!

During the semester I participated in writing workshops led by Marcus Gardley, Roberta Uno and Steven Sapp of Universes. Over spring break I had the opportunity to see Joe Turner's Come and Gone on Broadway and have been following the debate about this production very closely. I also saw Shrek the Musical (Jordyn's choice as you can imagine). I try to get to NY as much as possible since I am so close - you are all invited to join me there sometime!

Jordyn is THRIVING. She is an active member of her Girl Scout Troop and a young entrepreneur, as she collects $1 for every swear word she hears an undergrad say in her presence - this includes the word beer.

I am stuck with out work this summer so far, so I plan to stay put on the East Coast (unless one of you can make me a better offer), let me know if you make it out my way.

Sorry this was so long, but for those who read to the end - I love you best!

UPDATE: Longed Long to Redeliver

2009-03-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

So I know you all wish I would post more often. Well my loving fans until you make yourselves known to me, that just ain't gonna happen. Here are the last three months in a rather large nutshell.

I did in fact make home for Christmas. It was great to see the fam, and OMG how I miss my friends. I got all caught up and then some. It was strange though, feeling like I didn't really belong there anymore but feeling like I really belonged in Mass yet either.

So I spent the rest of break back in Mass watching Roswell, reading vampire romances and battling a jacked sleep schedule.

Then school resumed! I am loving it. I am tots busy but I really wouldn't have it any other way. I am cast in ...and Jesus Moonwalks on the Mississippi and having a lot of fun with people in that cast. I am also working on 3 studio project, one being a play I wrote myself. I know right? Me write a play? Well I did, and it earned me 100 bucks. A reading of it will take place at the end of April at Smith College as part of the 5 Colleges Multicultural Theater WORD! Festival.

Spring break has come and gone. I went to Cali for (literally) the weekend and saw Daija in Cinderella, Marissa and Casi in Midsummer, and a bunch of equity fools in WICKED. I hung out with Sarah, Jeanette, Courtney, April, Marissa and Cas. I saw aunt Rita and my grandma and it was just really great to get that trip in. Came back saw Joe Turner and Shrek in NYC and then was back to the books.

I have spent half the semester working on a scene from A View from the Bridge and the final showing is in the am, then I will spend the rest of the semester on a scene from The Goat, or who is Sylvia. I am anxious to learn what actors I will be working with. Sooooooo excited to get started on that.

I'm loving it. Sun started coming out. Thanks to new friends I'm smiling again. Marissa visits on April 12th.

ONE DOWN

2008-12-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

Well semester one is coming to a close and so far so good. This semester has been one heck of a ride, several weeks spent crying, several spent laughing, and each always taught me something new. On the 16th I turn in a final paper, have a final scene showing, and my end of semester review, then I am officially done with the semester. I am still trying to make my way home for the holidays, not sure how it is going to happen but it looks like it just might. Strange but true, I booked an acting gig. I know right? Well I have been doing much more acting this semester than directing that is for sure. I had forgotten how aweful and awesome it could feel. Still gonna stick to that directing path - more my style. We had to submit our season proposals. I submitted A&C 12th Night, and As You Like It. Who knows what will come of it, but hey. Here's hoping! I am taking a playwriting class next semester, and an entered in a light weight competition. So I am working on a play...awkward turtle, but it is exciting none-the-less.

Jordyn had her first snow day here in western Mass. The road is covered in slush, some power lines and trees fell so they canceled school in her district. We also went and saw Legally Blonde in Hartfrd on Monday as an early Christmas present. We had a great time and really enjoyed the show - which we both know backwards and forwards (thanks MTV). I wish I could have seen it with Laura Bell Bundy, but that way goes the game. This cast was fun. So yeah...nothing more to report.

3,000 MILES FROM HOME

2008-09-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Updates: I now live in Sunderland, Mass. It is really pretty, lots of bugs, and just a lil bit lonely. I really like the UMass campus and my classes are good. I do feel slightly overwhelmed, I probably wouldn't have it any other way. There are 9 of us "first years" (2 directors, 3 dramaturgs, 2 lighting designers, 1 scenic designer, and 1 costume designer - 5 women, 4 men - 2 persons visible "of color") and well I am the oldest of the bunch. I have acting classes - thought I was gonna manage to avoid that, guess not. They are however non-traditional acting classes so that makes it a lil intereseting. The faculty is REALLY cool which helps with the adjustment.

I am now a soccer mom. I dig it. Jordyn LOVES her school it seems and is getting along just fine. We still don't have beds so remember that when I hit the big time. I have gotten hooked on the series SUPERNATURAL and it provides a great outlet for procrastination. Procrastination is bred of self-doubt. I have made great use of my library card, but haven't read all the books.

Lots of meetings to attend and they are all eye openers. So Marcus Gardley is one of my professors. I get a kick out of this. He is 1. A great up and coming playwright who is really making moves and I know him 2. My age and 3. A YALEY.

Laurie Carlos came to campus. She is one of the originators of the choreopoem. I remember Edgardo asking me why African-Americans loved doing choreopoems. HA Edgardo taught me everything I ever knew about choreopoems prior to meeting Ms. Carlos. What an accomplished woman. If only I say, if only...

So next semester I will assistant direct Gil on ...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi, which is one of Marcus' plays. That is the SHIT folks. However this semester I have a studio assignment. The things about studio assignments is that we pick them ourselves and produce them ourselves so we define the scope of the project. I am having the damnedest time just picking material for this. I have scripts piled high on my floor. I'll let you know when I decide.

Okay, I think that is all for now.

YOU'D THINK I WOULD WANT TO SHARE

2008-08-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

All my victories. Well I have just been busy as a beaver. So I did in fact get into the MFA Directing program at UMass Amherst, I did in fact accept, and I am in fact going. I move on August 25th.

I write to you now from a flat in Edinburgh, Scotland where the Festival Fringe is taking place in all of its glory. A humble group of CSUEBers and I have brought Anna Bella Eema by Lisa D'Amour to the Fringe. Small houses, but rave reviews. Our ***** review is here:

Anna Bella Eema

2008, Theatre

Theatre as pure storytelling doesn’t get much better or more charming than this tale of a mother and daughter living in isolation.
Irene, the mother, spends her time reading and licking stamps. Despite being close-minded and disdainful of the world beyond her four walls, she’s highly imaginative, romantic, and escapist. Anna Bella, her daughter, is bored, lonely, and slightly bratty when attention-starved. She desperately needs something to just happen and so creates Anna Bella Eema from mud who comes to life and silently destabilises their rutted existence.
Irene leads the action and is acted to perfection. In fact, she’s so vivid that she seems at first starkly out of place in the hotel-cum-theatre (there’s a good reason most stages are almost featureless) but once you’re drawn into her rich and complete world, a spooky fairy tale unfolds. The plot evolves smoothly and, although the pace is non-uniform, nothing is hurried or spread too thin.
Anna Bella Eema herself is carefully poised between cute and creepy. She has very much the same role in the real world as in the story world: she has an unaccountable manipulative “otherness”, in our world she’s a living illustration of the prose and in the story world she’s the characters’ bridge into deeper fantasy. Smart and subtle writing.
If you’re going to see something midday, see this. It is proof, if you need it, that American culture does in fact exist.

5/5

Bernie Greenwood

Well I will certainly take it! The rest of the trip has been great - Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, David Tennent and Patrick Stewart in Hamlet at the RSC, London to follow, with The Dream at the Globe. A girl just couldn't be more excited.

So that is the low down for now. Many grad school adventures to follow.

Stay Tuned!

MISSING IN ACTION!

2008-04-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

OMG! Where have I been? Working a day job like no other. Our spirited department secretary went out due to injury back in November and alas, I have been clocking 40 hours ever since. In addition to working like a grown up I have also been professing - taught two classes last quarter. So needless to say the cash has been GOOD. So I financed a little breaky-break to the NY. Broadway Dawn after all!

So the boyfriend and I saw the all black cast of Tennessee Williams' CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Terrence Howard, Anika Noni Rose and others starred, directed by Debbie Allen. It was AMAZING in a number of ways. I am sentimental I know but this was a watershed moment in my life.

I also visited a couple of grad programs. The jury is still out.

In January I directed a production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS for California Conservatory Theatre that I am still extremely proud of. The cast was just brilliant, and I miss them. I can truthfully say I had a sold out run.

Up next is the end of the season reading series at Impact Theatre. Then I am off too the Edinburgh Fringe with a production of ANNA BELLA EEMA by Lisa D'Amour. Good Times to be had.

Review: Sleepy

2007-09-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Review: Sleepy
Posted by Chad Jones on September 9th, 2007
(this review was published in the Oakland Tribune on Tuesday September 11)
Opened Sept. 7, 2007

Impact scares up some horror in Sleepy three stars Dark, bumpy night
Things go bump in the night during Impact Theatre’s Sleepy, and those bumping things are often dead bodies and audience expectations.

A collection of five short interconnected plays, Steven Yockey’s Sleepy keeps threatening to be one thing and then abruptly becomes something else.

The one thing it’s safe to say about the show is that it dwells somewhere close to “The Twilight Zone.'’ Director Dawn Monique Williams and her six actors — Gabriel A. Ross, Pamela Davis, Seth Thygesen, Marissa Keltie, John Terrell and Jessica Kiely – keep us on the verge of expecting the unexpected, which is a perfectly fine place to be for the show’s brisk 60 minutes.

The opening scene about a nightmare-plagued man and his unhappy, sleep-deprived wife reveals elements we’ll see in each of the short plays. One of these is physical: there’s a fancy new hotel in the neighborhood that we’ll end up seeing from different vantage points. One involves time: everything here happens in the wee hours of the night. And the other is more emotional: people want desperately to be listened to, as if being heard will somehow rescue them from the great yawning abyss.

The domestic drama of the first scene is angry and ugly. Then, boom! We’re in a whole different kind of play — one Rob Zombie might enjoy.

There are moments in the first scene and the second, about a traumatized young woman making some sort of confession on the phone, that recall audition scenes for drama school.
There’s something overwrought and familiar about the writing and the acting that weakens the drama. But then a corner is turned, and the scenes come alive. In the second scene, that corner involves projected video of jellyfish and a childhood recollection of murder that is truly horrifying.

Before the evening is out, we’ll be taken for a ride in one of the hotel’s creepy elevators and taken to the roof of the hotel, where a young woman’s crush on her best friend threatens to go in a violent direction.

The best piece of the lot is also the most overt ensemble piece. Each character mistakes another for someone else. At first, the scene is comical, but then, when a man is about to jump from a ledge high up on the hotel, the sense of identity confusion takes us to a most enjoyable mess-with-your-head place.

Lighting designer Stephanie Buchner keeps her lamps suitably low for these unsettling tales, and set designer Andrew Susskind conveys a sense of the claustrophobic night (granted, an easy thing to do in a basement theater) with a too-small hotel room and a refrigerator that turns out to be the most illuminating thing on stage.

By play’s end, everyone is seeing ghosts or feeling something sinister lurking unseen in the corners. And with that uneasy feeling, Impact and Sleepy send us happily into the real world of darkness outside the theater walls.

For information about Sleepy, visit http://www.impacttheatre.com/season/index.php.

Opening Night

2007-09-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

So Sleepy opens esta noche.

Nervous?
YES!

Excited?
Extremely!

Ready?
We certainly hope so.

So after a heart stopping technical nightmare of a tech week .5 we open. It appears that everything is at long last ready. Steven Yockey, the playwright, flew into town on Wednesday and made a surprise appearance at rehearsal. That was great yet frightening yet helpful yet weird. I am not that used to playwrights in the room so it put me a little on edge, at the same time it is great to hear directly from the writer about intention and meaning and to just kind of share a moment. In our own little insular ways we have created separate works of art and yet it is a singular work of art to most of the people who see it. I am very proud of it and very thankful to have worked with such wonderful actors. This is a very supportive cast, even if some of my notes went out the window. After tonight I am without a show for a while. Maybe that is a good thing, but if I get restless, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

I may have forgotten to mention that there was a teaser in both the Express and the Chron. Seeing my name in bold is just a good as seeing it in lights.

So come see Sleepy!
www.impacttheatre.com

Impact opener

2007-09-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Impact opener

Berkeley's feisty Impact Theatre - theater in the basement of a pizza parlor - is opening its season with a new associate artistic director. But it's opening with only one show on its roster, so far. Dawn Monique Williams will begin her associate directorship by staging the season opener, "Sleepy," a dark comedy of contemporary disconnected lives in four interconnected stories by Steven Yockey (author of last season's "Cartoon"), Sept. 7-Oct. 13.

Artistic Director Melissa Hillman hasn't finished choosing the rest of the season yet, but the company's Web site says it will be announced soon. Which may be why Impact is calling this its Seat of Our Pants Season. All shows at La Val's Subterranean. For details, (510) 464-4468 or www.impacttheatre.com. - Robert Hurwitt

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This is the press lead that ran in the SF Chronicle on Friday August 31 in the Datebook section. Needless to say I am pleased as punch with the advanced publicity and well to see my name in big bold letters. So that is right my friends, Sleepy opens Friday. I am sooo excited. We are in the throws of a pretty "interesting" tech, all sorts of difficulties and smack dap in the middle of a holiday weekend. The sound system is "not grounding properly," (oh that I knew what that meant). So our cue-to-cue may have been in vain as we may have to switch to CD playback instead of our computer software. This means resetting levels and timing as the CD offers a slight delay. Other than that the show is in really good shape. The actors are really starting to solidify things and raise the bar. I am sure they will nail it.

SLEEPY

2007-08-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

So, Melissa Hillman, the Artistic Director of Impact Theatre came to a run through today. She seemed genuinely pleased with the way things are progressing. She offered me some notes, and I am always grateful for the feedback. The thing is, as a director, you sometimes become to close to the material and it becomes hard to think like the average person in your audience who won't have read the script 4 million times or worked with the actors for 4 weeks. So that fresh eye, before the critics come and rip you a new one is much appreciated. Most of her observations were not news. I often know the shortcomings and weakness - so we will work on those things in the coming rehearsals.

The playwright, Steven Yockey, is coming opening weekend. So we don't get to let it gel the first couple of weekends before he sees it. I want to make sure we have it really tight and precise before he comes.

So what is the story with film school? Wish I knew. I am really just focused on my Brown/Trinity audition. I know it is only August, but when I go for something - I just do it.

Another closing, another opening!

2007-08-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Rehearsals for SLEEPY are well underway. We are making great progress and making a lot of discoveries. I am a little nervous about the short rehearsal period, but we are really making a go of it and so far so good. Yesterday I worked with Marissa and Jessica on Headphones and they gave me some really beautiful moments.

Imapct Briefs 8 closed a hugely sucessful run on July 21st. It was a great experience. I worked with some awesome actors, and the Briefs design team (with one substitution) has returned to work on SLEEPY. We still have to announce the rest of Impact season, so stay tuned.

In other show news, Much Ado opened and closed. I had a blast working on that show. What a fun cast.

Jordyn starts 1st grade next Wednesday and I am back to the gym. I am gearing up for those film classes that I will be taking this fall. A little nervous but ready to take the plunge and try something new. However it is that time of year when I turn my sights to grad school - I am still very drawn to the Brown/Trinity program, and there is still UMASS Amherst of course. I can only see where this journey takes me.

Terminal Education?

2007-07-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

What is the value of a PhD in Dramatic Literature or Performance Studies? For what seems like half my life I have coveted this degree, along with the title. Now I am not so sure that it is at all what I want or very practical in it's uses. do I want to write? No. I would love to make a "significant contribution" to theatrical scholarship, but I am simply not the "scholarly" type. It seems to me that my focus in this under taking would be to teach courses in theatre history and drama lit. Can't I do that with the masters in drama I already have? I think so. Is there anyone out there that can remind what the perks are to having a PhD? I mean to reapply to Stanford will cost me another $105! I have also attempted the MFA route. And that without much success. I am certain that it is the practical program that I want at this point. And my intentions are to equip myself with the best tools and be prepared for the best opportunities. What is a girl to do? I really want that terminal degree. But why, if what I want is to be a professional director who can turn to academia if my career falls flat, I have all the school required. I believe I have tons more to learn. Maybe the field will be my only teacher at this point, and the work the only way to combat my insecurities.

Musings and Such

2007-07-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in a really long time, and despite my best efforts to get my portfolio online, I am moving a little slow. If you are that interested, you can visit my site @ dawnmoniquewilliams.com. Long I know but dmw.com was taken.

So Impact Briefs 8: Sinfully Delicious is having a successful run at LaVal's Subterranean. Only 2 weekends left. I have just held auditions for my next Impact Gig, Sleepy, by Steven Yockey. I am extremely excited to begin work on this piece. It is like part thriller, part nightmare, part REM cycle, part dream ballet. It is HOTTTT is what it is, and it opens September 7. MTC!!!!

I will also begin as a film student at AAU in September, we will see how that goes. Nervous and excited and well all that jazz.

Preparations are beginning for next year's Edinburgh Festival, and I am all over it. I am entertaining play suggestions.Got any good ideas?

In other news, Much Ado, is shaping up quite nicely. I LOVE this cast and have enjoyed co-directing with Melissa. I guess I'm the bad cop though. Well that opens July 27 at CSUEB - you should come.

Scapin the Cheat

2006-10-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

Children of Eden

2006-09-23T19:27:00.000-07:00


Directed by Dawn Monique Williams from "Ain't if Good" thru Curtain Call

Children of Eden

2006-09-22T22:45:00.000-07:00


Monica Santiago singing Stranger to the Rain Children of Eden directed by Dawn Monique Williams