Pandemic Era Work

Directing during the pandemic brought my pedagogical work directly into the professional sphere through two distinct but related projects: The Method Gun, a show I directed with Wesleyan Students on Zoom in May 2020, and a website called Directing on Zoom, produced in my Advanced Directing class that same Spring. At a time when many in the professional theater world were convinced that live theater could not translate potently and impactfully to a digital space, both these projects had a significant impact on the field. Because of Pandemic-era reliance on Zoom and other Social Media platforms, the work reached beyond Wesleyan’s campus to offer methodology and inspiration at a time when American Theater practitioners and educators needed to find a way forward.

The Method Gun

The Method Gun script was originally created by the Rude Mechs of Austin, Texas, and I was in the midst of directing and re-devising it with Wesleyan students when the pandemic hit. Pivoting to Zoom added new layers of challenge and content to the play. The Method Gun was one of the first live-stream Zoom theater productions that had been attempted—and it exploded across the American theater community, proving to many people that theater was still possible—and giving them hope to carry on throughout lockdown. Please see my COVID statement for a detailed description of the experience. To date, The Method Gun has been streamed over 5000 times.

Video links

Production Photos

Directing on Zoom Website

Artists the world over were about to have to learn how to make theater happen on Zoom. I told my Advanced Directing students it was our mandate to figure it out. There was an opportunity here for us to lead the way.

Calling on my expertise in creating site-specific theater, we started by asking some fundamental questions about the “site” of Zoom. What does staging mean when you’re in a Zoom box? What is composition? How can your actors feel connected to each other? Do actors have to stay seated in front of your screen? Do audience? What gifts do we get from the sound latency? How can you create intimacy with an audience? What can you control, what can’t you? As students explored these questions with student teams of actors, they learned how to translate scene work onto a screen. We created a website that captured our discoveries, frustrations, and solutions. We called it Directing on Zoom and published it via a free Google site (you can see it here).

When I posted the website to my personal Facebook page, notes of thanks poured in from artists across the country–those I knew and those I didn’t. It became the basis of theater-making syllabi in universities from Harvard to Iowa, from Whitman College to SUNY Purchase. Ultimately, the website was picked up for use by over 30 universities, teachers, and theater resource lists worldwide (list available upon request).  

Directing on Zoom was later tapped for inclusion in the Library of Congress COVID archive, 2021. Invite email:

Online Performances and Panels

As the pandemic continued, there was a surge of online programming from theater organizations eager to maintain community and keep creative scholarship alive.  I participated in these ways:

Video link: “Longstanding Collaborations,” Part 1, Dramatist Live #10, June 10, 2020 (relevant section:  28.30-55.30)

Performance: Nita & Zita

I reprised my role of Zita from PearlDamour’s Obie Award-winning show, Nita & Zita (2005), for a live-streamed performance produced by Alan Smason in New Orleans. This version combined fully costumed live performance from our homes with archival footage from the show.

The Dramatists Guild: Longstanding Collaborations

During the pandemic, The Dramatists Guild of America began a series called “The Dramatist LIVE” to come together in community and ensure everyone has a seat at the table. Episode #10 brings me together with my creative partner, playwright Lisa D’Amour, to discuss our longstanding collaboration. We’re joined by the Seattle-based creative team of Maggie Lee (playwright) and Amy Poisson (director).

Video link: Nita & Zita (online restaging, start time 1.45)

Presence in the Field

Press