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The moment before…
It's one of the fundamental things on the actor checklist: the moment before. What were you doing in the days, hours, minutes, seconds before you walk onstage or before the scene starts.
In Burying Miss America, Jean talks about all the work that her mother's funeral requires. The text is full of references to the arrangements, the food, the thank you notes. I did my homework, and I had...
This or That
I found myself in the old neighborhood last night.
I was walking home from some meeting or rehearsal, fighting the desire to give up and catch the bus, when I realized I was no more than a couple blocks from my first Chicago apartment. About the time I had this thought, my day’s consumption of coffee caught up with me, and using the bathroom as soon as possible became urgently necessary. Without...
In the details…
"While I was waiting for you before, I made this list. All the people that brought food. Or flowers. Or anything. The ordinary, average, worshiped her from all the pageants people. They get a note."
I've gotten to know this person called Jean Russell pretty well over the last few weeks, diving into the words she says, delving in to her life story. What began as painting in broad strokes...
The Search for Shape
Michelle Lilly is part of the production ensemble of New Leaf Theatre and is the Scenic Designer for Lighthousekeeping.
One of my favorite parts of any design process is the shape search. This typically takes place once the basic storytelling concepts are down, but we’re still looking for the specifics of what the world of the play looks, sounds, and feels like.
The first thing I’m usually...
Tags: Lighthousekeeping, Michelle Lilly
The Secrets of a Literary Text
Georgette Kelly is the playwright of Lighthousekeeping, a work she adapted from the novel by Jeanette Winterson.
When I first read Jeanette Winterson’s Lighthousekeeping, I knew I would read it again. And again. And again.
I read the book in waves and cycles. I reached for it with each major change in my life. I returned to the lighthouse when I needed to cope with isolation, loss, grief,...
