Actor Alice Gatling in the Philadelphia Premiere of Rajiv Joseph's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. (Design by John Eddy, Lighting by Liz Philips, Projection Mapping by Michael Long)
Actor Alice Gatling in the Philadelphia Premiere of Rajiv Joseph's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. (Design by John Eddy, Lighting by Liz Philips, Projection Mapping by Michael Long)

Photographing PHILOSOPHY

As a director, I believe  that a curious nature equates an imaginative artist; only trained and enlightened artists are capable of creating truth in space. I believe that theory and practice are not mutually exclusive, but inform one another. My life as a theatre artist has been devoted to scholarship and practice. I consider the crossroads where stagecraft and scholarship meet as a holistic relationship. To learn is to train; there is no substitute for practice and repetition.

I am a student of myth. As such, I want my creative work in the theatre to illuminate myth that exists in all work. The beauty of myth is that it transcends cultural boundaries by addressing our commonality. That is the key to great theatre; when an audience experiences something as one body. When I can create work in the theatre that exploits that principle, and connects the audience with one another through the shared recognition of common experiences and values, the opportunity and responsibility I have as a citizen artist is boundless.

I seek to create theatre driven by inquiry. I desire to tell stories that blend provocative content with experimental forms. I am committed to cutting/leading/bleeding edge work. In my own work, I strive to invite collaborators – and this includes actors – to take part in any and all elements of producing; I believe that artists should influence the way their work is crafted and produced. My goal is to work in an environment where new works – particularly those from other cultures and other disciplines – is creatively supported from page to stage. As a citizen artist, I believe theater can be a powerful tool for social justice and education. I want to explore, create and devise work that addresses issues of peace, tolerance, and co-existence through the lens of performance. My scholarship is informed by these goals, which I strive to infuse into my teachings whenever possible.

I embrace diversity and multi-culturalism, not only in my casting, but also my choice of material. It is my de rigueur to stand for all-embracing inclusion and recognition. I understand that there are essential elements that connect all of us on a primal level that transcend lines of race, sexuality and/or gender. I also understand that these are the very same elements that are vital to character development in any truly great piece of playwriting. It’s just a matter of looking for it.

DIRECTING PORTFOLIO…

X's & O's

2007  .  Unrated  .  1h  33m

Relationship issues arise between a researcher with a theory to explain away all his failed dating experiments, a player who wants out of the game, a deejay whose head spins with thoughts of God, a hoodrat with no street cred, a poet not-so-well-versed in art of love, and a womanipulator of men.

Relationship issues arise between a researcher with a theory to explain away all his failed dating experiments, a player who wants out of the game, a deejay whose head spins with thoughts of God, a hoodrat with no street cred, a poet not-so-well-versed in art of love, and a womanipulator of men.

Director  Kedar Korde
Writer    Kedar Korde .  Trisa Edmonson  (Poetry) .  Shelly Royce  (Poetry)
Stars      Clayne Crawford  .  Judy Marte  . Warren Christie

Vamonos

2008  .  10m

Weary travelers stopping for a quick bite to eat, Manny and Marisol are swift to learn that making a pit stop may lead to decisions with haunting ramifications.

Weary travelers stopping for a quick bite to eat, Manny and Marisol are swift to learn that making a pit stop may lead to decisions with haunting ramifications.

Director  Maurice Compte
Writer    Maurice Compte .  Marina Valle  (Story)
Stars      Marina Valle  .  Maurice Compte  .  Thomas Beaumont

Stand Up

2007  .  Not Rated  .  1h  41m

Avi Rosen knows what's really funny: the laughs come with dollar signs in Hollywood. Bidding farewell to his crotchety grandmother, who wishes he'd find a nice Jewish girl and open a pharmacy, Avi leaves the Big Apple and heads West to Tinseltown. Shacking up with an old comic buddy from the East Coast, Avi is surprised to find his once caustic friend an incense-sniffing yoga nut seemingly let loose in LALA land. But the changes Avi experiences end up being far more unsettling. Avi is quickly immersed in the gritty maneuvers of sitcom star making by Leo Stein, an unscrupulous but influential back room power player. Leo capitalizes on the young comedian's blinding desire for success and propels him past the aspiring entertainers Avi soon counts as friends, who have been paying their dues far longer than the recent transplant. When one of those overlooked comedians, Sarah Green, becomes his lover, he mistakes her warnings about his nefarious manager as professional jealousy. Nearly too late does Avi learn she knows of what she speaks. What seems the perfect set up soon falls flat, and the savvy New Yorker suddenly finds the stage a very lonely place. When a broken hearted Sarah flees to New York, Avi Rosen must choose between the glitter of Hollywood and the gold of love.

Avi Rosen knows what's really funny: the laughs come with dollar signs in Hollywood. Bidding farewell to his crotchety grandmother, who wishes he'd find a nice Jewish girl and open a pharmacy, Avi leaves the Big Apple and heads West to Tinseltown. Shacking up with an old comic buddy from the East Coast, Avi is surprised to find his once caustic friend an incense-sniffing yoga nut seemingly let loose in LALA land. But the changes Avi experiences end up being far more unsettling. Avi is quickly immersed in the gritty maneuvers of sitcom star making by Leo Stein, an unscrupulous but influential back room power player. Leo capitalizes on the young comedian's blinding desire for success and propels him past the aspiring entertainers Avi soon counts as friends, who have been paying their dues far longer than the recent transplant. When one of those overlooked comedians, Sarah Green, becomes his lover, he mistakes her warnings about his nefarious manager as professional jealousy. Nearly too late does Avi learn she knows of what she speaks. What seems the perfect set up soon falls flat, and the savvy New Yorker suddenly finds the stage a very lonely place. When a broken hearted Sarah flees to New York, Avi Rosen must choose between the glitter of Hollywood and the gold of love.

Director  Michael Rainin
Writer    Maurice Rainin 
Stars      Max Alexander  .  Aesop Aquarian  .  Janette Barber

Luck of the Draw

2007  .  TV-PG  .  13m

In the year 1879, in a mountainous region of post-Rush California, a waning mining town is awakened when two brazen cowboys, GRADY and CHARLES, play a roulette duel for the hand of a woman, VICTORIA. But when Victoria interrupts the duel, she shocks the men in revealing she will instead marry the duel's overseer, RED. Enraged and humiliated, Charles and Grady fire at the departing couple, and in the luck of the draw, two bullets hit Red, killing him. The amused cowboys leave Victoria crouched over her dead Red, but as a lady's luck will have it, she outsmarts them. Victoria reveals she is a bounty hunter. She will collect the bounty on Red's head, alive or dead.

In the year 1879, in a mountainous region of post-Rush California, a waning mining town is awakened when two brazen cowboys, GRADY and CHARLES, play a roulette duel for the hand of a woman, VICTORIA. But when Victoria interrupts the duel, she shocks the men in revealing she will instead marry the duel's overseer, RED. Enraged and humiliated, Charles and Grady fire at the departing couple, and in the luck of the draw, two bullets hit Red, killing him. The amused cowboys leave Victoria crouched over her dead Red, but as a lady's luck will have it, she outsmarts them. Victoria reveals she is a bounty hunter. She will collect the bounty on Red's head, alive or dead.

Director  SJ Main Muñoz
Writer    Christine Locker .  SJ Main Muñoz  (additional dialogue)  .  Lee Ann Riddle
Stars      James Duval  .  Chris Mulkey  . Kristoffer Ryan Winters