– Directing –
Theatre directing is notoriously difficult to represent anywhere outside of the theatre space and beyond the temporality of the performance itself. Photos offer glimpses of a director’s aesthetic but these are partial and fragmented, speaking only to the visual register and even then only in moments broken from their continuity. A glimpse, however, is better than nothing. My most recent directing projects, Ashes to Ashes and “The Sandalwood Box” are both represented here and the images do testify to some of my aesthetic qualities and focus on character and the use of dramatic lighting and shadows.
My directing credits include “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” and I Stand Before You Naked (Rhode Island College), Unmade Beds (Brown New Plays Festival), “Day Eight: Snow Globe” (Boston Theatre Marathon), Little Murders and Prostration in Herland: An Adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper (University of Maryland), “Liar’s Poker” (Washington Theatre Festival), “Doll Parts” (Narwhal Fetish Theatre Group), “The Sandalwood Box” and Ashes to Ashes (University of Pittsburgh), as well as a number of staged readings including Swoop and Ashes to Ashes (Virginia Commonwealth University) and A Walk in the Woods (University of Maryland Honors Program).
Ashes to Ashes is a one-act play by Harold Pinter about a seemingly happy couple who harbor a terrifying secret within a fascist world order. It is a dark and brutal play, lit by flashes of comedic brilliance and melancholy insight.
"The Sandalwood Box" is a short play by Mac Wellman and is, in turns, surreal, funny, seductive, and mystifying. Because of its short length, I decided to experiment with having the two leads, Laura Carney and Shannon Knapp, learn both lead roles and then alternate between them with each performance. These photos, however, only reflect Laura in the role of Marsha Gates and Shannon in the role of Professor Claudia Mitchell.
by Harold Pinter
University of Pittsburgh Stages Lab Series
Direction & Sound Design: Peter Wood
Lighting Design: JC Bardzill
Costume Design: Monica Meyer
Starring: Mallory Fuccella, Jay Garcia
by Mac Wellman
University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre
Lab Series
Direction & Sound Design: Peter Wood
Lighting Design: JC Bardzill
Starring: Laura Carney, Shannon Knapp,
Laura Gray, Trishelle Duke,
Ashley Matter, Mizi Samuels-Waithe,
Claire Sabatine, Jason Whiting
Peter C.
Wood, PhD