Author: eyesonwhitney

The Cast: Great Hill Mouth

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From the Drama League Rough Draft Series:

Britt Faulkner- Sarah Meyers

Britt is thrilled to read at The Drama League and return to GREAT HILL MOUTH. Theatre: Sleep No More, salon series (McKittrick Hotel) A Lie of the Mind (Trinity Rep), The Who’s Tommy (Berkshire Theatre Festival), Three Sisters (St. Fortune Theatre) Film: Woody Allen’s Irrational Man. 2015 Brown/Trinity Rep MFA graduate.

Elise LeBreton- Shaylene

NY: Empire Travel Agency (Woodshed Collective), The Myth of Iphis (The Brick). Regional: Orpheus Descending(Intiman Theatre Festival), A Flea in Her Ear (Trinity Rep), A Christmas Carol (Trinity Rep). As a company member of The Williams Project, she has appeared in The Glass Menagerie, Henry VI, and Orpheus Descending. Elise has also worked as a resident artist at the Barn Arts Collective. MFA: Brown/Trinity Rep.

Reggie Gowland- Marty

Recent credits include Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare in the Park) 4000 MILES (American Conservatory Theater) and Red (Boise Contemporary Theater).  Television: Unforgettable, Evan and Gareth and Trying to Get Laid. Film: Rover: or Beyond Human.

Dave Register- Alton

Dave is a recent graduate of Columbia University’s School of the Arts where he trained with Kristen Linklater, Andrei Serban and Sam Gold, among others. Recent NYC work: LIGHT, FEN, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Classic Stage Company), NOT AFRAID (Under St. Marks).

Drew Ledbetter- Directions and Additional Text

NYC credits: In Flight (Turn to Flesh Productions),Versailles (Theater for the New City), Self (Metropolitan Playhouse), Magic Kingdom (NYCFringe), as well as readings and new play development with New York Theater Workshop, New Dramatists, The Workshop Theater, and Red Bull Theater. Regional: King Lear and Boing! A Musical Adventure (Trinity Rep), Melena(Playwright’s Rep). Drew has served as the assistant producer for Red Bull Theater’s Obie-award winning Revelation reading series for the past three seasons, and well as the Director of their Educational Programming. Drew is also the Artistic Associate for Chautauqua Theater Company. Upcoming: A Persistent Memory by Jakob Hoffman at Theater Row in June 2016, under the direction of Jessi D. Hill. BA: UC Berkeley. MFA: Brown/Trinity. www.drewledbetteronline.com

d e t a i l

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Photography and Flexible Necklace in black by Lena Wunderlich

I recently met Lena Wunderlich, a German native and current RISD Masters student. Lena is a photographer, and jewelry designer.

When she showed me her portfolio I flipped. It’s so fresh and clean, yet highly ambitious and innovative.  When I felt the materials I couldn’t believe how versatile and durable they were.  Her work, whether photos, art design or intricate jewelry pieces, is always crisp, clean, and forward thinking.

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Lena like many designers I meet, Lena has such an impeccable eye for detail.  Her sensibility is functional, often quiet, and highly individualized. Shooting with her reminded me that good work is really all in the details.

Lena is currently fundraising for resources to help her complete her degree at RISD (The Rhode island School of Design). Check out the effort and contribute if you can.

Westward Ho

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an Alfalfa Field
an Alfalfa Field

After Chautauqua I took a little (big) road trip from New York to Washington to unpack the last three years. We passed through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Idaho and Washington.

Some things I did:

  • Caught up with friends and family in Chicago (the most underrated city ever.  I really miss living there.)
  • Had big margaritas at a theme park in Wisconsin while discussing the social and economic pros and cons of strip clubs.
  • Visited the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana.
  • Saw Mount Rushmore. (It’s a “memorial” but what is it memorializing?)
  • Had the best burger of my life in Idaho at Hudson’s Hamburgers.  Thanks Ian!
  • Visited a traditional wild west town in South Dakota.
  • Won $175 on a roulette table. (I have a new addiction)
  • Sang “Creep” by Radiohead for karaoke at a gay bar in downtown Coeur d’Alene (not the best upper song for karaoke night but I CRUSHED IT!!!!)
  • Ate at one of my dad’s favorite venues he plays on his tour called Moon Time.
  • Met a really nice black cat named Jasper in Coeur d’Alene.
Ritzville Washington
Ritzville Washington

There is just so much space in this big, old, red an blue country.  I wonder how the entertainment industry remains so over saturated in just two cities, NYC and LA, particularly when they are becoming more and more economically unsustainable. Montana was particularly gorgeous, I mean breathtakingly open and clean and picturesque.  We drove through some patches of bad smoke from the forest fires there, but I couldn’t think of a more beautiful place to start a little company or take a writing retreat.

The Columbia River

The most beautiful landmark I saw by far was the Columbia River in Washington.  They way the water funnels in is just gorgeous.  It was incredibly quiet and arid. There is a great Woody Guhthrie called Roll on Columbia Roll on that you should listen to. It evokes the tone and feel of the space.

Roll on, Columbia, roll on
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn
So roll on, Columbia, roll on
Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through
Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew
Canadian Northwest to the oceans so blue
Roll on Columbia, roll on

 

Hope to make another trip soon, maybe in the winter.

WW

 

Macbeth in Stride

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Macbeth In Stride is an electrified look at the descent of the Lady Macbeth and her husband through the iconic music of Ike and Tina Turner, The Doors, and more. Featuring Shakespeare’s text the show takes an intimate look at a relationship in turmoil and the effects of vaulting ambition. How do we punish and celebrate women who push too hard, who want too much, who sing too loud?

Macbeth In Stride is part one in a series of concert plays exploring Shakespeare’s women, set to rock and roll. Written by Whitney White, directed by Caitlin O’Connell, and produced by Emily Breeze.

Cast

Peter Mark Kendall

Whitney White

History

First created as a solo project as part of Brown/Trinity Rep’s MFA program. Special thanks to Zdenko Martin, Billy Finn, Jesse Nelson, Ian McNeely and the Brown University/ Trinity Rep MFA Acting program.

Workshops / Presentations

White Herron (June, 2015)

Chautauqua Theatre (August, 2016)

Trinity Rep (May, 2017)

Judson Memorial (January, 2018)

Breadloaf (August, 2018)

A First Look

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Let me start by saying this is the first post I have done for 2013. Well, Happy 2013.  It got off to a great start with the First look Festival- a night of theatrical programming completley planned and created by my class. I made my directing debut and also had my first writing piece featured. Shot from rehearsal below…

Condition
Rehearsal for “Condition” my first short play part of the First Look Festival

My class, 16 funny-brilliant-unique-spaztastic people from all over the country, created a really unique evening that culminated in dancing (yes!) AND SINGING (double yes!). I also was a part of another festival, Writing is Live, in a new play written by Ugandan playwright Margaret Namulyunga. The piece explored, or rather exploded, traditional Ugandan conceptions of sex and marriage.

Backstage for He is Here He Says I Say, by Margaret Namulyunga. Part of the Writing is Live festival
Backstage for He is Here He Says I Say, by Margaret Namulyunga. Part of the Writing is Live festival.

The days are always crazy, but I’m learning more about myself and about what collaborative work is.  I am thrilled to say that my next project will be In The Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks directed by Flordelino Lagundino, the role of Mother Hester.

Eternal thanks to my mother, without whom none of this would have been possible.

W

A Kind of Providence

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I am halfway through my first semester in the Brown/Trinity MFA program in Acting.  (Yeah….. I started in Late August and now officially live in Providence, RI) The program is a joint venture through Brown University and the Trinity repertory Theatre headed by Stephen Berenson and Brian brian McEleney.   It is a three-year conservatory program that comes with all the challenges a conservatory program brings.  With a heavy course load and rehearsal times, graduate school has become a full time gig.    Our first year is devoted largely to American Naturalism and learning more in depth about what our instruments naturally do; our habits, tendencies and strengths.  Everything is coming to surface and there is nowhere to hide. It is an incredible process of change.

My class is composed of 14 actors and two directors, and we could all not be more different from each other. With class six days a week we have become an odd little family of sorts. Imagine the Real World on Artsy-Fart fairy dust.

For my first scene showing, I have been assigned the Tony Award winning play “Dinner With Friends” by Donald Margulies. The play follows a divorced couple exploring the effect a destroyed relationship has on those closest to them. Beth is definitely a new character for me, very fiery, mature and grounded. My big task for this scene has been to rediscover listening and grounding my breath, two things which I will be chasing after the next three years to be sure.

More on the work of graduate school coming soon… so lets just cut tot he good part.  I am starting to feel more and more like an East Coaster. Providence obviously does not have the crazy night scene that New York does, but thanks to Brown, RISD and the countless local artists and musicians there is a plenty to get into. I have to give a shout out to my favorite spot in town, Flan Y Ajo  Located on 225a Westminster.  Flan y Ajo Tapas project is a fab little spanish inspired BYOB restaurant owned by Siobhan María Etxeberría and Diego Luís Pérezand. The menu is incredibly imaginative and features fresh plates for lunch and dinner.

One of my fave posters…

The tapas bar…. you MUST try the tuna sandwich. Incredible.

Very fun and romantic little spot indeed.

More to come as I continue to settle in.  Special thanks to everyone in New York and Chicago who helped me with this transition and my application. 

W

Chicago’s 25 what?

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Thanks to Latin School of Chicago alumni Noah Isackson I got to kick off the summer with a nice highlight in Chicago Magazine’s July issue: Chicago’s 25 High Profile Singles. (!!!!?!!!!?!)

I got the call from Noah on a Tuesday afternoon and he explained that thanks to a highlight in Latin’s alumni magazine he wanted to nominate me for the article. (Go Romans!) A month later I got an email saying I had been selected. “This should be fun,” I thought to myself, and it totally was.

The interview was done by phone, the first time I have ever really done a phone interview, and lasted about 2 hours. (y’all know I’m chatty). Nolan asked me everything from what my fave hangs were, what drives me as an actress,  to what I am looking for in a guy (to be decided.)

I was photographed with the very lovely interior design mogul Krisin Petro. Wardrobe was nautical, light and fun. Additionally hair and makeup artist Krystyn Johnson has to be one of the best professionals I have ever worked with. She was so versatile and ready for any challenge.

Maria Ponce, fashion and commercial photographer rocked.

Special thanks to the team at Chicago Mag, my family and Gray Talent Group without whom I would not have received any attention for my efforts over the past four years in theatre and television. Pick up a copy at a local store now!

 

 

A birthday, a meeting, and the Eastern sea board

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I have been traveling up and down the eastern sea board visiting (gulp) a few graduate programs, auditioning…. and wreaking general havoc upon theaters and Ivy League Schools alike.

Boston, Cambridge and Providence were all beautiful, artist friendly cities, each offering something unique.

Providence, home of the celebrated Trinity Rep, was very intimate and you got the feeling that everyone knew about the Rep’s work and ensemble. Their season explores new work and timeless classics.

In Cambridge I stopped by the beautiful American Repertory Theatre whose reworked production of Porgy and Bess adapted by Suzan- Lori Parks, starring Audra McDonald Norm Lewis, and David Allen Grier is currently running on Broadway.

I also saw the current Harvard-A.R.T. production Futurity (above), written by and starring Brooklyn based Folk Rock band The Lisps. Futurity featured a great original score and high energy performances from The Lisps and Second Year students. But what really stole the show was the intricate and contemporary set design. I would love to play on a set that interactive, tactile, and imaginative.

I did have time to celebrate my birthday with friends and catch up with photographer and Producer Joshua Sobel (above) whose current project, Graceland is premiering at Tribecca Film Fest April 20th.

My meeting with Josh was fruitful and came up by chance, which seems to happen more and more. He had a lot to say about his work, being a renaissance man, and navigating the arts and film scene in New York. Hopefully this next year will be full of more meetings like that, great projects, new collaborators, and a little more havoc 🙂

*Special thanks those who helped me celebrate my first birthday in the big apple.

W

On the Page

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Yesterday I did a reading of a new play with Eighty Twenty Productions. I can’t share too much, but the piece handled issues of race, infidelity, bare it all sexuality, and human development with grace and impeccable humour.  It was nice to be sitting around the table again, focusing on the words on the page, and delving into a new character.

Some things that were kicked around the table….

“You really want to be a dad, I mean your character has baby -rabies”

“We met on Craigslist!”

“I felt like I was going to have to apologize to the actress who was going to play my wife, before we got started.”

“What happens to us when we go through a transition?”

The reading was in a building on Park Avenue South, there are a lot of beautiful establishings like this in the area.

Myself, the ladies of the cast and the fabulous writer, Angie Montgomery.

More to come,

W