Theatre

The Cast: Great Hill Mouth

| eyesonwhitney

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

Macbeth in Stride

| eyesonwhitney

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

| eyesonwhitney

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 birthday, a meeting, and the Eastern sea board

| eyesonwhitney

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

| eyesonwhitney

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

Sizzle!

| eyesonwhitney

And finally, we present Whitney’s official reel for 2012. It took us long enough but it was well worth the wait! Clips featured include: NBC’s The Playboy Club (Pilot, and Ep 1), and the Documentary on The House Theatre’s Girls vs Boys.  All photography by Janna Giacoppo. Check it out!

What do you think? Let us know!

EyesonWhitney@gmail.com

Sun Times Best

Quote | | eyesonwhitney

Special thanks to the amazing Hedy Weiss and the Chicago Sun Times for mentioning Passing Strange on their theater review for 2011!

“Bailiwick Chicago and director Lili-Anne Brown put a fresh, young, wholly believable face on “Passing Strange,” improving greatly on Stew’s autobiographical Broadway musical. “

Full article here!

Want more press? Check it out!

Chicago’s Best 2011

| eyesonwhitney
"Can you deal with the real?"

This morning we got a holiday treat when TimeOut Chicago rated Passing Strange the second best play in Chicago of 2011. Whitney played the revolutionary Desi, cast included Aaron Holland, Sharriesse Hamilton, Steven Perkins, Osiris Kephera, and JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound.

It was an unforgettable experience all around, 100% supported by Bailiwick Chicago, fabulous direction, great audiences, and an all-star ensemble. We can only hope there are more productions like Passing Strange down the road. Passing Strange was also nominated for several awards by the Black Theatre Alliance. Directed by Lili-Anne Brown, musical direction Jimmy Morehead, book and music by Stew and Heidi. Passing Strange originally premiered on Broadway in 2008.

TimeOut Chicago Article

More on Passing Strange!

Check the Press!