#Ilana Ransom Toeplitz

[theatredirectors]

268 Directors and the end of the blog

This post marks the end of the Ask a Director experiment. I’m so grateful to all who have contributed, supported and engaged with it over the past six and a half years. 

This blog was started at a time when I felt incredibly alone in the directing field. I had always been taught that a director operates solo, that it was a lonely career and above all, it was based on scarcity. This was a style of working and living that didn't fit for me. I wanted to talk to other directors about their practice and thoughts about the field, both national and international. This blog was started as a way to connect, to uplift other directors and to create a conversation about the changing field and practices. 

It's surpassed all of these goals and brought me more joy than I can name. 

I'm now at a moment where my practice and advocacy are taking different and exciting paths and it's time for me to put this site to bed. I remain committed to uplifting other directors, to talking about the practice, to flattening hierarchies, to opening doors for new ways of working, and leading rehearsal rooms, companies, and classrooms away from silos and vacuums. Featuring these 268 different directors was just the beginning. 

I encourage you all to hire them (and others), advocate for them (and others) and choose to work in a system that values connection and generosity. 

Abhishek Majumdar

Adam Fitzgerald

Alice Stanley

Aliza Shane

Amanda McRaven

Amy Corcoran

Amy Jephta

Anisa George

Ana Margineau

Andrew Scoville

Anna Stromberg

Anne Cecelia Haney

Ariel Francoeur

Arpita Mukherjee

Ashley Hollingshead

Ashley Marinaccio

Andrew Neisler

Beng Oh

Ben Randle

Ben Stockman

Benjamin Kamine

Beth Lopes

Bo Powell

Bogdan Georgescu

Bonnie Gabel

Brandon Ivie

Brandon Woolf

Brian Hashimoto

Cait Robinson

Caitlin Ryan O’Connell

Caitlin Sullivan

Catie Davis

Cara Phipps

Carol Ann Tan

Carsen Joenk

Chari Arespacochaga

Cheryl Faraone

Chloe Treat

Christin Eve Cato

Christine Zagrobelny

Christopher Diercksen

Colette Robert

Colleen Hughes

Cyndy Marion

Dado Gyure

Dan Rothenberg

Daniel Irizarry

Danielle Ozymandias

Danny Sharon

Dara Malina

David Charles

Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li

Derek Spencer 

Donald Brenner

Doug Oliphant

Eamon Boylan

Elena Araoz

Emily Lyons

Emma Miller

Eric Kildow

Eric Wallach

Eric Powell Holm

Estefania Fadul

Evelina Stampa

Evren Odcikin

Evi Stamatiou

Francesca Montanile Lyons

Gabriel Vega Weissman

Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte 

Graham Schmidt

Gregg Wiggans

Hannah Ryan

Hannah Wolf

Heather Bagnall

Horia Suru

Ilana Becker

Ilana Ransom Toeplitz

Illana Stein

Ioanna Katsarou

Ioli Andreadi

Irina Abraham Chigiryov

Iris Sowlat

Isaac Klein

J Paul Nicholas

Jack Tamburri

Jaclyn Biskup

Jacob Basri

Jake Beckhard

Jaki Bradley

Jamie Watkins

Javier Molina

Jay Stern

Jay Stull

Jenna Rossman

Jenna Worsham

Jennifer Chambers

Jenny Bennett

Jenny Reed

Jeremy Bloom

Jeremy Pickard

Jerrell Henderson

Jess Hutchinson

Jess Shoemaker

Jesse Jou

Jessi D Hill

Jessica Burr

Jessica Holt

Jillian Carucci

Joanne Zipay

Jo Cattell

John Michael Diresta

John Kurzynowski

Joe Hedel

Jonathan Munoz-Proulx

Jose Zayas

Josh Kelley

Josh Sobel

Joshua Kahan Brody

Joshua William Gelb

Julia Sears

Justin Schlabach

Kareem Fahmy

Karen Christina Jones

Kate Bergstrom

Kate Hopkins

Kate Jopson

Kate Moore Heaney

Katherine M. Carter

Katherine Wilkinson

Kathy Gail MacGowan

Katie Chidester

Kendall Cornell 

Kendra Augustin

Kholoud Sawaf

Kimberly Faith Hickmann

Kim Weild

KJ Sanchez

Knud Adams

Kristin Marting

Kristin McCarthy Parker

Kristin Skye Hoffman

Kristy Chambrelli

Kristy Dodson

KT Shorb

Kyle Metzger

Kylie M. Brown

Larissa Fasthorse

Larissa Lury

Laura Brandel

Laura Steinroeder

Lauren Hlubny

Lauren Keating

Lavina Jadhwani

Jenn Haltman

Leta Tremblay

Lila Rachel Becker

Lillian Meredith

Lily Riopelle

Lindsey Hope Pearlman

Lisa Rothe

Lisa Sanaye Dring

Liz Thaler

Lori Wolter Hudson

Lucie Tiberghien

Luke Comer

Luke Tudball

Lyndsay Burch

Lynn Lammers

Mallory Catlett

Manon Manavit

Margarett Perry

Maridee Slater

Marina Bergenstock

Marti Lyons

Martin Jago

Matt Cosper

Matt Ritchey

Max Hunter

Megan Sandberg-Zakian

Megan Weaver

Meghan Finn

Melissa Crespo

Melody Erfani

Michael Alvarez

Michael T. Williams

Michaela Escarcega

Michelle Tattenbaum

Mimi Barcomi

Miranda Haymon

Molly Beach Murphy

Molly Clifford

Molly Noble

Morgan Gould

Morgan Green

Murielle Borst-Tarrant

Nana Dakin

Natalie Novacek

Neal Kowalsky

Nell Bang-Jensen

Nick Benacerraf

Noa Egozi

Norah Elges

Normandy Sherwood

Olivia Lilley

Orly Noa Rabinyan

Oscar Mendoza

Pablo Paz

Padraic Lillis 

Patrick Walsh

Pete Danelski

Pirronne Yousefzadeh

Portia Krieger

Rachel Karp

Rachel Wohlander

Randolph Curtis Rand

Raz Golden

Rebecca Cunningham

Rebecca Martinez

Rebecca Wear

Renee Phillippi

Renee Yeong

Rich Brown

Rick St. Peter

Robert Schneider

Ryan Anthony Nicotra

Sammi Cannold

Sammy Zeisel

Sanaz Ghajar

Sara Holdren

Sara Lyons

Sara Rademacher

Sarah Elizabeth Wansley

Sarah Hughes

Sarah M. Chichester

Sarah Rose Leonard

Sash Bischoff

Scarlett Kim

Seonjae Kim

Seth Pyatt

Sharifa Elkady

Shaun Patrick Tubbs

Sherri Eden Barber

Simon Hanukai

Sophia Watt

Suchan Vodoor

Stephen Cedars

Steven Kopp

Steven Wilson

Talya Klein

Tana Siros

Tara Ahmadinejad

Tara Cioletti

Tara Elliott

Tatiana Pandiani

Taylor Reynolds

TerryandtheCuz

Tommy Schoffler

Tracy Bersley

Trevor Biship

Tyler Mercer

Wednesday Sue Derrico

Will Dagger

Will Davis

Will Detlefsen

Will Steinberger

Yojiro Ichikawa

Yoni Oppenheim

Zi Alikhan

Zoya Kachardurian

[darkmatterzine]

Catherine Raphael on mind, body and spirit in humanity

Catherine Raphael on mind, body and spirit in the human condition: a #podcast discussion with #fantasy author who speaks to current issues and diversity

Catherine Raphael photo taken by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz Today’s podcast guest is author Catherine Raphael who grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh, United States, and graduated from Syracuse University with a major in metalsmithing. She worked as a jeweler for sixteen years, first in Philadelphia and then back in Pittsburgh. During that time she also worked on Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri’s ‘city of the…

[theatredirectors]

Ilana Ransom Toeplitz

Hometown?

Pittsburgh, PA (go Steelers/Pens/Bucs!) with strong roots in the Berkshires.

Where are you now?

Greetings from the Berkshires, where I just wrapped Sondheim on Sondheim with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall & Tanglewood! It was brilliant production, Sarna Lapine is an incredible director and the Boston Pops is wonderful to work with. I have a long personal history with the BSO, so it was especially significant to be there. Steve [Sondheim] attended the Tanglewood premiere.

The 2010 Broadway show was revised and reimagined for a concert setting with brand new orchestrations for a full symphony orchestra. We’ve relicensed it with MTI and now pops orchestras across the country can do Sondheim on Sondheim!

What's your current project?

For something completely different…. I’m going to be Sarna’s Associate Director for the reimagining of the 2017-2018 Tour of Dirty Dancing. I’m especially excited because we’re working closely with the original writer of the screenplay and it’s quite a progressive, feminist story.

I do a lot of new musicals and musical comedy, and I love it. I’m directing Shark Attack!, a parody of the cult TV movie Sharnkado! which I’m in totally love with and I’ve turned it into an interactive drinking game. I love making musicals that are approachable and I also love wine.

I’m developing a new play with Alex Rubin (GROUP) at the Drama League (I’m a proud 2016 Drama League Directing Fellow). It’s a new play by a woman, about women, and thoughtfully tugs at the threads of self-image and forgiveness. Alex is a brilliant writer and I’m thrilled to be working with her.

I direct/choreograph a few tours with TheatreWorksUSA and really appreciate the work they do. I’m also super excited to announce that I’m directing a concert production of Baby: The Musical at 54 Below on February 4, 2018 as a benefit for Planned Parenthood! We’re getting together a stellar cast, and the writers have expressed interest in getting involved.

Why and how did you get into theatre?

I grew up around symphony orchestras so my favorite stories were always musical. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with The Magic Flute and The Wizard of OZ and when I went through my Annie phase, I wore a locket around my neck…with pictures of Albert Finney and Aileen Quinn inside (sorry Dad). 

When I was 9, I saw my first professional production: the National Tour of Crazy for You open in Pittsburgh, PA. That was like experiencing pure magic. Seeing that show changed me forever, and it was also when I was self-diagnosed with Stromania.

For my 10th birthday party, I adapted an original script based on the “American Girl Dolls” series, cast my friends in various roles, and then directed them for the party. I tried to make fully-realized productions of The Nutcracker and Grease! happen before I was 12. For my 11th birthday party, I threw a “Career-oke” party where we dressed up as our career ambitions, developed a 10-year plan, and then sang karaoke.

After that, I took voice lessons and dance class every day and performed in as many musicals as my schedule would hold. I found directing and choreographing my senior year of High School (through Ahrens and Flaherty’s Lucky Stiff) Once I found it; that there was nothing else in this world that would ever make me as happy. It felt more fulfilling than performing because of the creative, collaborative, and organizational challenges a director/choreographer navigates.

What is your directing dream project?

The Producers. Followed by Merrily We Roll Along, Crazy for You, The Scottsboro Boys, Violet, and a full production of Reefer Madness (I directed both 4/20 reunion concerts with the original casts, (including Alan Cumming in 2014) at New World Stages).

What kind of theatre excites you?

The kind of comedy that makes you a little uncomfortable, and then you decide to laugh through it. I love dark comedy because it takes you to a dark place and challenges you to laugh while you’re there. I believe dark comedy nurtures our sense of resilience, both individual and collective.

What do you want to change about theatre today?

I’d like to see more female representation on the creative and management side: more female directors, choreographers, writers, producers, managing directors, general managers, executive directors, company managers, original parts written for female-driven shows with strong female leads, you name it – we are underrepresented.

Also, more government support. We can take a cue from Europe and have more government-subsidized arts, to help offset ticket prices and bring more people to the theatre. I believe many EU governments do this, without the government stepping in for season planning.

What is your opinion on getting a directing MFA?

Think about why you want to go to grad school, and ask yourself if there is any other way to get what you’re looking for. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is that you will need an MFA.

Get an MFA if you know you want to teach someday - and if you have a plan for managing the investment, or if you need the connections and have no other way of accessing them. Go to grad school in the place where you want to grow roots, from the faculty with whom you’d like to build relationships.

Johnny Silverstein said he learned is process in grad school, Rachel Chavkin said it gave her two invaluable years where she could purely focus on her art. I have not gone to grad school….yet.

Who are your theatrical heroes?

I’m obsessed with Susan Stroman. She has been my hero since I was 12. Following Stro’s career has taught me that a woman can direct comedy, be a successful director/choreographer, and be funny without being self-deprecating. She doesn’t let anyone put her in a box. I had the honor of working on her recent concert revival of Crazy for You at Lincoln Center.

Also Leigh Silverman, who was the first mentor to really take a chance on me. She taught me the importance of being true to yourself, leading with thoughtfulness, coming in prepared, and the art of mentoring other females.

I have some incredible female directing mentors: Leigh Silverman, Sarna Lapine, Michelle Tattenbaum, Baayork Lee… They all taught me to be strong, be kind, and pay it forward in their own ways - among many other things.

Any advice for directors just starting out?

Dan Knechtges gave me excellent advice when I first moved to NYC:

1.     Try to see something every week, and try to sit near the back of the theatre so you can see the movement patterns of the choreography.

2.     Read the news every day.

3.     Make a new contact every week.

My best advice:

1.     Be kind to everyone. No exceptions.

2.     Every process can be a wonderful, happy, and healthy process. It will take work, but it’s always worth it.

3.     Always include and acknowledge other people in your success because no one does it alone.

4.     See everything you can. You often learn more, and quicker, from the bad stuff, than from the good stuff.

5.     Find a mentor, be a mentor. Help someone at every opportunity you have.

6.     Shadow every position in the theatre you can: learn the vocabularies of lighting and set design, house management, company management, and definitely learn about stage management. This can only make you a stronger, more understanding director.

7.     Do other things besides theatre, because you’re only as diverse as your palette.

8.     Travel, because you’re only as diverse as your palette.

9.     Be a good friend - and have good friends outside of the theatre.

10.  Listen to Dan Knechtges.

Plugs!

These are incredible writers I adore: Alex Rubin, Eric Dietz, Susannah Jones, Sarah Ziegler, Ben Boecker, Nadav Wiesel, Britt Bonney, Alex Sage Oyen, Maggie-Kate Coleman, Drew Gasparini & Alex Brightman!

Jacob Keith Watson is brilliant, and I want to cast him in everything I do because he can do anything and is an absolute pleasure to work with.

Also… Baby the Musical: In Concert! At 54 Below on Feb 4th, in benefit for Planned Parenthood!

[theatredirectors]

250 Directors

Abhishek Majumdar

Adam Fitzgerald

Alice Stanley

Amanda McRaven

Amy Corcoran

Amy Jephta

Anisa George

Ana Margineau

Andrew Scoville

Anna Stromberg

Anne Cecelia Haney

Ariel Francoeur

Arpita Mukherjee

Ashley Hollingshead

Ashley Marinaccio

Andrew Neisler

Beng Oh

Ben Randle

Ben Stockman

Benjamin Kamine

Beth Lopes

Bo Powell

Bogdan Georgescu

Bonnie Gabel

Brandon Ivie

Brandon Woolf

Brian Hashimoto

Cait Robinson

Caitlin Ryan O’Connell

Caitlin Sullivan

Catie Davis

Cara Phipps

Carol Ann Tan

Carsen Joenk

Chari Arespacochaga

Cheryl Faraone

Chloe Treat

Christin Eve Cato

Christine Zagrobelny

Christopher Diercksen

Colette Robert

Colleen Hughes

Dado Gyure

Daniel Irizarry

Danielle Ozymandias

Danny Sharon

Dara Malina

David Charles

Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li

Donald Brenner

Doug Oliphant

Eamon Boylan

Elena Araoz

Emily Lyons

Emma Miller

Eric Kildow

Eric Wallach

Eric Powell Holm

Estefania Fadul

Evelina Stampa

Evren Odcikin

Evi Stamatiou

Francesca Montanile Lyons

Gabriel Vega Weissman

Graham Schmidt

Gregg Wiggans

Hannah Ryan

Hannah Wolf

Heather Bagnall

Horia Suru

Ilana Becker

Ilana Ransom Toeplitz

Illana Stein

Ioanna Katsarou

Ioli Andreadi

Irina Abraham Chigiryov

Iris Sowlat

Isaac Klein

J Paul Nicholas

Jack Tamburri

Jaclyn Biskup

Jacob Basri

Jake Beckhard

Jaki Bradley

Jamie Watkins

Javier Molina

Jay Stern

Jay Stull

Jenna Rossman

Jenna Worsham

Jennifer Chambers

Jenny Bennett

Jenny Reed

Jeremy Bloom

Jeremy Pickard

Jerrell Henderson

Jess Hutchinson

Jess Shoemaker

Jesse Jou

Jessi D Hill

Jessica Burr

Jessica Holt

Jillian Carucci

Joanne Zipay

Jo Cattell

John Michael Diresta

John Kurzynowski

Joe Hedel

Jonathan Munoz-Proulx

Jose Zayas

Josh Kelley

Josh Sobel

Joshua Kahan Brody

Joshua William Gelb

Julia Sears

Justin Schlabach

Kareem Fahmy

Karen Christina Jones

Kate Bergstrom

Kate Hopkins

Kate Jopson

Kate Moore Heaney

Katherine M. Carter

Katherine Wilkinson

Kathy Gail MacGowan

Katie Chidester

Kendra Augustin

Kholoud Sawaf

Kimberly Faith Hickmann

Kim Weild

KJ Sanchez

Knud Adams

Kristin Marting

Kristin McCarthy Parker

Kristin Skye Hoffman

Kristy Chambrelli

Kristy Dodson

KT Shorb

Kyle Metzger

Larissa Fasthorse

Larissa Lury

Laura Brandel

Laura Steinroeder

Lauren Keating

Lavina Jadhwani

Jenn Haltman

Leta Tremblay

Lila Rachel Becker

Lillian Meredith

Lily Riopelle

Lindsey Hope Pearlman

Lisa Rothe

Lisa Sanaye Dring

Liz Thaler

Lori Wolter Hudson

Lucie Tiberghien

Luke Comer

Luke Tudball

Lyndsay Burch

Lynn Lammers

Mallory Catlett

Manon Manavit

Margarett Perry

Maridee Slater

Marina Bergenstock

Marti Lyons

Matt Cosper

Matt Ritchey

Megan Weaver

Melissa Crespo

Melody Erfani

Michael Alvarez

Michael T. Williams

Michelle Tattenbaum

Mimi Barcomi

Molly Beach Murphy

Molly Clifford

Molly Noble

Morgan Gould

Morgan Green

Murielle Borst-Tarrant

Nana Dakin

Natalie Novacek

Neal Kowalsky

Nell Bang-Jensen

Nick Benacerraf

Noa Egozi

Norah Elges

Normandy Sherwood

Olivia Lilley

Orly Noa Rabinyan

Oscar Mendoza

Pablo Paz

Patrick Walsh

Pete Danelski

Pirronne Yousefzadeh

Portia Krieger

Rachel Karp

Rachel Wohlander

Randolph Curtis Rand

Raz Golden

Rebecca Cunningham

Rebecca Martinez

Renee Phillippi

Rich Brown

Rick St. Peter

Robert Schneider

Ryan Anthony Nicotra

Sammi Cannold

Sammy Zeisel

Sanaz Ghajar

Sara Holdren

Sara Lyons

Sara Rademacher

Sarah Elizabeth Wansley

Sarah Hughes

Sarah M. Chichester

Sarah Rose Leonard

Sash Bischoff

Scarlett Kim

Seonjae Kim

Seth Pyatt

Sharifa Elkady

Shaun Patrick Tubbs

Sherri Eden Barber

Simon Hanukai

Sophia Watt

Suchan Vodoor

Stephen Cedars

Steven Kopp

Steven Wilson

Talya Klein

Tana Siros

Tara Ahmadinejad

Tara Cioletti

Tara Elliott

Tatiana Pandiani

Taylor Reynolds

TerryandtheCuz

Tommy Schoffler

Tracy Bersley

Trevor Biship

Tyler Mercer

Wednesday Sue Derrico

Will Dagger

Will Davis

Will Detlefsen

Will Steinberger

Yojiro Ichikawa

Zi Alikhan

Zoya Kachardurian