There are always flowers for those who want to see them. (Henri Matisse) As a theater director, my job is to watch over, to pay attention, to bring empathy and quick thinking to each rehearsal; to be… more

While studying at Bard College in the early 1970’s I joined Via Theater, a group of likeminded theater majors founded by fellow student Ossian Cameron. The company began as an active investigation… more

"The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The technique of art is to make objects “unfamiliar”, to make forms difficult, to increase… more

“This play resonated with me.” What does that mean?  Why does a particular play, painting or piece of music resonate with me, and others do not? The Oxford dictionary defines resonance as,… more

The fragments fly apart and shift, trembling on the threshold of a kind of fullness: the minor wonder of remembering; the greater wonders of forgetfulness. (John Koethe) Perhaps I became a theater… more

We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our own passion, and our passion is our task. (Henry James) In a recent public interview, novelist Margaret Atwood was… more

someone sees a play. they ask, what's it about? i'm, like, you just saw it. it's "about" the experience you just had. ... blank face. ... but what's it about? they ask again. ... hmm. maybe it's time… more

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. (Henry Miller) During the late 1990s SITI Company regularly led two and three-week summer workshops in Los Angeles during which… more

Perhaps we could say that the power of theatre is that it gives us the opportunity of a sustained gaze where we can move slowly from looking to seeing. In such moments of ocular transmutation, we… more

The thing about the past is that it’s not the past. (old Irish saying) Perhaps the theater is a form of eulogy and our job is to raid the graveyard regularly. The ways in which we remember dead… more

We have a choice. We have two options as human beings. We have a choice between conversation and war. That's it. Conversation and violence. (Sam Harris) You push me and then I push you back. If I do… more

Yes, I have tricks in my pocket; I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant… more

My close friends who are jazz aficionados usually are surprised and puzzled by my aversion to a great deal of contemporary jazz. They assume that I would love all jazz because of my affinity for music… more

On a recent evening in Santa Monica I saw Bo Burnham’s new film “Eighth Grade.” I walked out of the cinema in a daze and remained haunted by it for quite some time afterwards. In the film, a… more

I currently serve on the Executive Board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), the union for directors and choreographers. Recently at Board meetings and, in fact, amidst many… more

Experiencing an impasse in one’s work or personal life can feel both painful and complicated. But I also know that an impasse is a sign, a signal that attention must be paid, and something must… more