Toga August 2015

Chicago theater director Damon Kiely is about to publish a book entitled “How to Read a Play” with Routledge Press and he asked me to write the forward.   Inspired by the title of his book and… more

I am currently directing Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth at Glimmerglass Festival (come visit this summer in beautiful Cooperstown, New York and catch the entire season of operas between July 11th and… more

An acting student at Columbia University once mentioned that her father, a surgeon, had a saying: “Study one, do one, teach one.” I instantly recognized that this formula, familiar to surgeons,… more

One who could make of himself a vacuum into which others might freely enter would become master of all situations. (Okakura Kakuzo)  I probably share with many a terror and trepidation around the… more

My dearest friend, Tom asked me "How did it go?". And I tried my best to answer.   I’m still digesting about the experience of "the theater is a blank page". It was deep, meaningful and somehow… more

Hello friends,  “the theater is a blank page” team came to Columbus, OH at the end of the last week, and began to explore our journey.

The Taoists describe the art of life as the art of constant adjustment to the current surroundings.  Similarly, nothing could be more central to a successful creative process than the ability to… more

Allie Lalonde, SITI Company’s wizard of communications and development, is also simultaneously writing her final thesis paper in completion of the MFA requirements for Columbia University’s… more

Impressions of the ConArtists after a week-long residency at Double Edge Theatre with the SITI Company By Ria Samartzi Thinking back on our time in Ashfield many images come to mind, training in the… more

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.  (André Gide)In 1947 Nina Vance, who at the time had only $2.17 in her handbag but was determined to start a new… more

Several years ago the performance artist and composer Laurie Anderson spoke with my directing students at Columbia University and advised them never to relate their dreams to other people. "No one… more

A number of years ago I co-taught a class for graduate directors and actors at Columbia University with Kristin Linklater.  One afternoon I mentioned to Kristin that in order to catch a Metro North… more

Several years ago I conducted a ten-day Viewpoints workshop at PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with members of the PlayMakers Company and graduate students from the… more

Impressions of a (Press) Opening Persians-Getty Villa Sept 3, 2014  God knows we wondered over the weeks of rehearsal if this could really be done.  Reading and studying 3 different plays over a… more

We started again yesterday after a luxurious and much-needed two days off. Our bodies and brains needed it - some time to rest and gain a little perspective on all that we have been immersed in.