From Gracie Gardner: In my professional career, my artistic practice has centered on my work as a playwright. After years of submitting my plays to be produced and working alongside a director at theaters where I didn't have control over the way the shows were produced, advertised, designed, cast, or the environment in which the projects were made, I feel empowered to create my own artistic home for myself. The best way I can think of to try this out is with a script I wrote years ago that received some acclaim both here and abroad -- with the Relentless Award and a Berliner Festpiele selection. Since the script feels done and has received favorable feedback, I'm excited to put it on its feet in a way I can feel good about. It's important to me to work with actors I trust, and who trust me, and to create work in a space that feels supportive and warm.
Some of my values are a little unconventional. As a teen Shakespeare nerd, I was enamored at the fellowship of the Lord Chamberlin's Men, how they cooked their meals together and gathered informally to rehearse wherever they could. My favorite part of my survival jobs working in restaurants was always the family meal at the beginning of the shift, and it's important to me to have that be a part of my rehearsal process. Another thing that's important to me in staging my work is the presence of an intimacy coordinator, even for scenes that aren't explicitly intimate. Having worked as an actor, the psychological work of playing a character can sometimes be more intimate than it seems, and having someone in the team who is specifically focuses on informed consent is at the top of my priority list.
I'm hoping to use this show as an opportunity to get back to directing and creative producing in a safe, controlled environment with small audiences and a community-centered vibe. I'd like to fairly compensate my actors and collaborators and have the tools to create the story I've been dreaming of for almost ten years now!
