An update, after nearly a year.

Hi. I'm sorry, I'm not much of a journal keeper, and thus not much of a blogger, I suppose. I thought that I'd write an update for all those that care to read it, and let you know what I have been up to, what I am up to, and what I will be up to in the next few months (especially since I may not update my blog again until then...apparently).

Here's what I have done this year...

Perhaps most significantly, I have finished my Master of Arts degree at The Ohio State University, written and defended a thesis (which can be found here). All told, it was an amazing experience. My thesis committee understood my work and appreciated it. They pushed me to improve as a writer, as a student, and as a creator and purveyor of knowledge. The coursework was stimulating and engaging, the atmosphere and camaraderie was a daily joy, and I am certain that I have made friends here that I will keep for life (there are too many to name them here, and any attempt would result in unintended omissions). The actual writing of the thesis was even a terrific experience. I now feel certain that I can complete my dissertation, not to mention articles and books for publication. I am becoming an academic!

Along these lines, I have also begun my PhD program. This will consist of a year and a quarter (or so) of coursework--I hope to be done with my coursework at Christmas of next year. After this, I'll do a qualifying exam that will consist (I believe) of 24 hours of writing (3 8-hour days), and then an oral exam on my answers to the test questions. I hope to do this exam in the Spring quarter of next year--so it'll be in April or May of 2012. Once I've finished that successfully, I'll be considered ABD (a PhD, all but dissertation), and begin writing my dissertation--which I plan to complete in less than a year. I'm going to try to finish the whole shooting-match by the end of the 2012-13 school year. At that time, I'll have a PhD in Theatre History, Literature, and Criticism--with specialization in Irish theatre, and an interdisciplinary specialization in folklore.

I have begun to establish myself in the academic community. I gave a paper in August at the Association of Theatre in Higher Education conference in LA, and have another paper accepted for the Northeast Modern Language Association conference in April of 2011 (at Rutgers in New Jersey). I have been commissioned to write a review of a performance by the Abbey Theatre (from Dublin Ireland) for Theatre Journal--the performance is in March, at Ohio State, and the review should be published in October 2011, space permitting.

And that's only part of what I've been doing to establish myself as an Irish theatre expert...

I've been a very busy little bee artistically as well. In June, I directed a silly dark comedy called BEWARE THE MAN EATING CHICKEN, by Henry Meyerson--a playwright from New York, who now lives in Columbus. I did this show for a local theatre company called Evolution Theatre Company. Here's the review. This show was a kick in the pants, and we pulled it all of in about 4 weeks. Here's a picture:


After that, it was back to Ireland. In August I directed Dancing At Lughnasa by Brian Friel. This show was a production by my group--Solstice Theatre Company. It is such a beautiful script, and we had the best cast imaginable. It was an exhausting and rewarding experience. Another treat for this show was the chance to work with my beautiful wife Allison for the first time. Yes, the first time. We have been married for almost 10 years (it'll be 10 years the day after Christmas this year!), and we've never worked together in a show! In fact, Lughnasa was her first show since Zoe was born--and Zoe's 9! She was terrific in the show, garnering praise from all sides.



And, then, because I am REALLY ambitious, I directed 4 Irish one-acts for Columbus Civic Theatre. Not just any Irish plays, either, but 4 of the most important plays in Irish theatre history: Riders to the Sea by Synge, Spreading the News, and Rising of the Moon by Lady Gregory, and Cathleen ni Houlihan by Lady Gregory and Yeats. I don't have pictures, but I will have video...just not yet.

And, all that in the past year. Add to that staged readings of Virtue by my friend and mentor Tim Slover, and of three short plays by Columbus playwright Chris Leyva. Whew!

Coming up, I have a few things in the works. For Solstice Theatre Company, I'll be directing Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin), and Translations by Brian Friel. I'll also be directing a staged reading of Playboy of the Western World by Synge as part of a series of readings produced by CATCO (Columbus' major professional theatre company).

And, of course, teaching...last year I taught Theatre 100, Intro to Theatre both in the classroom and online. This past summer, I taught my first class on my own...Censorship and Performance. This quarter, I am teaching Theatre 100 online, and helping to revamp some of our material.

That's it for now...keep in touch!