April, August, Autumn, Winter...

Between a busy summer, a hectic fall term, and trying to navigate the pandemic, I've done a poor job keeping this spot updated! But here's a few things that have happened since April!

This summer I returned to North Carolina, where I'm the managing director of Lees-McRae Summer Theatre. I directed The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a last minute addition to our 2021 season. Thanks to the hard work of the entire company and several new grey hairs on my head, we had a successful season with zero COVID cases within the company!

The cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling at Lees-McRae Summer Theatre. Scenic Design by Rebekkah Meixner-Hanks; Lighting by Todd Teagarden; Costumes by Alice Neff. Photo by Rebekkah-Meixner Hanks.

After finishing the summer in the mountains, I returned back to Indiana and started the fall term at Hanover College. This fall we returned to live theatre at Hanover and I directed an intimate, in-the-round production of The Mousetrap, which enjoyed a sold out run in October. I'm so proud of this production, cast, and crew for all the hard work they put into making it such a success!

The cast of The Mousetrap at Hanover College. Scenic and Lighting Design by Christian Bowyer; Costume Design by Leigh Anne Crandall. Photo by Ken Prince.

This fall I was invited to take part into a pilot program at Hanover called the Faculty Leadership Initiative. The program is designed to give insight and opportunities to faculty members who show potential to move into higher education administration during their careers. I was honored to invited to be in this original cohort and have enjoyed learning so much about the different roles of higher education administration.

This fall I was also awarded a major grant from Hanover's Faculty Development Committee to fund the purchase of equipment and begin researching binaural sound designs. I'm currently working on an original sound installation production that will be in Hanover's 2022-2023 season.

We're well into our winter break now and I'm preparing for next term, including a new course that will explore career preparation for theatre artists, and a production of A Year with Frog and Toad, which will be Hanover's first musical in almost two decades! This summer, I'll be back in North Carolina to direct The Drowsy Chaperone and play Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, two major projects that have been postponed since 2020, so I'm thrilled that they are finally happening next summer!

Until then...