“Wonder and apathy are both contagious.
Earnest, honest storytelling is my way of tipping the scale toward wonder.”
Pronouns: any (they/he are most common)
As an artist, I believe:
Photo credit: LilyField Photography, used with permission
People before projects.
Artists matter more than the art we produce. Caring for ourselves has to take precedence, or we won't have the ability to create. Often, my choices as a director and artist are dictated by the reality of one or more artist's physical, emotional, and mental limitations, including my own. This is not to say that the product doesn't matter; I have extremely high standards for the work I create. Instead, I view opportunities to support artists' well-being as essential limitations in the artistic process.
Photo credit: Steve Rice, used with permission
Limitations bring freedom.
Paralysis of choice is a real thing, so I completely embrace limitations; they are what drive me. I've lit over a dozen shows with a loaner or homemade dimmer board and hardware store lighting. I've put up multiple shows successfully without a true final dress because of an actor emergency or illness. I've dealt with heat, cold, rain (including pouring rain on a tin roof), and multiple other environmental issues and figured out a way to make it work. Sometimes that means editing choices, sometimes it means digging deep to find new ideas. I find limitations to be so crucial to my process that I'm not afraid to impose them on myself or embrace those that I discover in the midst of the work.
Be an accomplice, not just an ally.
I’ve worked to ally with communities that have been marginalized for over a decade, but over the past 2-3 years I have come to realize that allyship isn’t enough. I now look for opportunities to actively dismantle systems of oppression, especially in the theatrical world. I actively look for opportunities to flip the script and cast and work with people "against type," because that's where the opportunity for true growth lies. This is true even for straight white male actors: giving actors an opportunity to stretch beyond their "type" is deeply rewarding. I pride myself on being able to identify the potential in unexpected casting choices and then support and foster that potential in the rehearsal process. I'm very good at recognizing the spark of potential and fanning it into a flame.
Collaboration is non-negotiable.
The best production meetings are the ones where problems are solved not between me and a single designer, but among the entire group. The best rehearsals are the ones where actors can be honest and tell me when something isn't working and we figure out a way forward together. I see my role more as an editor of a large textbook: I create the framework, but I'm far from the only writer. My role is to keep my eye on the vision while editing, guiding, and ensuring that a variety of perspectives are heard and appreciated.
This Is Water Ensemble, 2014
Rachel Bublitz, playwright, “Of Serpents and Sea Spray”
The work you do matters even more than how well you do it.
While much of my recent work has been with texts written in the 21st century, I am not afraid of (and, in fact, often love) the classics. But for me, the question is always: "what does this play offer to us now?" Even most of the financially-assured, traditional canon can be conceived in a way that it contributes to the current cultural conversation in a meaningful way. I am particularly drawn to works written by and featuring women and people from communities that have been marginalized.