I write humanities-based plays that bring to life on stage the public history, culture, and stories found in the archives, special collections and exhibits of libraries, museums and historical societies that are often overlooked, omitted, or known to scholars but not always to the general public.
Each multi-media show combines a researched narrative, live music, theatrical cameos and vignettes (using fictionalized dialog that also includes excerpts from historical manuscripts), and large screen archival images. Using the music of various times as the portal, a lively mix of facts and interpretations connects the dots between history, culture and social meaning. The multi-media format allows the content to readily change in parts of a show to reflect on-going results of local research initiatives that inclusively expands the narrative of American history and culture. There is always an audience sing-along component during the show, and a Q&A at the end.
I aim to give general audiences, cast and crew what I love about live performance: an exciting, in-the-moment time and physical place of shared enjoyment, feelings and finding things out.
Weaving inter-connections among artifacts, archives, music, theater, art, literature and poetry, my plays offer entertaining experiential performance-based access to the content and meaning of current exhibits, collections, site tours, and featured archival material. I hope the shows also help expand community awareness about local historic and humanities resources and the role preservation plays in facilitating discoveries of our fuller American narrative that contribute to the decisions we make today that become our future tomorrow.
Pre-pandemic, shows I have written and co-written have been performed live at The Library of Congress; Lincoln Center Public Programs Series at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; American Repertory Theater at Oberon, Harvard Houghton Library and A.R.T Special Programs, co-sponsors; Yale University Institute of Sacred Music; Long Island Museum of American Art and History; Emily Dickinson Museum/Amherst College; and others. Currently I am writing two new plays for performance in 2023.
Please visit www.TheRedSkiesMusicEnsemble.com for more about past and 2024 upcoming performances and works in development.
