Director Note: TOPDOG / UNDERDOG
4th Wall Theatre Company 4th Wall Theatre Company

Director Note: TOPDOG / UNDERDOG

It has been a privilege to collaborate with this team on Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, TOPDOG/UNDERDOG. This play focuses on the unique relationship of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth. The magic of this play lies in the way the brothers, as well as the audience, are forced to examine what they inherit from their family and the world around them. They are a product of their trauma, experiences, and circumstances.

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Director Note: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE
Jennifer Dean Jennifer Dean

Director Note: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

In this wonderful world created by Christopher Durang, we meet characters who feel just a touch off-kilter, each bringing a unique charm and humor to the story. Durang himself described this play as a “blender” of Chekhov characters placed in a modern setting that reflects his own life in Pennsylvania, his love for Chekhov, and the echoes of past ‘what-ifs.’

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Time Marches On
Jennifer Dean Jennifer Dean

Time Marches On

I just recently celebrated a birthday…not a milestone birthday, but one that is turning the corner to a milestone birthday.

But the timing of it, in light of the beginning of rehearsals for our upcoming production of THE FATHER, left me reflecting about years gone by and years to come…

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A Bit of Bedlam: Connecting New York and Houston
Philip Lehl Philip Lehl

A Bit of Bedlam: Connecting New York and Houston

Hello from New York City!

I'm here for a week or so because Kim took a position as assistant director on a production of ARCADIA, by Tom Stoppard, produced by BEDLAM Theatre Co.

(Photo Courtesy of BEDLAM, Inc.)

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Heatwaves and Higher Pay
Philip Lehl Philip Lehl

Heatwaves and Higher Pay

Since day one, Kim and I have been very vocal about attempting to pay theatrical artists a "living wage."

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Front of House, Front of Mind
Philip Lehl Philip Lehl

Front of House, Front of Mind

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a professional theatre in Houston, or rather, what it means to be perceived as a professional theatre in Houston.

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The Equality of Being Equity
Philip Lehl Philip Lehl

The Equality of Being Equity

The pandemic really threw a curveball at the actor’s and stage manager’s union, Actors Equity Association, or “Equity” for short.

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The Artistic Director Blogs!
Philip Lehl Philip Lehl

The Artistic Director Blogs!

This season’s plays are picked, the rights are procured, season tickets are on sale – so what does the Artistic Director do now?

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