THE SEASON IN REVIEW by Craig Joseph

The end of the 2024-2025 theatrical season has been my most recent time of reflection, so here are a few things I think I've learned as the Artistic Director of a small professional theatre company, offered up here in the hopes that maybe you'll find these ruminations useful as well. In no particular order:

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Craig Joseph
A FEELING OF THE WHOLE: MENTORSHIP AND CONNECTION ​w/ Lana Sugarman

In the Michael Chekhov Technique for actors, there is a concept called The Four Brothers. These are reminders and qualities that can lead to integrated, inspiring, full-bodied performance. The first three Brothers are: a feeling of Ease, a feeling of Form and a feeling of Beauty. The fourth Brother, a feeling of the Whole (sometimes called Entirety) can refer to the actor’s awareness of the full scope of a play or story, but it can also refer to an ensemble of actors being tuned into each other as a unified, cohesive unit.

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Craig Joseph
CO-DIRECTING: A FOUR-COURSE MEAL w/ Anne McEvoy

In the weeks leading up to our first rehearsal, I had one major concern: how were two directors - one who had been working with the play for two years, and one (me) who’d only been involved since auditions over six months ago - ever going to co-direct a group of six extremely talented, creative, and smart actors in. World premier play? 

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Craig Joseph
A YEAR IN WORKSHOPS: CONFLICT, POLARITY, TOOLS - OH MY!

This week, we wrapped up our year-long commitment to four free artist workshops with our culminating session: Devised Theatre Practices. Each year, our goal is to create opportunities for artistic exploration that are both meaningful and accessible. We remain committed to removing as many barriers as possible so that artists from all backgrounds and disciplines can participate, explore, and grow.

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Craig Joseph
ACTOR SPOTLIGHT: A FATHERS' DAY REFLECTION w/ Neda Spears

On this particular Fathers’ Day, I am once again in rehearsal for a show. I am also once again sad to remember that my father was never able to see me perform before he passed away in 2005 - on the morning of the opening day of the show I was doing at the time. That awful morning reinforced the saying, “the show must go on” in the strongest terms in my mind since that day. I attribute my love of singing to my mother and my love of acting (a fool) to my father. He instilled in me the belief that it is okay to make fun of yourself and to laugh as often and as hearty as possible

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Craig Joseph
PLAYS ABOUT ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS: CARE AND CONTEMPLATION

These are the moments in which character is forged—not in times of triumph, but in the absence of external validation, when the structures that once supported us vanish and we are left to navigate the wreckage. In embracing the ambiguity of the “after,” Omega & Alpha has offered us more than theatre; it has given us tools for reflection and, perhaps, transformation.

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Craig Joseph
ACTOR SPOTLIGHT: TO BE UNDERSTOOD w/ Samantha Cocco

Spending the past three months with a toe dipped into the world of Peg has been a rare privilege. I approach Peg as part actor, part dramaturg - hours spent researching her patterns of difference, listening to neurodiverse voices, and taking props home to practice the intimate, silent choreography of her world.

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Craig Joseph
TOOL TIME: CORRIDORS (GRAB THE TISSUES)

For some, the physically expressive explorations and the abstracted movements might not cut it.  For some, that kind of work can create a barrier and requires more work to release into and cross the threshold of trust.  Super fair.  For such actors, in addition to their other script and character preparation, one might call upon a tool called “Corridors.”

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Craig Joseph