Methods
Before my second read of a play, I open and format a spreadsheet. I list and color-code the characters, scenes, and areas of design. As I read, I note everything the playwright says about how the scene looks, how it sounds, how it feels, disassembling the play as I consume it. Once I am finished, I look back through the spreadsheet with the grand and exciting task of putting it all back together. An example of one such spreadsheet, from Peter and the Starcatcher, can be viewed at the bottom of this page, as well as here (act 1, act 2).
Early on in the directing process, I collect visuals that evoke the things I see and feel when I read the play. Below are the first few pins on a board created for the production of Peter and the Starcatcher I directed in 2020. See the full board here. Other examples of image boards created for directing projects can be found here (Constellations, 2021), here (36 Questions, theoretical 2021 production), and here (Wayfinding, 2025).
I find that having a thorough ground under me — a throughline (à la Lenore DeKoven), cry of the play, Aristotelian analysis, major dramatic question, spine, events, potential visual metaphors, facts and questions (à la Katie Mitchell), dramaturgical research and more — lends me a sense of ease as I enter the wonderful chaos of rehearsals, tech, and opening. If I have many understandings of the play, I can not only talk about it with clarity, but I can be open to even more interpretations brought to the room by actors and designers.
My undergraduate mentor, Geoff Proehl, said that dramaturgy is understanding the parts [of a play] and how they go together. I see my prep work as gathering pieces of a puzzle, and I know that my collaborators will each bring several of their own. The more pieces I have, the better I can help fit all of our pieces together until we have a full picture that is right for this play, this company, this city, and this year.
