Morningstar by Cody Walker

A six-part murder mini-series combining elements of the blues legend Robert Johnson, small-town politics, questions about faith, and interpretations of law and religion. Featuring 18 actors from across the country and given only their parts so that the mystery remains until airing even to them.

Theatron Project:

S01E09: Part 1 - Hellhound on My Trail, Part 2 - Me and The Devil

S01E12: Part 3 - Kind Hearted Woman, Part 4 - Ramblin’ on My Mind

S01E15: Part 5 - Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Part 6 - Crossroad Blues

S01E17: The Complete Morningstar Saga

Refresh or Reshelf

This series of episodes on the Theatron Project explored older, lesser-known works and performed them as written. Following the productions, the cast would gather to discuss whether these works are still worth doing for today’s audiences, whether they should be reworked for a contemporary context, or whether they should go back on the shelf where they came from.

Theatron Project:

S01E01: The Beggar and The King by Winthrop Parkhurst

S01E07: Kill Me Again by Willis Cooper

S01E13: Very Unimportant Person by Willis Cooper

Works by Charles Mee have the propensity to showcase the extraordinary in ordinary everyday life. A Happy Life is no exception to this rule. Mee sets his sights on reminding us that we are all artists and that we all create art daily, each in our own way.

In true light-hearted fashion, accompanied by a cacophony of lights, sounds, and a few cookies for good measure.  Our merry band of revelers, guided by our host, The Therapist, go searching for their own Happy Life.

Howie begins the story. The Rookie concludes it.
Mark O'Rowe's Howie the Rookie is an epic tale. A wild, urban odyssey through a nightmarish landscape, hilarious, grotesque, and, finally, deeply moving and touching. Featuring a kaleidoscopic array of characters, including Ladyboy, a psychotic thug on a quest to avenge the deaths of his Siamese fighting fish. Malodorous adrenaline junkies Flann Dingle and Ginger Boy, Avalanche, a ski-panted monster looking for love, the tragic Mouse, the scabies-afflicted Peaches. And the Howie. And the Rookie.

Written and devised by Katie Watkins. Schizo, an original solo performance, provides an insight into the normalcy and mundanity of that life as my little brother battles the chaos in his mind. Part documentary and part non-narrative, movement-based theatre, Schizo included simulated auditory hallucinations, songs, movement-based representations of the disorder, and more.  

Using the original german text and inspiration from 6 different translations, I wrote and directed a brand-new adaptation of Büchner's Woyzeck. Using information about the real Franz Woyzeck case that the play was inspired from, this new adaptation was set inside a mental asylum ran by The Doctor character. Through this new adaptation, opportunities were sought out to apply practical elements of Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty. 

*Completed as final thesis project for the M.F.A. in Directing program at the University of Portland.

Under special permission by Jean- Michel Ribes, the managing director of Théâtre du Rond-Point, The Factory Theatre presented for its inaugural production the English World Premier of Jean-Michel Ribes series of 8 Absurdist stories that make up his collection Théâtre sans animaux. Performed in 12 different countries and in 12 different languages but never in English till this production. Eight absurdist pieces that make up one enjoyable, funny, and heartwarming evening of theatre.  Jean-Michel plays take a closer look at how we see our lives, relationships, and conversations with each other and then place it in a fluid, airy, and floating environment where these connections and interactions can occur, co-mingle and disconnect with each other.

Exploring the saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same", Clifford Odets's Waiting for Lefty was explored with the current state of the world in mind. Setting the 1935 play in the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protest. The "occupiers" performed in an epic theatre style the text of Waiting for Lefty. The worlds of the past and present start to merge as the similarities become more and more striking, and as audience members, we question what was from a play and what was real.

Taken from LaBute's collection of short plays entitled Wrecks and other plays. Coax blurs the lines between what is just a play and what is reality. A person emerges from the audience, stands on stage, and explains that he is an actor but is meeting someone here tonight. He also explains that his plan is to murder this woman unless someone from the audience speaks up and warns her. Sure, you might feel silly speaking up in front of everyone, but what if it's actually real? Yes, it's a show, but does that mean it isn't real?  

A new take on the old story of Jack and the Beanstalk, while utilizing elements of improv, Jack & the Super-Duper Way Big Beanstalk was an interactive show for younger audiences by adult actors. With plenty of inside jokes for older audience members, everyone has something/someone to laugh at. Produced through The Springfield Playhouse, a collaboration between the children's theatre and The Skinny Improv.

Tidey McTiderson by Ryan Benedetti

Bong Water Ninjas and Chernobyl by Logan Matthews