BROOKLYN NO-NAMES BY MARISA JONES AND MELANIE NOTINGER
DIRECTED BY DEE MEO
SHENYC SUMMER THEATER FESTIVAL
Brooklyn No-Names, written by Marisa Jones and Melanie Notinger, was conceived in 2017 and inspired by their time as depressed artists new to New York City. In September, they held an intimate staged-reading directed by fellow Texas State alumna Dee Meo. SheNYC Arts selected Brooklyn No-Names as one of eight new works by women to be fully produced at the 2018 Summer Theater Festival. The production ran for two nights only at The Connelly Theater in New York City. The production was awarded best script and best direction at the SheNYC Summer Theater Festival.
The direction focused on the emptiness one can feel in a city with nearly nine million people. With that in mind, the stage was bare except for what actors brought on stage as well as their clothes and items that they "moved" to the city with. All transitions and costume changes happened on stage with just the actors and direct lighting. This approach was to give the audience the feeling of transparency while traveling through the nineteen vignettes this play has to offer.
CAST
Marisa Jones
Melanie Notinger
POOL (NO WATER) BY MARK RAVENHILL
DIRECTED BY DEE MEO
ENSEMBLE MERCURY
ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION:
Pool (No Water) is a direct look into the harsh realities of the coveting that occurs in artistic relationships. Dee focused on the relationships of characters as an amoeba that moved through an almost empty stage. This production was a minimalist haven to paint a large picture of the fading minds each character suffered from.
"Irwin's (Meo's) fluid direction keeps the actors moving and swirling about the stage without ever definitively dividing any of them from the group consciousness. Brittany Flurry steps forth from that swirl whenever the unnamed successful former member is portrayed or interacts with her visitors; the scene dissolves then and Flurry steps back into her partite membership in the group. If memory serves, we never learn any of their names. The cast -- the chorus -- becomes envy and frustration incarnate, a micro-representation of Ravenhill's grim view of the general run of mankind." - Michael Meigs, CTX Live Theatre
https://ctxlivetheatre.com/reviews/20170404-review-pool-no-water-by-ensemble-mercury/
CAST
Ashley Thurow
Brittany Flurry
Eric Meo
Samuel Owens
Marci Blackwell
CREATIVE
Assistant Director - Jennifer Lum
Stage Manager - Katherine Beamer
Lighting Designer - Amy Lewis
Costume Designer- Natalie Nergaard
Choreographer - Regan Goins
LOVE/SICK BY JOHN CARIANI
DIRECTED BY DEE MEO
ENSEMBLE MERCURY
ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION:
Love/Sick is a magnifying glass to the intricate landscape of love and loss. Dee focused on actors deep connection in each of the two person scenes. A minimalistic set and props lended itself to the magnifying effect on each individual character.
"Each scene has surprises and each convinces. This gang of friends presents these nuggets clearly and convincingly, using a minimum of props in the great central space of the Museum of Human Achievement. They're all of an age to be keenly exposed to the sweet dangers of which Cariani is cautioning us, and it's evident that they're having a very good time living and delivering his whimsical messages. " - Michael Meigs, CTX Live Theatre
https://ctxlivetheatre.com/reviews/review-lovesick-by-diane-irwin/
CAST
Marci Blackwell
David Bankston
Eric Meo
Lizette Zuniga
Melanie Notinger
Ashley Thurow
Evan Davies
Brianna Ripkowski
CREATIVE
Assistant Director - Melanie Notinger
Stage Manager - Lauren Phillips
THE FLICK BY ANNIE BAKER
DIRECTED BY DEE MEO
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY DIRECTING FESTIVAL
ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION:
The Flick is a slice of life play examining the fascinatingly mundane day to day of the employees of a run down movie theater. Dee honed in on the intricate relationships of each character with themselves, each other, and the unsung character of the entire play; the movie theater.
CAST
Daniel McGowan
Chaz Harvey
Laurel Toupal
LUNGS BY DUNCAN MACMILLAN
DIRECTED BY DEE MEO
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY DIRECTING FESTIVAL
ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION:
Lungs is an authentic look into a deep and complicated relationship between two young people looking to have a child in a world of chaos. This was Dee’s first production she entirely directed herself and was adamant on honoring the playwright's wishes of a minimalist experience. The entire process was focused on the intimacy of the actors exploring their characters and finding comfortability in empty space. A challenge that Dee overcame with this production was building a world that spans decades in an empty space that was emotionally impactful and based in truth.
CAST
Lucas Matteson
Ashley Thurow