May 2020

Breathing in breath-holding time

This month of The Great Pause, I am thankful for quiet morning walks and spring flowers. And I blog about how our physical routines help us achieve so much more than our fitness goals.

Video Tips You Can Use!

• Using a headset/earbuds with microphone can cut down on background interference that you might not be aware of. Helpful for barking dogs, chirping birds and random TikToks from the next room.

• Make your video window smaller so you don't distract yourself. But don't turn your video camera off during a work meeting--your boss will suspect you're not really there.

• Speak clearly and a bit slower that usual. And speak with energy! Even if you have a great mic, the sound on the other end could be occasionally muddied or garbled. Don't add to confusion by being a mumbler/fast talker/low talker.

Do you have questions about navigating video communication in this time?
Shoot me an e-mail and I'll answer them in upcoming videos.

In other news---

My suffrage play It's My Party!  is still on schedule for its September, 2020 Southwestern Regional Premiere. It'll be at Dallas' Echo Theatre, Kateri Cale, Managing Artistic Director. More info here. 

If your community is looking for ways to celebrate the Suffrage Centennial, please note that it has been extended to August 2021. So there's plenty of time for you to consider staging a production or organizing your own reading of It's My Party!  Virtual readings on Zoom could work too! For more info, click here.

Selections from my work-in-progress Saltwater Farm kicked off Pipeline Playwrights' spring reading series, Playwrights at Work!  The reading got a great response; I'm busily writing more of the play. I hope to serialize it and post segments on YouTube this summer.

Visit Pipeline's website for the latest news.

April 2020

What puzzles reveal

My blog this month deals with the unexpected observations about — observation (!) I have made while solving puzzles during my quarantine.

Video Tips You Can Use!

• Make sure you have a professional background. If you must take your video chats in your bedroom, make sure we can't see your bed! The camera defines the space we see, so find a different angle. Use Photo Booth, Camera, or a similar app to see what your camera sees--before you log on!

• Dress like you're going to the actual meeting in your "business casual" attire. Comb your hair. Put on makeup, if you normally wear it. Not only will you look better on camera, you'll feel more ready to get to work.

• Prepare and organize. Time flies even faster on virtual meetings and webinars. Attention spans are shorter, too. So organization is key if you want to get your message across.

I'll be offering more tips in upcoming workshops. Be sure to visit my website to see what I'll be covering and when.

March 2020

Wash your hands. Then call me!

My blog this month has some tips for how to look and sound professional when you connect with your remote audience. But the best solution is to get in touch with me. If you lack focus, or feel nervous or distant while staring at the screen or listening on the phone, I can help!

In other news---

Sadly due to the coronavirus outbreak, the following production has been cancelled--It's My Party! was to have been presented onstage as part of Festival 2020: Women – Where Are They Now? at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, March 21, 26 and 28. I was privileged to join the cast and creative team via Zoom for several rehearsals. What I saw was quite gratifying. My heart goes out to the faculty and students who se hard work will not be rewarded by audience applause.

Hopefully the run of It's My Party! in September, 2020 in Dallas will take place. Echo Theatre, Kateri Cale, Managing Artistic Director, is planning to host the Southwestern Regional Premiere at the City of Dallas’ Bath House Cultural Center. More info here. 

And if you're looking for ways to celebrate the Suffrage Centennial  in 2020 with your community, consider staging a production or organizing your own reading of It's My Party!

For more info, click here .