current project
Perdita
On a storm-battered beach in the fantasy kingdom of Bohemia, a messenger abandons a baby girl to her fate only to be killed by a bear as he tries to run back to his ship. A shepherd named Angus, out searching for lost lambs, discovers the child in a basket full of treasure and learns that he name is Perdita, the lost one. He takes her home to his wife and they raise her as their own.
As Perdita grows, she displays fantastical powers, bringing animals back from the dead, healing the sick with the touch of her glowing hands. But Bohemia is a country where magic is dangerous and those with unusual gifts are put to death. When she starts getting visits from a mysterious bear who shows her visions of a sad king and a double grave in a country far away, she knows that her life is not meant to be lived in a tiny cottage on a remote beach. Her unwitting romance with the prince of Bohemia will force her to escape and reconnect with her birth parents.
Shakespeare’s play is a rich romance where we are rewarded with Perdita’s heartwarming reunion with her birth family at the end, but it skips over the sixteen years of her life growing up in Bohemia. This story reimagines that time and reshapes the ending to leave the power and magic in the hands of the new generation.
This story will appeal to lovers of intelligent fiction that blends touches of history with a basis in literature and a rich spicing of myth and folklore from many traditions. Readers will fall in love with Perdita - a kick-ass heroine with a spiritual connection to a magical bear - and her surrounding cast of eclectic characters. Of course, Shakespeare geeks will secretly enjoy the liberal cache of easter eggs from many different plays.
If you would like to collaborate on the development of this project in any way, please contact me.
*beautiful image by Moon Passion Studio
Writing
Produced Work
- Tenth Night, Or What Will Would Not, 8/2024 Cue-script adaptation written for MA Dissertation
- Helen/Cressida, 1/2024 Head writer on adaptation of Troilus & Cressida performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Other Place
- SAC of Troubles, 11/2022 1-act play about the perils of AI, commissioned by Phoenix Theatre
- Waiting for the Colonel, 2/2022 1-act play about Elvis, commissioned by Phoenix Theatre
- FckShakespeare - podcast. Researched and prepared material for all 121 episodes of this podcast which investigates all the naughty bits of Shakespeare's plays going scene by scene. Recorded in Nyack, NY with co-host Erin deWard.
- The Bard of Hudson - podcast. Wrote all material for 280 episodes of this podcast about my life.
- Match.Mom, 2020 1-woman play about the early days of online dating. Accepted for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2020
- Man Chasers, 2020 play about four women and their problematic relationships. Commissioned by T. Walsh to be adapted from her novel.
- Poor Anne, 11/2019 1-act play based on an old folktale, commissioned by Phoenix Theatre
- Hopper Stories, 2018 five vignettes based on Hopper paintings for immersive theater experience at The Edward Hopper House, Nyack
- ARTWALK 2018, Curious Characters From Hudson Valley History Immersive theater project on the streets of Nyack, NY, June, 2018. Monologues written for actors to perform that were based on historical figures from the Hudson Valley. Paulette Poss, producer
- Hopper Stories, 2017 Wrote six monolgues/scenes based on Edward Hopper paintings for immersive theater experience at The Edward Hopper House, Nyack.
- The Muse’s Song Original adaptation combining Troilus & Cressida + The Trojan Women using text from Shakespeare and Euripides along with my own choral material.
- Maiden, Mother, Crone: A Tale of Queen Margaret Original adaptation of the story of Queen Margaret using scenes from Shakespeare’s histories together with original choral text.
- The Bloody Business of William Shakespeare A new work about all the deaths in all the plays of Shakespeare. I was a contributing writer, actor and assistant director.
Other Works in Development
- Match.Mom screenplay for television series - available for development. Comedy with dark edges. Funny and irreverent protagonist and many other quirky characters. Has the potential to tell viewer stories as well. This is a tale of the woes and joys of online dating - something that everyone can relate to.
- The Dark Lady musical about a band that comes together in the 1950s (like the Beatles) who are influenced by their early association with a blues singer. Characters, text, and storyline use elements of Shakespeare's sonnets. Available for development.
- Divorced Like You novel about three generations of women dealing with divorce and the consequences.
- Perdita screenplay for feature film which is an adaptation of The Winter's Tale that tells the story of Perdita's childhood and her reunion with her parents. Unexpected twists and departures from the original narrative turn this re-telling into a powerful message for today's young women. Available for development as a screenplay, a stage play or a young adult novel.
- Hermione prequel to Perdita which tells the story of Perdita's mother, the queen of Sicilia. She grows up in Kiev in the court of her father, the emperor. Her grandmother is a powerful seer, consulted by the king and his advisors until one fatal mistake brings an end to her influence. Her best friend and later lover, Paulina, is also studying to be a wise woman, but she cannot protect Hermione from the destiny which her status as a princess dooms her to carry out.
Artist in Residence
Collaborator / Independent Artist
I have gone to a few artist residencies and hope to do more of these, so if you want to collaborate in this way please reach out.
Awakenings at Wick, Somerset, UK
August of 2022 and then again in August of 2024. Working on Match.Mom play and then on my dissertation.
Mudhouse Residency, Crete
June, 2022 Storytelling, podcasting, soaking in the inspiring countryside of the birthplace of Zeus!
La Macina di San Cresci, Chianti
September, 2022 At the time I was working on a podcast - writing, recording and researching.
Living in the Garden, Paros, Greece
October, 2022 Memoire writing for a long form novel.