I seek to create a dynamic environment where the traditional and experimental converge. My interest has always been in the possibilities of the performer, the simple solutions to the issues of each play. I’ve always found working in this way to be highly theatrical because the human possibilities are most effective in live performance.

Xmas Cuento Remix

by Maya Malan-Gonzalez

NNPN rolling world premiere production with Teatro Público de Cleveland. The play is a modern-day take on A Christmas Carol and is full of heart,  jam-packed with laughs, comical characters, dancing, rocking remixes of traditional holiday tunes (accompanied by a live 4-piece band), and the warmth and joy of the holiday season.

Between Life and Death

by Gao Xingjian

 

This dream like play combines poetic language with striking imagery to illuminate one woman’s inner thoughts, memories, and fears on the last night of her life.  The themes are highlighted with the addition of video highlighting the hallucinogenic quality and adding levels of meaning throughout.

In the Red and Brown Water

by Tarell Alvin McCraney

 

This coming of age play tells the story of a young woman searching for meaning in her life. Referencing African Deities throughout, the play seeks to create a connection between daily life and the divine. The original music, movement and staging of this production bring a mythical quality to this beautiful and haunting play.

The riveting opening section was a masterful fusion of sound and movement launched and sustained by the ensemble’s focused breathing. By the end of the opening sequence, Holsinger had the audience breathing in unison with the performers entrancing us and making us more than mere spectators—we were part of the community.   –Laura Kepley, Artistic Director, The Cleveland Play House

Blood Wedding

by Federico Garcia Lorca

 

A re-imagining of Lorca’s classic, this production weaves together sound, song, and movement to convey the depth of conflict as a young woman is pulled between her betrothed and her beloved.

Marisol

by Jose Rivera

A futuristic glimpse into life on this planet, the play presents a world where food cannot grow, the moon has abandoned its orbit, and every human is left to fight for themselves; a world abandoned by God. It is in this world that a young Puerto Rican professional, Marisol, struggles to survive, finding glimmers of humanity among chaos. Raw, gritty, and urban, the play resonated deeply with the young cast and conveyed a brutal beauty. 

Metamorphoses

by Mary Zimmerman

Metamorphoses brings the myths of Ovid to life. Set in and around a large pool of water onstage, Metamorphoses reflects the ancient and the contemporary in life’s unending cycle of change. This production used movement techniques to embody the stories and create striking imagery.

In the Blood

by Suzan-Lori Parks

In this modern day Scarlet Letter, Hester La Negrita, a homeless mother of five, lives with her kids under a bridge in the inner city. Encountering both hope and devastation, she struggles for the “leg up,” forever beyond her reach.

This taught production by the Cleveland State University dramatic arts program powerfully delivers the not-so-subtle message in the script…dark humor blends with the black void of hopelessness to create a compelling experience. Director Holly Holsinger draws honest emotions out of her young cast. –Scene Magazine