The Girl and the Toymaker

In early 2022, the whispers of "The Toymaker" began to make themselves heard. I worked with my close collaborator, Fiona Schlegel, to develop some bits of choreography sporadically over the summer. In the fall, I asked writer Megan Kudla to collaborate with me on some text for the piece. In late 2022, two short versions of The Toymaker were performed. The first was presented by CreateArt in November, and the second was presented by WAXworks in December. Both featured dance and spoken text. In early 2023, I committed to writing a full script, whatever shape that may take. The result was a very messy first draft and a much-less-messy second draft. A special thank-you is in order to Lisa Podulka, Cosimo Pori, Travis Amiel, Danielle McKnight, and Zoe Papaeracleous, who joined Fiona and I for a living-room reading of an early draft. In the spring, I began working with dramaturg Hannah Gellman to further develop both the text and choreography. A twenty-minute excerpt of "The Toymaker" was presented at ?!:New Works, a short-works festival at The Brick in Williamsburg. This version featured two performers, Fiona Schlegel and Alexandra Doyle, playing many roles over the course of the work. Shortly after, auditions were held for a workshop production--and oportunity to dig into character, script, choreography, and structure with minimal focus on technical elements like lighting, costumes, and sound. During the two-month rehearsal process, "The Toymaker" became The Girl and the Toymaker. What you'll see tonight is the result of this two-month rehearsal process. A superb cast of five performers dance, act, sing, and dream.