STEPHANIE ANDERSON
DIRECTING
Directing is taking on a crossword puzzle, a Sudoku, and Rubik's cube all at once. It's juggling millions of tasks and dozens of people. It's putting people before tasks: boosting morale, celebrating success, practicing gratitude, being a tough coach when needed, and searching for new ways to connect with actors. I aim to take advantage of every moment. I over-prepare, so my hands will be free to juggle when things inevitably go wrong. I search for joy and surround myself with people who have the same goal of making great art while loving people along the way. I'm big on opening and closing rituals that build an ensemble. Directing is always challenging, always immeasurably rewarding.
THE LAST 5 YEARS
Cedarville University, 2011
college students, cast of 4
THINGS I HAD TO LEARN
New York University, 2019
An educational theatre major at NYU Steinhardt, Amanda Briskin-Wallace asked me to direct and dramaturg her final thesis performance: a one-woman autobiographical cabaret using seven songs from the musical theatre cannon to tell Amanda's story of college, anxiety, and self-discovery.
COMEDY OF ERRORS
Looking for Shakespeare, New York University, 2019
As the music director for Comedy of Errors set in New Orleans, I collaborated with director Amy Cordileone to integrate music throughout the text. I then arranged the music and taught it to our actors and instrumentalists, high schoolers from all over the United States who auditioned for a month-long summer program at NYU called "Looking for Shakespeare."