Feeling Fantastic in Florence

I have to thank Vanessa at the British Institute and Emma at AngloInfo for turning me on to such a wonderful series of monologues as Alan Bennett's "Talking Heads".

The success of "Dumb Waiter" last year convinced me that the AperiTeatro format of a nice buffett dinner followed by rock-solid professional theater would be a success in Florence.

We're a little late starting the season, I admit, and it's all my fault.  I've been busy with a variety of projects to bring American students closer to Italian culture and if you've seen me speak at either of the BarCamps the city hosted recently, you'll know I'm on a mission to raise the quality of theater in Florence, both for the better enjoyment of the public, and to create an economically supportive environment for professional theater artists.

The official announcement will come at the beginnning of March, but I can tell you this much -- this year should be a great one if you like solid British drama.

We'll be performing 5 of the 12 monologues Bennett wrote for the BBC at Lochness.  Each monologue will run for one month, performing one night per week for a maximum of 40 people each performance.

First up will be Claire Kolb in "Bed Among the Lentils".  You'll remember Claire as Gus in the Dumb Waiter last year.

As always, the assistance of our interns is priceless.  I'm especially happy as this semester Stanford University has sent us Sydney Gulbronson, who, apart from being a great assistant, is here until June, and as such can help out on a variety of projects.

Thoughts?  Ideas for productions?  Something you'd like to see?  I'd love to have feedback from you, so please leave comments below!

Are you an actor, director or producer?  What to get involved with me in the theater?  Drop me a line.