Maegan Clearwood
Dramaturg/Writer/Educator
WSC Avant Bard
Director of Audience Engagement, Resident Dramaturg, 2015-2017
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Articles on Sylvia Plath and 1960s mental health treatment
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Blog Post
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Lobby Display (see images to left)
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Interactive "period" wall, with space for patrons to answer prompts ("My first period story" and "My period is:")
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Timeline of social justice historical events that occurred after the play ends, emphasizing the resources and experiences to which the protagonist had no access
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Organized and moderated two special-topic post-show conversations:
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Can Shrew Be Tamed? A conversation with company member and dramaturg Cam Magee on Avant Bard’s 1999 all-female production of Shakespeare’s most overtly misogynistic play.
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Tackling Gender Bias in Classical Theatre. A conversation with Charlene V. Smith, Producing Artistic Director of Brave Spirits Theatre, on the role of women in the classics -- from season planning and the artistic process through performance and criticism.
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TAME.
WSC Avant Bard | Fall 2016
By Jonelle Walker
Drected by Angela Kay Pirko
“In view in a world premiere from WSC Avant Bard, Jonelle Walker’s vivid, artfully unnerving “TAME.” is a retort to Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” Set in 1960s Texas, the drama centers on Cat (Jill Tighe), a young lesbian poet who returns home after the suicide of her lover. Grieving and furious, Cat scandalizes and terrorizes her devout Christian parents and sister, prompting the family to seek help from a minister named Patrick (Brendan Edward Kennedy), who engages Cat in counseling sessions that turn emotionally and physically brutal. Ingeniously crafted, right up to its shocker ending, “TAME.” echoes Shakespeare while also depicting distinctive characters locked in a psychologically plausible battle of modern values and ideas." —The Washington Post
"It’s a daunting script, with so many elements that many could fall short of effectively sharing the true fun in the piece with the audience, but this was not the case with WSC Avant Bard’s production of The Good Devil (In Spite of Himself). A multi-talented set of actors and just the right amount of technical elements make following this complex new play a breeze, and a really good time at that." -- MD Theatre Guide
The Good Devil (In Spite of Himself)
WSC Avant Bard | Spring 2016
By Mario Baldesarri and Tyler Herman
Drected by Tyler Herman
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Articles on Commedia Dell'Arte
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Blog Posts and Articles
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Lobby Display (see images to left)
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Gallery of works by local collage artist Megan McNitt, in response to the play's themes of artistic censorship
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An interactive poetry wall, encouraging patrons to create haikus without the letter 'e', reflecting the artistic restrictions placed upon the play's characters
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Organized and moderated an interactive mask workshop for patrons to explore the art and meaning of Commedia masks
"Director Randy Baker has come to this creation honestly, as he was born in Singapore, just across the straits to the island of Java. He grew up within earshot of Javanese gamelan music and saw there and in Malaysia performances of the ethereal puppetry of wayang kulit. This approach not only differentiates the world of the fairies, but creates a whole projectory to the well-known tale that is about accessing the metaphysical world of shadows through dreams and then the journey back to real life. He has taken some liberties with switching around lines and adding scenes to do so. It’s a beautiful endeavor." -- DC Theatre Scene
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Articles on Elizabethan fairies, the play's production history, and Wayang Kulit puppetry
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Lobby Display
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Timeline of collaborative artistic process, including Q&As with members of various elements -- dance, puppetry, script, music -- as well as music and design images
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Selfie corner with rehearsal shadow puppets
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
WSC Avant Bard | Winter 2016
By William Shakespeare
Drected by Randy Baker
"You can feel when a director is in sync with a script, and that’s the situation with Tom Prewitt’s staging of Truman Capote’s “Holiday Memories.” Prewitt handles Capote’s nostalgic first-person account with good taste and good sense: He buys into Capote’s florid style but treats Capote’s characters as earthy and real." -- The Washington Post
Holiday Memories
WSC Avant Bard | Winter 2016
By Truman Capote
Adapted by Russell Vandenbroucke
Directed by Tom Prewitt
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Articles on Truman Capote, Alabama of the 1920s, and fruitcake
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Blog Posts and Articles
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Lobby Display (see images to left)
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Interactive time capsule prompting patrons to give advice to their 20-year-old or 60-year-old selves
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Q&As with present and future Truman Capote actors
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A lovely and lyrical reminiscence by a great American artist about his coming of age in Depression-era Alabama. Abandoned by his parents at age 7, he was taken in by a kindly elderly cousin named Miss Sook, who called him Buddy and became his best friend in all the world.
"Like a sinful dessert that you can’t help dip your spoon into, Friendship Betrayed is sophisticated and sexy. Looking at the power of female playwrights, Avant Bard takes an all but forgotten voice from centuries ago and spins it into a fetching production that shows a community of women in turmoil."
-- DC Theatre Scene
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Lobby Display (see images to left)
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Interactive guide to 1920s slang
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Dress-up corner with 1920s costumes and props
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Friendship Betrayed
WSC Avant Bard | Fall 2016
By Maria de Zayas y Sotamayor
Translated and adapted by Catherine Larson and Valerie Hegestrom
Directed by Kari Ginsberg