adventures in directing!
My work as a director is rooted in the joy, rage, whimsy, and utter absurdity of the queer female experience. I create art which is girl-centric and explores the diversity of human sexuality and personal identity. As someone who constantly struggles with making sense of the fragments of my own identity in innumerable little ways, as we all often do, I have found clarity and catharsis over and over again in the theatre. My style is certainly not direct realism, yet nevertheless, I aim to create mirrors that reveal an honest truth.
Many times we are utterly disgusted by the reflection we see. I find endless fire in that.
I am especially drawn to worlds where beauty and terror not only coexist but are inseparable. Traditional Gothic horror is my playground and I work thoroughly and methodically to translate the visceral, grotesque, thematic richness of the genre from page to stage. I approach storytelling through the body first. My process draws from my training in physical theatre techniques; particularly the Suzuki method of actor training, Viewpoints, and Laban. I have trained under artists such as Akiko Aizawa, Leon Ingulsrud, and Tina Mitchell, and am greatly inspired by the work of Tadashi Suzuki and the Suzuki Company of Toga, the subtlety and specificity of Japanese Noh theatre, and the grandeur of ancient Greek drama.
And, of course, I do love me a vampire or two. Or several.
COLLECTIVE RAGE: A PLAY IN FIVE BETTIES
by Jen Silverman
Director: Riley K Webster
Stage Manager: Sydney Lefkof
Assistant Stage Manager: Kailee Boswell-Snodgrass
Costume Design: Wren Powell
Lighting Design: Thomas Khan
Set Design: Riley K Webster
Sound Design: Emmamerie Smith
Intimacy Coordination: Tina Mitchell
Fight Coordination: Andy Ruggeri
Photography: Wavelight Photography
Director’s Statement: I am almost certain that if you’ve gone on a good doom scroll any time in the past few years you’ve encountered the term “female rage” or “feminine rage” used over and over again. Those two words pasted over a curated montage of Mia Goth in Pearl, Dominique Swain in Lolita, Angela Bassett in Waiting To Exhale, Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag, and the list goes on forever. “Female rage” might be nearing online overuse, but it speaks to something I’m sure any woman—or anyone who grew up under the blanket of girlhood—can perfectly understand; the desire to be heard. To be seen. To be respected, maybe even a little bit feared. We are in the midst of a renaissance of rage, and like all renaissances, it starts with art.
“It was fucking excellent.” — Tina Mitchell
poster by alexandria nance
CARMILLA
adapted from J.S. Le Fanu’s Carmilla (1872) by Riley K Webster
Director: Riley K Webster
Stage Manager: Alexandria Nance
Assistant Director: Kayla Joya
Costume Design: Riley K Webster
Lighting Design: Thomas Khan
Sound Design: Riley K Webster
Fight Choreography: Andy Ruggeri
Photography: Alexandria Nance, Kayla Joya
“A gorgeous and delicious production and really exciting adaptation.” — Jason Jacobs
“It was dark! It was saucy!” — Lily Pugliano Knight
:)