Wayside Theatre is headed into Season 51, and with a new season come changes. I consider some of them to be pretty exciting, because one of the changes is that I have joined the Wayside family as the education director!
Megan has decided to pursue her master's degree, which she can't do from the education office at the theatre, so she'll be moving on. My name is Molly MacLagan, and I wanted to introduce myself and give you a sense of who I am. I just moved to Middletown from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I was doing freelance work at a number of theatres in the area. Most recently I was the directing apprentice at City Theatre for their production of Tigers Be Still by Kim Rosenstock. I really love the Pittsburgh area, and have family and friends who I'll miss dearly, but I just felt like I wasn't having the impact I wanted to have.
I should pause for a moment to fill you in on some of my philosophies about theatre: I believe wholehearted that theatre is powerful, and has the potential to touch people in very real and unexpected ways. If it didn't, I wouldn't be nearly as passionate about it as I am. Whether people are onstage, backstage, offstage, or in the audience, they are changed by their involvement in a production; people learn new things, engage with each other in new ways, find that they had abilities they never knew they possessed, and generally come away feeling refreshed, inspired, and confident. The impact I was hoping to have in Pittsburgh was to provide that experience (and to take part in it) as often as possible, but I found that in a city where so much is happening in the theatre scene, the experience tends to get lost in the bustle.
So I'm excited to be here, to have the opportunity to witness and partake in the theatre-making magic that I know happens at Wayside. I am also delighted to be meeting new people, and anxious to integrate myself into such a unique and enjoyable community.
Other things you might like to know about me: I am originally from Ohio, and have a unique connection to and will always love the Northeast Ohio area. My family is mostly located on the east coast, from Massachusetts on up through Maine, and the beach is a home-away-from home. I love pizza and if I turn it down, you should probably question the status of my health. I enjoy animals, I'm pretty uncoordinated (but really enjoy some physical activities - like rock climbing or ice skating), always have a great time at karaoke, and drink more coffee than I probably should.
I love classical theatre. My favorites are the plays of Euripides, Shakespeare, and Shaw. For my senior Honors thesis I directed a play out of the Chester Cycle, and traveled with it to Toronto for part of an international festival. It was one of the hardest and also the best projects I've ever undertaken. (Here is a link to read more about it on the Kent State University website if you're interested: http://www.kent.edu/news/announcements/success/honorsplay.cfm)
Of course there's plenty more to know about me, but that is a more-than-ample start. I look forward to getting to know all of you better! I'll meet you all soon enough ! (Maybe at the 24-Hour Play Festival that happens tomorrow night! If you're interested in taking part, send an e-mail to eia@waysidetheatre.org and I'll get you the information you need)
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