I don't remember the I first time I met Christine.  She knew me through plays I submitted to the Bay Area Playwrights Foundation, but I don't remember the first time meeting her.  We would run into each other regularly but infrequently over the last five years, and every time get a little deeper into the discussions about what moved and inspired us as artists.

It was over a year ago that we began talking about our (separate) interests in multi-disciplinary work.  At one stage, Christine said she'd love to explore the idea of applying her dramaturgical skills to a dance piece - using the same concepts of questioning and investigation with non-text-based work.

After my self-produced and self-directed Balé Tech stint at last year's SF Fringe Festival, I knew that if Balé Tech was going to grow, I'd need someone else helping at the helm.  I asked Christine to apply to the Shotgun Theatre Lab project with me, and her immediate and excited "Yes!" was an enormous boost of confidence.

Apparently, Christine and I do our best work under pressure, because that proposal was written in less than a week and ultimately accepted; and it is only now, with a few days left, that this show has jumped another level in it's promise and delivery.  I think what has been key about Christine and I working together has been the time we put in during the intervening time just talking.  Talking about everything - life, death, children, love, ritual, theatre - and realizing we share a lot of values in common.  But as Christine pointed out, the challenge is that she, as a director / dramaturg, has to first figure out what my vision is, then absorb that and try to move the ideas forward based on that vision, as well as what she is interested in, and what the other ensemble members are interested in.

Juggling al these often conflicting interests has not been easy - for me, so I can't imagine what Christine has had to deal with.  In the end, she exuded confidence and knowledge when needed (even when she didn't feel it herself), and was able to to create a space so when she did finally express confusion or frustration about where we were going, others could step up - and often did.  Christine has done a phenomenal job of striking the balance between listening and telling; supporting and challenging, questioning and accepting; being part of the ensemble and being the "director."  Thanks for taking the chaos and making it work.