Loom New Works Festival

My first directing experience in Nashville! I was so honored to be asked by Erica Jo Lloyd to direct the staged reading of her play No Safe Refuge as part of Woven Theatre’s Loom New Works Festival. It was really fun for me to get to meet fellow performers and theatre lovers in the Nashville area. Their heart and their talents humbled me.

During this process, I was able to do my favorite thing - coaching scenes. I love this part of the process. When you get to give feedback and work off of what your performers give you and witness some really beautiful moments. It’s so fun to see what everyone brings to the table. And hearing a new script for the first time? That’s pretty incredible. Sitting in the audience, hearing their reactions to this new text, it’s exciting. Makes me want to be a cast member in a stage reading myself.

Pictured L to R: Erica Jo Lloyd (playwright), Tony Nappo (Lewis), Sophia Sutton (Paige), Nivedhan Singh (Matthew), Jackie Rhoads (Rae), Lori Gann-Smith (Ruth), Foster Swartz (stage reader), Lauren Terry (director)