You are cordially invited….
I’m going to be playing Barbara “Buck” Buckingham in Seattle Repertory Theatre’s upcoming production of Teenage Dick!! Teenage Dick is a brilliant play and satirical retelling of Shakespeare’s Richard III, one of the most famous disabled characters in literary history, reimagined as a 16-year-old outsider with all the teenage angst of high school.
I’m SUPER STOKED about this opportunity and wanted to share with you why:
1.) I’ve never been to Seattle but one of the virtual sober groups I’m in, The Retired Party Girl is based there so I actually know a fair amount of Seattleites and am excited to meet some of them IRL as well as explore a new city!
2.) I was invited to audition for this. That’s been a new occurrence in my life, I’m used to having to practically beg to get in the hypothetical door to self tape, submitting to hundreds of things every year.
3.) All my tapes for this I got in 4 TAKES OR LESS. In 2021 I got into a bad self tape perfectionism habit, sometimes taking as many as 15-20 takes that in hindsight were probably all relatively the same. Booking something that I only took a few takes for each side was really encouraging. (Let me know if you want to hear more about this process).
4.) This show has two characters with disabilities meaning I won’t be the only actor with a disability on stage. The Buck and Richard Understaudies are also performers with disabilities. Yay more disabled artist friends!!
5.) It’s a straight play. I don’t do those very often and I’m excited for the challenge/change of pace.
6.) I do a lot of kid-friendly stuff, and Buck, is very not PG. Excited to step into the shoes of this little potty mouth for the next two months.
If you are in the Seattle Area or want to take a trip, I invite you to come to catch me in Teenage Dick March 4th - April 3rd! Alternatively, you can also purchase digital access and stream my performance from at Seattle Rep to your living room (wow isn’t technology cool)!
Love,
Meredith
Mandatory Puppy Pic.
Lately I have been listening to the band Lawrence a lot after introducing them to my partner. He found this acoustic version of their song Don’t Loose Sight that I’ve really been digging. Their latest album features tracks like Hotel TV and Jet Lag that are just v relateable for this artist doing lots of long distance.
My current intention: I am not looking for performing to be my everything.
My must-haves of the moment:
-Siracha Sunrise HIPPEAS
- Four Sigmatic Adaptogen Coffee (now available on Target’s website and in select California stores).
-Vermont Maple Syrup ( I picked up some last time I was in New England at Sugar Shack in VT and let me tell you it just hits different). I also may have had it shipped in my allotted box to Seattle…
If you’re looking to support a good cause, Retired Party Girl which I mentioned previously is currently looking for folks to sponsor a 6-month or 12 month memberships. Their mission is to empower people to question their relationship with alcohol and to live a life they feel proud of. Your donation will be used to fully fund a membership for someone in the community giving them access to support, education and recovery resources. To learn more click here.
I also recently signed this petition calling on dating apps to take steps to make their apps more inclusive of people with disabilities. I encourage you to do the same.
If you have made it this far, THANK YOU, I’m so glad you are here. If you have enjoyed this newsletter and want to support me you can: forward this email to a friend who lives near Seattle, host a Teenage Dick Streaming Party, Tip me on Venmo me at @meredithaleighawells, share the Broadway World announcement or hire me :)
Thanks for being here.
Love,
Mer