Our production of Hit the Wall served as the University of Iowa’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. My work as the dramaturg on this production quickly ballooned into serving as the de facto producer of a whole assortment of programming surrounding the production, including an immersive lobby display, post-show discussions featuring multigenerational LGBTQ+ panelists, and a lavish opening night party and drag show. Behind the scenes, I curated a trip for the director and me to soak up all the cultural offerings surrounding the “Stonewall 50 - WorldPride” celebration in NYC the summer prior, which gave us a plethora of research for the production. Most crucially, we met veterans of the uprising on the trip, an experience that instilled in us an urgency and fervor to, at every turn in our process, collapse the historical distance of 50 years for our company of college-age designers and actors, and eventual audiences.

Rehearsal Room Resources