Directing
My directing resume is available to download
Erin Gabbard and Kim Douthit in Cry It Out
Photo by Colin Madison Photography
““Fabulous...beautifully structured, too, the story plus the art.” ”
While I began my career in theatre as an actor, I've always had an interest in the whole story. I love creating a safe, collaborative rehearsal environment, where actors feel secure in their roles and can make creative and specific choices.
I recently directed Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler with inD Theatre on Bainbridge Island.
In 2023, I directed Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice with Bainbridge Performing Arts with audience responses like:
“Zandi Carlson’s direction is inspired and the entire cast romps through this classic like crazed kids in a spring meadow.”
“One of my favorite theatre experiences ever.”
“The zaniness is real. Zandi Carlson’s chops are in full display.”
Matt Eldridge (Charlotte), Adele Lim (Jane), Erin Gabbard (Lyrida) and Melissa Dowell (Lizzy) Ali Zollo (Mrs. Bennet), and Helene Minassain (Mary) in Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice directed by Zandi Carlson
Photo by Matt Longmire
During quarantine I directed Deadlift, a site-specific virtual solo show by Aviva Pressman. Deadlift has its premiere with Local Classic Repertory in Pennsylvania, and then run with Sacred Fools in Los Angeles.
Additionally during the pandemic, I helped develop Fumes by Megan Twamley, which had a staged reading with Reboot Theatre.
““So beautiful! Laughed and cried a lot, thought about what kind of parents we want to be...so lovely.””
I've directed countless youth productions. Working in an educational production forces you to be crystal clear with your vision, manage rehearsal time well, and make sure everyone in the room feels valued and supported.
I believe that no matter what the age, or skill level the performers you're working with, the text is always the jumping off point. I want to communicate the story we're trying to tell in the clearest, most cohesive way possible. With actors, I always encourage bold choices through specific strong actions.
““Zandi is an actor’s director: clear-eyed and straightforward, she brings her vision to life with a deft touch. Her collaborative process is open to ideas from the performers, but at the same time she knows what she wants and how to suggest a path to power the actor forward. Working with material that could potentially become a wallow in heavy emotion, Zandi keeps the action crisp, the staging smart, and the momentum driving. I’d love to work with her again.”
”
Kate Witt and Abigail Grimstad in The Long Road at Arouet. Directed by Zandi Carlson.
Photos by Michael Brunk : nwlens.com
Shermona Mitchell as Lisa and Justin Carrell as Roger in A New Brain at STAGEright. Directed by Zandi Carlson. Photo by Galen Wicks.
““A New Brain—book and lyrics by William Finn, book by Finn and James Lapine and directed by Zandi Carlson—makes for uplifting musical theater about valuing every moment and making the most of second chances [...] STAGEright produces plays that directors feel a passion to put on. This passion is viscerally felt throughout the whole evening.””