A Dream Play
by August Strindberg directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere translation by Anne-Charlotte Harvey
Sledgehammer Theatre October 2004
David Weiner, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lights & projections;
Paul Peterson, sound
KPBS Patte Award “Outstanding Production”
The play cynically confronts matters of morality, religion, philosophy and sexuality. Death,
in Strindberg’s worldview, is deliverance. But with a snappy new translation by SDSU
professor Anne-Charlotte Harvey, choreographically-precise direction by Kirsten Brandt,
an ingenious design team and a crackerjack ensemble, the play brims with imagination
and life. - KPBS
a full production by Sledgehammer, efficiently and dazzlingly directed by Kirsten Brandt
from a flexible new translation by Anne-Charlotte Harvey, is a rare treat for serious
theatregoers... -Backstage West
Brandt and her sympathetic designers create a visual and aural landscape both coherent
and dreamlike... The director also maintains a light touch. She lets the imagery... work
upon the audience’s imagination, instead of hammering home its relevance.
-CRITIC'S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
by August Strindberg directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere translation by Anne-Charlotte Harvey
Sledgehammer Theatre October 2004
David Weiner, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lights & projections;
Paul Peterson, sound
KPBS Patte Award “Outstanding Production”
The play cynically confronts matters of morality, religion, philosophy and sexuality. Death,
in Strindberg’s worldview, is deliverance. But with a snappy new translation by SDSU
professor Anne-Charlotte Harvey, choreographically-precise direction by Kirsten Brandt,
an ingenious design team and a crackerjack ensemble, the play brims with imagination
and life. - KPBS
a full production by Sledgehammer, efficiently and dazzlingly directed by Kirsten Brandt
from a flexible new translation by Anne-Charlotte Harvey, is a rare treat for serious
theatregoers... -Backstage West
Brandt and her sympathetic designers create a visual and aural landscape both coherent
and dreamlike... The director also maintains a light touch. She lets the imagery... work
upon the audience’s imagination, instead of hammering home its relevance.
-CRITIC'S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow by Rolin Jones
The Old Globe, Cassius Carter Center Stage, June 2004
Michelle Riel, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lighting; Paul
Peterson, sound
San Diego Critics Circle Award for “Outstanding Direction”
...in the nimble hands of director Kirsten Brandt – yes, that’s the Sledgehammer
Theatre boss – the Globe’s new production of this original, wide-awake script is more
lively and insightful than SCR’s. It’s one terrific breakthrough for Brandt, the Old Globe
and the immensely talented lead actress, now a San Diego resident, Seema Sueko...
Brandt, with revisions from Jones, beautifully calibrates the revelations that deepen this
mostly hilarious evening. -CRITIC’S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
Under Kirsten Brandt’s sharp direction, the Cassius Carter rivals a circus for activity.
Brandt, Sledgehammer Theatre’s artistic director, specializes in bold physicality... But
Brandt does something else. In the wrong hands, the play could devolve into a jokefest,
spoken in “Dude” and laced with, like, four-letter words. But Jenny Chow is also about
roots and relativity, real and imagined fears. It resembles Stephen Wadsworth’s recent
Don Juan, at the Old Globe, in that both alternate the comic and the deeply serious.
And Brandt stages scenes, back-to-back, that shift from funny to touching on a dime.
- CRITIC’S CHOICE San Diego Reader
And as a drama, the play also provides intense emotional opportunities that permit
director Kirsten Brandt and her astonishingly good cast to propel this young playwright's
words into that theatrical hyperspace where they sprout unsuspected
dimensions. -CRITIC’S PICK, Backstage West
A summer directive for dramaphiles: do not miss The Intelligent Design of Jenny
Chow... Man—this is just a great, great show. Brandt’s always been pretty good at
illustrating the linear element in artistic expression. Here, she is positively
exceptional - San Diego City Beat
...and director Kirsten Brandt, in a stunning Globe debut that suggests that
management should be waving a contract at her today, has made the piece even
better.... But it’s Brandt who deserves the raves here. With this single production - never
mind her distinguished work at Sledgehammer and elsewhere, she establishes
herself as a resident first stringer in a city that some very good directors call home.
-San Diego.com
The Old Globe, Cassius Carter Center Stage, June 2004
Michelle Riel, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lighting; Paul
Peterson, sound
San Diego Critics Circle Award for “Outstanding Direction”
...in the nimble hands of director Kirsten Brandt – yes, that’s the Sledgehammer
Theatre boss – the Globe’s new production of this original, wide-awake script is more
lively and insightful than SCR’s. It’s one terrific breakthrough for Brandt, the Old Globe
and the immensely talented lead actress, now a San Diego resident, Seema Sueko...
Brandt, with revisions from Jones, beautifully calibrates the revelations that deepen this
mostly hilarious evening. -CRITIC’S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
Under Kirsten Brandt’s sharp direction, the Cassius Carter rivals a circus for activity.
Brandt, Sledgehammer Theatre’s artistic director, specializes in bold physicality... But
Brandt does something else. In the wrong hands, the play could devolve into a jokefest,
spoken in “Dude” and laced with, like, four-letter words. But Jenny Chow is also about
roots and relativity, real and imagined fears. It resembles Stephen Wadsworth’s recent
Don Juan, at the Old Globe, in that both alternate the comic and the deeply serious.
And Brandt stages scenes, back-to-back, that shift from funny to touching on a dime.
- CRITIC’S CHOICE San Diego Reader
And as a drama, the play also provides intense emotional opportunities that permit
director Kirsten Brandt and her astonishingly good cast to propel this young playwright's
words into that theatrical hyperspace where they sprout unsuspected
dimensions. -CRITIC’S PICK, Backstage West
A summer directive for dramaphiles: do not miss The Intelligent Design of Jenny
Chow... Man—this is just a great, great show. Brandt’s always been pretty good at
illustrating the linear element in artistic expression. Here, she is positively
exceptional - San Diego City Beat
...and director Kirsten Brandt, in a stunning Globe debut that suggests that
management should be waving a contract at her today, has made the piece even
better.... But it’s Brandt who deserves the raves here. With this single production - never
mind her distinguished work at Sledgehammer and elsewhere, she establishes
herself as a resident first stringer in a city that some very good directors call home.
-San Diego.com
MACBETH
by William Shakespeare, directed by Kirsten Brandt
Sledgehammer Theatre February 2004
Nick Fouch, scenic design; Mary Larson, costume design; David Lee Cuthbert,
lighting design; Jeff Mockus, composition & sound design; Collen Kelley, fighte
choreographer.
San Diego Playbill Award “Outstanding Direction”
And Director Kirsten Brandt’s production specializes in highlighting Macbeth’s most
harrowing scenes... screw your courage to the sticking-place and go, as the show is
definitely worth it. -San Diego Playbill
The Sledgehammer staging... faces no such troubles keeping its balance. It’s a quirky
but sure-footed interpretation of the bleak Shakespeare tragedy, one that preserves the
play’s chilling impact while introducing just enough twists of its own. Sledgehammer’s
take on the play... leaves the wickedness intact, but with a layer of intelligence that
makes watching this play anything but toil and trouble.
-CRITIC’S CHOICE, San Diego Union-Tribune
Directed by Kirsten Brandt... the tone and ensemble direction works on a totally
different plane... The actors are sometimes even extensions of the stage, reciting from
atop metal projections and the like. These are supercharged, energized
performances... They evoke internalized trauma in dramatic, winded tantrums that
seem to release their inner selves like projectiles to the audience... If my introduction to
Shakespeare was this production of Macbeth I would be an immediate fan of the
Bard -Gay and Lesbian Times
...a perfect fit for Sledgehammer Theatre: dark, emotionally intense, bloody, brutal and
spookily supernatural. Artistic director Kirsten Brandt is in her element. - KPBS FM
by William Shakespeare, directed by Kirsten Brandt
Sledgehammer Theatre February 2004
Nick Fouch, scenic design; Mary Larson, costume design; David Lee Cuthbert,
lighting design; Jeff Mockus, composition & sound design; Collen Kelley, fighte
choreographer.
San Diego Playbill Award “Outstanding Direction”
And Director Kirsten Brandt’s production specializes in highlighting Macbeth’s most
harrowing scenes... screw your courage to the sticking-place and go, as the show is
definitely worth it. -San Diego Playbill
The Sledgehammer staging... faces no such troubles keeping its balance. It’s a quirky
but sure-footed interpretation of the bleak Shakespeare tragedy, one that preserves the
play’s chilling impact while introducing just enough twists of its own. Sledgehammer’s
take on the play... leaves the wickedness intact, but with a layer of intelligence that
makes watching this play anything but toil and trouble.
-CRITIC’S CHOICE, San Diego Union-Tribune
Directed by Kirsten Brandt... the tone and ensemble direction works on a totally
different plane... The actors are sometimes even extensions of the stage, reciting from
atop metal projections and the like. These are supercharged, energized
performances... They evoke internalized trauma in dramatic, winded tantrums that
seem to release their inner selves like projectiles to the audience... If my introduction to
Shakespeare was this production of Macbeth I would be an immediate fan of the
Bard -Gay and Lesbian Times
...a perfect fit for Sledgehammer Theatre: dark, emotionally intense, bloody, brutal and
spookily supernatural. Artistic director Kirsten Brandt is in her element. - KPBS FM
NU, plays without words
(Part I: Mr. Phosphoresent & Part III: Wintering)
written & directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere
Sledgehammer Theatre October 2003
Anthony Gutowski, sets; Ivy Chou, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lighting;
Paul Peterson, sound
San Diego Playbill Award “Outstanding Choreography”
... “Nu” continues Sledgehammer’s quest to create an innovative physical
language for its core ensemble. When all the elements cohere... their “Nu”
has a power beyond words.. NU is a must see.
- CRITIC’S CHOICE, San Diego Union-Tribune
Brandt and her company succeed in moving from linear storytelling in this
non-verbal theatrical local debut. Let your eyes and ears feast upon the
physical text of this local debut.
- Gay & Lesbian Times
(Part I: Mr. Phosphoresent & Part III: Wintering)
written & directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere
Sledgehammer Theatre October 2003
Anthony Gutowski, sets; Ivy Chou, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lighting;
Paul Peterson, sound
San Diego Playbill Award “Outstanding Choreography”
... “Nu” continues Sledgehammer’s quest to create an innovative physical
language for its core ensemble. When all the elements cohere... their “Nu”
has a power beyond words.. NU is a must see.
- CRITIC’S CHOICE, San Diego Union-Tribune
Brandt and her company succeed in moving from linear storytelling in this
non-verbal theatrical local debut. Let your eyes and ears feast upon the
physical text of this local debut.
- Gay & Lesbian Times
The Burning Deck
by Sarah Schulman, directed by Kirsten Brandt
La Jolla Playhouse July 2003
Ryan Palmer, sets; Ivy chou, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lights; Casi Pacilio,
sound; Carrie Ryan, dramaturg; Collen Kelley, fight choreographer
As presented in the La Jolla Playhouse's Page-to-Stage Program, the production
was not reviewed, allowing the playwright to learn from the audience through three
weeks of workshop performances. The production stared Diane Venora and
Lionel Mark Smith. The play was inspired by Balzac's Cousin Bette.
Please visit the La Jolla Playhouse for more information about the Page-to-Stage
Program.
by Sarah Schulman, directed by Kirsten Brandt
La Jolla Playhouse July 2003
Ryan Palmer, sets; Ivy chou, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lights; Casi Pacilio,
sound; Carrie Ryan, dramaturg; Collen Kelley, fight choreographer
As presented in the La Jolla Playhouse's Page-to-Stage Program, the production
was not reviewed, allowing the playwright to learn from the audience through three
weeks of workshop performances. The production stared Diane Venora and
Lionel Mark Smith. The play was inspired by Balzac's Cousin Bette.
Please visit the La Jolla Playhouse for more information about the Page-to-Stage
Program.
The Laramie Project
by Moises Kaufman directed by Kirsten Brandt
Sierra Repretory Theatre, September 2003
Dennis Jones, sets; Joanna Hobbs, lighting; Ty Smith, sound
One of the Top Ten Productions of 2003 - Modesto Bee
Director Kirsten Brandt's production shows an unusually high level
of attention to detail, as demonstrated by the creative placement of
actors, the surreal set and nuanced lighting. It's obvious that she
and the rest of her crew poured their hearts into this show.
- Modesto Bee
Kirsten Brandt masterfully directs, using some leavening humor to
balance the drama's gripping poignancy. - The Record
by Moises Kaufman directed by Kirsten Brandt
Sierra Repretory Theatre, September 2003
Dennis Jones, sets; Joanna Hobbs, lighting; Ty Smith, sound
One of the Top Ten Productions of 2003 - Modesto Bee
Director Kirsten Brandt's production shows an unusually high level
of attention to detail, as demonstrated by the creative placement of
actors, the surreal set and nuanced lighting. It's obvious that she
and the rest of her crew poured their hearts into this show.
- Modesto Bee
Kirsten Brandt masterfully directs, using some leavening humor to
balance the drama's gripping poignancy. - The Record
Deporting the Divas
by Guillermo Reyes, directed by Kirsten Brandt
Diversionary Theatre April 2003
David Weiner, sets; Shulamit Nelson, costumes; Jennifer Setlow, lights; Jeff
Jones, sound.
Deporting the Divas is the latest in a long line of sensational and successful
productions at Diversionary - Update
Beautifully directed by Kirsten Brandt...you will enjoy your evening...even the
straights were laughing - Buzz Magazine
directed by Kirsten Brandt Diversionary's opening-night had some loose-ends,
but evoked so much depth-charge laughter one could overlook them...
-The Reader
by Guillermo Reyes, directed by Kirsten Brandt
Diversionary Theatre April 2003
David Weiner, sets; Shulamit Nelson, costumes; Jennifer Setlow, lights; Jeff
Jones, sound.
Deporting the Divas is the latest in a long line of sensational and successful
productions at Diversionary - Update
Beautifully directed by Kirsten Brandt...you will enjoy your evening...even the
straights were laughing - Buzz Magazine
directed by Kirsten Brandt Diversionary's opening-night had some loose-ends,
but evoked so much depth-charge laughter one could overlook them...
-The Reader
Berzerkergang by Kirsten Brandt
directed by Michael Severance and Jessa Watson
Sledgehammer Theatre Feb 2003
Michael Severance and David Lee Cuthbert, sets; Corey Johnson, costumes;
David Lee Cuthbert, lighting; Jeff Mockus, sound
San Diego Playbill Award for “Outstanding New Play”
KPBS Patte Award for "Outstanding Production"
Sledgehammer Theatre’s season finale is a massive undertaking – the story of
gods and mortals, love and betrayal, sacrifice and redemption that took Richard
Wagner, working at the height if his powers, four operas and 15 hours to tell his
Ring cycle. And yet playwright (and artistic director) Kirsten Brandt and her
collaborators deliver a mostly cogent and sometimes stunning, evening of
theatre. ... there are moments, lingering ones, in which the production comes
close to fulfilling Wagner’s ideal of combining of performing arts (music, drama,
décor, dance) into a total theatre experience.
- CRITIC'S CHOICE San Diego Union Tribune
With all her poetic ramblings, wild imaginings and topical references, Brandt
has stayed surprisingly close to the original story. Whether you're
knowledgeable or not, it's all there: the dwarf, the dragon, the giants, even
Valhalla, which has morphed from a mythological hall of heroes into a 98-story
office complex. And it all works excellently...the stylized, provocative,
choreographically precise direction of Jessa Watson and Michael Severance
has Brandt's creative energy all over it. This is inventive theater of mythic
proportion… brash, bold and courageous. -KPBS
Berzerkergäng is funny, outrageous and a fabulous spectacle with superb
performances, super costumes and a phenomenal sound design.
- CRITIC'S PICK San Diego City Beat
Kirsten Brandt, the award-winning Artistic Director of Sledgehammer Theatre,
penned this imaginative play mixing Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Norse mythology,
Icelandic sagas, and the modern corporate environment into a mind-bending
and visually captivating play, currently enjoying its world premiere at
Sledgehammer’s St. Cecilia’s Playhouse. - San Diego Playbill
directed by Michael Severance and Jessa Watson
Sledgehammer Theatre Feb 2003
Michael Severance and David Lee Cuthbert, sets; Corey Johnson, costumes;
David Lee Cuthbert, lighting; Jeff Mockus, sound
San Diego Playbill Award for “Outstanding New Play”
KPBS Patte Award for "Outstanding Production"
Sledgehammer Theatre’s season finale is a massive undertaking – the story of
gods and mortals, love and betrayal, sacrifice and redemption that took Richard
Wagner, working at the height if his powers, four operas and 15 hours to tell his
Ring cycle. And yet playwright (and artistic director) Kirsten Brandt and her
collaborators deliver a mostly cogent and sometimes stunning, evening of
theatre. ... there are moments, lingering ones, in which the production comes
close to fulfilling Wagner’s ideal of combining of performing arts (music, drama,
décor, dance) into a total theatre experience.
- CRITIC'S CHOICE San Diego Union Tribune
With all her poetic ramblings, wild imaginings and topical references, Brandt
has stayed surprisingly close to the original story. Whether you're
knowledgeable or not, it's all there: the dwarf, the dragon, the giants, even
Valhalla, which has morphed from a mythological hall of heroes into a 98-story
office complex. And it all works excellently...the stylized, provocative,
choreographically precise direction of Jessa Watson and Michael Severance
has Brandt's creative energy all over it. This is inventive theater of mythic
proportion… brash, bold and courageous. -KPBS
Berzerkergäng is funny, outrageous and a fabulous spectacle with superb
performances, super costumes and a phenomenal sound design.
- CRITIC'S PICK San Diego City Beat
Kirsten Brandt, the award-winning Artistic Director of Sledgehammer Theatre,
penned this imaginative play mixing Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Norse mythology,
Icelandic sagas, and the modern corporate environment into a mind-bending
and visually captivating play, currently enjoying its world premiere at
Sledgehammer’s St. Cecilia’s Playhouse. - San Diego Playbill
A Knife in the Heart
by Susan Yankowitz, directed by Kirsten Brandt
West Coast Premiere Sledgehammer Theatre October 2002
Michelle Ficcello, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lights;
Paul Peterson, sound
KPBS Patte Award for “Outstanding Direction” &
San Diego Playbill Award for “Outstanding Direction”
.. beautiful does describe Sledge artistic director Kirsten Brandt’s startling and
restrained production of “A Knife in the Heart.” ... this complex yet fluent staging
is a breakthrough for Brandt. -CRITIC'S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
This Sledgehammer Theatre production is a magnificent marriage of
substance, style and form, melding Yankowitz’s scorching scenes and
dialogue, Kirsten Brandt’s stark, sizzling direction... Every piece of theater
should be like this ‘Knife in the Heart’ -- a brilliant collaborative effort that
forces us to examine who and what we are. - KPBS FM
by Susan Yankowitz, directed by Kirsten Brandt
West Coast Premiere Sledgehammer Theatre October 2002
Michelle Ficcello, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lights;
Paul Peterson, sound
KPBS Patte Award for “Outstanding Direction” &
San Diego Playbill Award for “Outstanding Direction”
.. beautiful does describe Sledge artistic director Kirsten Brandt’s startling and
restrained production of “A Knife in the Heart.” ... this complex yet fluent staging
is a breakthrough for Brandt. -CRITIC'S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
This Sledgehammer Theatre production is a magnificent marriage of
substance, style and form, melding Yankowitz’s scorching scenes and
dialogue, Kirsten Brandt’s stark, sizzling direction... Every piece of theater
should be like this ‘Knife in the Heart’ -- a brilliant collaborative effort that
forces us to examine who and what we are. - KPBS FM
The Universal Monster Show
by David Lee Cuthbert & Tim West, directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere
Sledgehammer Theatre February 2002
David Lee Cuthbert, sets, lights, video; Mary Larson, costumes; Ruff Yeager, sound
In Sledgehammer’s hands, the event becomes a reflection of both heroism and
cowardice, of fear and our ability to overcome it and put sacrifice above terror. The
entire production is handled with a near-perfect sense of balance...
- The American Reporter
Thanks to some of director Kirsten Brandt’s best work ever, Sledgehammer could
almost tell of the Hartford Circus Fire (1944) without words. Choreographed
movements, combined with striking design images, evoke the fire...
- San Diego Reader
West, Brandt, and Cuthbert do an amazing job of captuing the 3-ring circus it was-and
became - in the hysteria that ensued. - KPBS
by David Lee Cuthbert & Tim West, directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere
Sledgehammer Theatre February 2002
David Lee Cuthbert, sets, lights, video; Mary Larson, costumes; Ruff Yeager, sound
In Sledgehammer’s hands, the event becomes a reflection of both heroism and
cowardice, of fear and our ability to overcome it and put sacrifice above terror. The
entire production is handled with a near-perfect sense of balance...
- The American Reporter
Thanks to some of director Kirsten Brandt’s best work ever, Sledgehammer could
almost tell of the Hartford Circus Fire (1944) without words. Choreographed
movements, combined with striking design images, evoke the fire...
- San Diego Reader
West, Brandt, and Cuthbert do an amazing job of captuing the 3-ring circus it was-and
became - in the hysteria that ensued. - KPBS
RICHARD III
by William Shakespeare, directed by Kirsten Brandt
Sledgehammer Theatre October 2001
Anthony Gutowski, scenic design; Mary Larson, costume design; David Lee Cuthbert,lighting
design Paul Peterson,sound design; Aaron MacFarland, video design
San Diego Playbill Award "Outstanding Ensmeble"
In setting Shakespeare’s 16th century history as a modern political drama, director Kirsten
Brandt has mounted an edgy, Sledgy production, wondrously designed and often magnificent
to behold… extremely inventive moments wake you up and make you take notice. - KPBS
...a deliciously disturbing world. In that world (conceived for this production by artistic director
Kirsten Brandt), Richard wears a suit and carries a cane, subjects his victims to televised
executions, and is shadowed by pop bad-guy icons who insist on videotaping their atrocities. ...
Richard III is a play worthy of its author and its modern audience. It oozes with modern
sensationalism——there’s ample gunplay, combat fatigues replace armor, and six active
televisions remind us of the role of spectacle in contemporary politics. It’s theater at its finest,
making the play not merely accessible but also timely; we become spectators of spectators
who root for news of death and destruction rather than no news at all. -OC Weekly
..inventive... -San Diego Union-Tribune
...new, different, and definitely worth seeing - San Diego Playbill
by William Shakespeare, directed by Kirsten Brandt
Sledgehammer Theatre October 2001
Anthony Gutowski, scenic design; Mary Larson, costume design; David Lee Cuthbert,lighting
design Paul Peterson,sound design; Aaron MacFarland, video design
San Diego Playbill Award "Outstanding Ensmeble"
In setting Shakespeare’s 16th century history as a modern political drama, director Kirsten
Brandt has mounted an edgy, Sledgy production, wondrously designed and often magnificent
to behold… extremely inventive moments wake you up and make you take notice. - KPBS
...a deliciously disturbing world. In that world (conceived for this production by artistic director
Kirsten Brandt), Richard wears a suit and carries a cane, subjects his victims to televised
executions, and is shadowed by pop bad-guy icons who insist on videotaping their atrocities. ...
Richard III is a play worthy of its author and its modern audience. It oozes with modern
sensationalism——there’s ample gunplay, combat fatigues replace armor, and six active
televisions remind us of the role of spectacle in contemporary politics. It’s theater at its finest,
making the play not merely accessible but also timely; we become spectators of spectators
who root for news of death and destruction rather than no news at all. -OC Weekly
..inventive... -San Diego Union-Tribune
...new, different, and definitely worth seeing - San Diego Playbill
The Devil's River
directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere
Sledgehammer Theatre February 2001
Anthony Gutowski, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; Mike Durst, lights; Todd
Reishman, sound
...combines the comedic swagger and satiric bite of the San Francisco Mime
Troupe with the raw physicality of contemporary dance theater.
-San Diego Union Tribune
...ambitious, kaleidoscopic, darkly funny, challenging, and diffuse… is equal parts
feminist/political diatribe, folkloric tall tale, and raucous send-up of the rootin’
tootin’ Wild West and the larger-than-life types that promoted and settled it.
– CRITIC’S PICK Backstage West
As always, you’ll marvel at the troupe’s ability to do things few would dare
attempt——and fewer still could pull off…. Devil’s River is a haunting look at some
choice American myths turned savagely on their rotten little heads in a decidedly
feminist take by the fiercely talented Brandt. As the company’s artistic director, she’
s Sledgehammer’’s lead pulverizer… The performers are fearless, Brandt’s
direction is fluid and frenetic… -OC Weekly
directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere
Sledgehammer Theatre February 2001
Anthony Gutowski, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; Mike Durst, lights; Todd
Reishman, sound
...combines the comedic swagger and satiric bite of the San Francisco Mime
Troupe with the raw physicality of contemporary dance theater.
-San Diego Union Tribune
...ambitious, kaleidoscopic, darkly funny, challenging, and diffuse… is equal parts
feminist/political diatribe, folkloric tall tale, and raucous send-up of the rootin’
tootin’ Wild West and the larger-than-life types that promoted and settled it.
– CRITIC’S PICK Backstage West
As always, you’ll marvel at the troupe’s ability to do things few would dare
attempt——and fewer still could pull off…. Devil’s River is a haunting look at some
choice American myths turned savagely on their rotten little heads in a decidedly
feminist take by the fiercely talented Brandt. As the company’s artistic director, she’
s Sledgehammer’’s lead pulverizer… The performers are fearless, Brandt’s
direction is fluid and frenetic… -OC Weekly
Alice in Modernland
music and libretto by Kirsten Nash, directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere Rock Opera
Sledgehammer Theatre October 2000
Don LeMaster, music direction; Joseph Grinenburger, vocal direction; David Weiner, sets;
Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lighting; Paul Peterson, sound
…a directorial triumph for Brandt.. a tight Sledge ensemble whose vocal strength and
visual polish are a big step towards a Brandt era at the downtown theatre
-CRITIC’S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
Brandt has… made it sing – visually that is. Her eye-popping stage pictures and
endlessly imaginative direction are dazzling. –KPBS FM
Please visit www.kirstennash.com
music and libretto by Kirsten Nash, directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere Rock Opera
Sledgehammer Theatre October 2000
Don LeMaster, music direction; Joseph Grinenburger, vocal direction; David Weiner, sets;
Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lighting; Paul Peterson, sound
…a directorial triumph for Brandt.. a tight Sledge ensemble whose vocal strength and
visual polish are a big step towards a Brandt era at the downtown theatre
-CRITIC’S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
Brandt has… made it sing – visually that is. Her eye-popping stage pictures and
endlessly imaginative direction are dazzling. –KPBS FM
Please visit www.kirstennash.com
Furious Blood
by Kelly Stuart, directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere (based on The Oresteia)
Sledgehammer Theatre February 2000
David Weiner, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lights;
Xavier Leonard, sound
KPBS Patte Award “Outstanding Direction”
If you want to know what hip, young feminists are thinking and doing, jet
over to Sledgehammer Theatre, to see Furious Blood, another provocative
production… Brandt’s muscular direction is beautiful to behold… wickedly
wild, screechy, preachy, humorous , in-your-face... –KPBS FM
And under the incisive direction of Kirsten Brandt, it makes for the most
entertaining comedy of the year. – CRITIC’S PICK Backstage West
Kelly Stuart’s freewheeling adaptation… is blisteringly funny at times and
Kirsten Brandt’s direction is intensely visceral. – OC Weekly
by Kelly Stuart, directed by Kirsten Brandt
World Premiere (based on The Oresteia)
Sledgehammer Theatre February 2000
David Weiner, sets; Mary Larson, costumes; David Lee Cuthbert, lights;
Xavier Leonard, sound
KPBS Patte Award “Outstanding Direction”
If you want to know what hip, young feminists are thinking and doing, jet
over to Sledgehammer Theatre, to see Furious Blood, another provocative
production… Brandt’s muscular direction is beautiful to behold… wickedly
wild, screechy, preachy, humorous , in-your-face... –KPBS FM
And under the incisive direction of Kirsten Brandt, it makes for the most
entertaining comedy of the year. – CRITIC’S PICK Backstage West
Kelly Stuart’s freewheeling adaptation… is blisteringly funny at times and
Kirsten Brandt’s direction is intensely visceral. – OC Weekly
The Frankenstein Project
written and directed by Kirsten Brandt
Workshop Premiere
Sledgehammer Theatre February 1999
David Lee Cuthbert, sets, lights, projections; Mary Larson, costumes; Todd
Reishman, sound
KPBS Patte Award “Outstanding Direction”
The eagerly anticipated work, a feminist retelling presented here in a workshop
production, does not disappoint. -Backstage West
It’s very intelligent, generally well put-together, fascinating, frustrating and in
some ways irresistible, all at the same time. … but it is inventive and imaginative
and provocative… [Brandt’s] work is endlessly fascinating, in her ruminations,
concepts and conceits, and very often, her stage pictures. – KPBS FM
The show has all the earmarks of a cult hit. – Gay and Lesbian Times
written and directed by Kirsten Brandt
Workshop Premiere
Sledgehammer Theatre February 1999
David Lee Cuthbert, sets, lights, projections; Mary Larson, costumes; Todd
Reishman, sound
KPBS Patte Award “Outstanding Direction”
The eagerly anticipated work, a feminist retelling presented here in a workshop
production, does not disappoint. -Backstage West
It’s very intelligent, generally well put-together, fascinating, frustrating and in
some ways irresistible, all at the same time. … but it is inventive and imaginative
and provocative… [Brandt’s] work is endlessly fascinating, in her ruminations,
concepts and conceits, and very often, her stage pictures. – KPBS FM
The show has all the earmarks of a cult hit. – Gay and Lesbian Times
Sweet Charity
by Neil Simon, Bob Fosse, directed by Kirsten Brandt, choreography by Gina Angelique
Sledgehammer Theatre October 1998
Bill Doyle,vocal direction; Dan Koeshall, music direction; David Ledsigner, sets; Stacey
Roth, costumes; Peter Smith, lighting; Jeff Ladman, sound
Backstage West Garland Award for Direction
But their Sweet Charity will easily appeal to more than aficionados of the avant-garde
eccentricity… rather than being merely the typical small troupe’s scaled down version of
a big Broadway show, it is more like the boiled concentrate of a sauce reduced to its
savorous essence –and as such is truer to the gritty, tragicomic tone of Fellini’s original
tale. This Sweet Charity has the power to prove a pungent and concentrated little hit.
- CRITIC’S PICK, Backstage West
But in Kirsten Brandt’s hands, this Sweet Charity, feels like what Fosse might have
conceived if he’d been working in the ‘90s. It’s a masterful blend of Broadway
saccharine and avant-garde sensibilities, with plenty of jagged edges.
– OC Weekly
by Neil Simon, Bob Fosse, directed by Kirsten Brandt, choreography by Gina Angelique
Sledgehammer Theatre October 1998
Bill Doyle,vocal direction; Dan Koeshall, music direction; David Ledsigner, sets; Stacey
Roth, costumes; Peter Smith, lighting; Jeff Ladman, sound
Backstage West Garland Award for Direction
But their Sweet Charity will easily appeal to more than aficionados of the avant-garde
eccentricity… rather than being merely the typical small troupe’s scaled down version of
a big Broadway show, it is more like the boiled concentrate of a sauce reduced to its
savorous essence –and as such is truer to the gritty, tragicomic tone of Fellini’s original
tale. This Sweet Charity has the power to prove a pungent and concentrated little hit.
- CRITIC’S PICK, Backstage West
But in Kirsten Brandt’s hands, this Sweet Charity, feels like what Fosse might have
conceived if he’d been working in the ‘90s. It’s a masterful blend of Broadway
saccharine and avant-garde sensibilities, with plenty of jagged edges.
– OC Weekly
Productions/Press 1997-2004
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Demonology
by Kelly Stuart, directed by Kirsten Brandt
Sledgehammer Theatre October 1997
David Ledsigner, sets; Michelle Short, costumes;
Richard Fellner, lights; Paul Peterson, sound
KPBS Patte Award “Outstanding Production”
Honorable mention, production, Backstage West Garlands
Director Kirsten Brandt keeps the comic juices simmering…
-CRITIC’S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
Under Kirsten Brandt’s crisp, stylized direction, Gina and Joe face off like boxers
measuring one another up before slugging it out… It’s a provocative and penetrating
production… -Los Angeles Times
And director Kirsten Brandt’s energetic production makes Stuart’s questions worth
thinking about. -OC Weekly
by Kelly Stuart, directed by Kirsten Brandt
Sledgehammer Theatre October 1997
David Ledsigner, sets; Michelle Short, costumes;
Richard Fellner, lights; Paul Peterson, sound
KPBS Patte Award “Outstanding Production”
Honorable mention, production, Backstage West Garlands
Director Kirsten Brandt keeps the comic juices simmering…
-CRITIC’S CHOICE San Diego Union-Tribune
Under Kirsten Brandt’s crisp, stylized direction, Gina and Joe face off like boxers
measuring one another up before slugging it out… It’s a provocative and penetrating
production… -Los Angeles Times
And director Kirsten Brandt’s energetic production makes Stuart’s questions worth
thinking about. -OC Weekly