Directing
From Chekhov I learned that every character is right in his or her own way, a truth that has become my north star when directing, writing, and acting.
I have helmed productions by Chekhov, Ionesco, Strindberg, Lorca, Churchill, Chuck Mee, as well as my own plays at Living Room Theatre, Hubbard Hall, Circle in the Square, BACA Downtown, and Williamstown Theatre Festival.
“Zinn has an eye for movement and for pictures. Her direction brings forward what another director might have missed.”
Directing my play allowed for revisions I hadn’t considered while writing it. The rehearsal process inspired new ideas and a fruitful collaboration with the actors. We discovered in the juxtaposition between the characters’ dreams and waking life how to negotiate the hilarity of their misunderstandings with the pathos of their circumstances.
Produced by Living Room Theatre
“To see this kind of funny, thoughtful, and quite sensual performance is rare indeed, and to see it in any kind of regional theatre is almost unheard of.” — Bennington Banner
In this scene from A Doll’s House if Torvald spoke English and Nora spoke Icelandic we found the misunderstandings we were looking for.
Reaching high in the slapstick scenes
Five guys plan an assassination. What could go wrong?
Living Room Theatre in NYC at TADA
Best Ensemble nomination / New York Innovative Theatre Awards
“Under Randolyn Zinn’s fine-tuned direction, the five cast members do a beautiful job of balancing the twin foci of the alarming nature of the murderous plot and their increasingly farcical behavior.” — Upstage-Downstage.
“Randolyn Zinn’s production of Men of Tortuga, thrills and horrifies with well-timed, morbid comedy and constantly shifting power dynamics in a brisk 90 minutes.” — Theatre Pizzazz.
We delved deep and reached high to find absurdist reverberations in every interaction.
“Randolyn Zinn has advocated for, and produced, high quality professional theatre in the area’s most intimate setting, the Park McCullough House carriage barn.” — The Bennington Banner
Living Room Theatre
The challenge of Chekhov: to find the comedy in desperation and disappointment without sacrificing the depths of grief.
Setting the first act outside under the Russian maple worked perfectly, especially for Astrov’s environmental concerns. Audiences moved for each act to a new set in the Carriage Barn at Park-McCullough.
“This is a stunning performance, staged in a historically relevant environment, and imaginatively directed by Randolyn Zinn. This production is as good as any Broadway play.” — The Bennington Banner
Living Room Theatre
My first attempt at site-specific theatre — thrilling!
”Chekhov’s intent for The Seagull was never so clear in any performance I had seen before. Chekhov became immediate and relevant to our lives and times. This was an extraordinary performance. The acting sustained a level of excellence throughout. Everyone felt privileged to be there. Randolyn Zinn is a talented director.” —Ann Resch, former assistant to Joe Papp at The Public Theatre.
Living Room Theatre
“One scene - the one at the soda fountain is one of the finest 15 minutes on stage I have seen in years. Directed with heart by Zinn, it is plain, and that is how it is true.” — The Berkshire Review.
Hubbard Hall
