Find Your Own Path: Creating Conversation with Brenna Wickstrom

Join us as we talk with Brenna Wickstrom, theater educator, director, and founder of Storyteller Theater in OKC. We talk about accessibility of theater and how Storyteller Theater doesn’t have a physical space but pops up in CitySpace in the OKC Civic Center and the Harn Homestead Museum. Much like Elizabethan theater, these productions come to you! 

Currently, they are producing Julius Caesar in the CitySpace March 7-16th (link below!), so we had to talk about politics in theater and how to handle such a male dominated cast in a theater that focuses on accessibility, equity, and opportunity. It turns out that one story can be told many ways - so listen to how and why Storyteller doublecasts Cassius, challenges the classic perspectives of Portia and Calpurnia, and changes the game while maintaining the integrity of the play. 

Hear what director Brenna Wickstrom looks for in terms of casting and how casting can change everything and advice on what actors can bring to the table and the role that directors can (and maybe should) play in creating a project. 

Brenna talks about the “necessary” aspects of talking politics - but we’re going to the 70s. Where are my flower children? We will talk about following the leader (or not) and recognizing that we cannot follow anyone blindly; we talk about the lack of heroes in Shakespeare and the surplus of humanity. No one is going to save the day in this episode. You are going to have to find your own way. 

Julius Caesar Tickets: https://www.okcciviccenter.com/events/detail/julius-caesar

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Thank you for listening!

Host/Shakespearean Shrew: Dr. Karen Feiner

Co-Creator/Brew Shrew: Michelle Coffman

Cover Art Creator/Artistic Shrew: Katie Kimberling ⁠⁠www.halfmaverick.com⁠⁠

Thank you to our guest: Brenna Wickstrom

Brenna Wickstrom has over 15 years of experience as an actress, theatre educator, artist, director, and writer. Most recently, her varied expertise led her the honor of being an integral part in the rebirth of the nearly 100 year old Players Centre in Sarasota, Florida as their Director of Education. Her position in Florida gave her the opportunity to rebrand their theatre arts studio, implement fresh theatre programming, and consult on projects like the Storybook Walk for Sarasota libraries, and arts integration enrichment for Florida's Early Learning Coalition.

However, her home and heart is here in Oklahoma where she has had the privilege to educate over 2,100 students for amazing local theatres such as Oklahoma Children's Theatre, Kismet Arts Studio, the former Bethany Stage, Wilson Elementary, and Edmond Fine Arts. While working at Wilson, she had the neat opportunity to receive training from the Kennedy Center's arts integration program.

As an actor, she has worked for the Poteet Theatre, the former Bethany Stage, Carpenter Square Theatre, Upstage Performing Arts, and the University of Central Oklahoma. In 2019, she excitedly traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland for the infamous FRINGE Festival where she performed with incredible actors from UCO in their original and collectively written play,

"Oklahoma, U.S.A!