Through a trio of intimate conversations, Splendid Devils gives voice to three real artists who, though pioneers in their respective fields, had all fallen into relative obscurity by the times of their deaths. Inspired by the lives and work of these women as they navigated the cultural landscape of the early 20th century, Poulos finds timely relevance in their struggles, questioning the attainability and sustainability of freedom from social convention and the price of seeking to live a life that defies expectation.​
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Written and Performed by Leigh Poulos 
Directed by Leigh Walter
Produced by Brit Gossett
Lighting Design by Kate Ducey
Stage Managed by Lissy Barnes-Flint

DENMARK a new play written by Matthew Gasda
Starring Coco McDermott, Jonathan Wilde, Maureen Mueller*, Bret Bailey* and Brian Oxenhandler
Directed by Aimée Fortier
Produced by Keeley Miller
Associate Producer: Casey Leigh Stanton
Stage Managed by Leigh Walter

So honored to have been accepted into Labapalooza this year to develop a brand new puppet piece for St. Ann's Warehouse Puppet Lab.  Over the course of a year Andrew Benincasa and I have been developing this ancient Norse myth to be told through a giant crankie.  It's been such an adventure developing this piece as a workshop and I can't wait to continue development with Andy to develop this into a full length piece.  

Up and Away was brought back to be a part of Lincoln Center's Big Umbrella festival.  Learn more below!

Up and Away?
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And down to stay...

Had the joy and challenge of production managing/stage managing for this intense performance art piece.  Incredible artists and one of the most thrilling works I've ever been a part of.  They literally built a wall in the middle of a warehouse in Brooklyn.  A real. Brick and mortar. Wall.  One of my favorites by far.  Great to work with Abron's Arts Center, the American Realness Festival, Simone Aughterlony and her company. More info on the festival to the right....

Charlotte Moroz and I have spent the large part of 2017 developing this new puppet folk musical.  Inspired by the desire to interview strangers and write music from their answers, Charlotte took to the subways asking anyone and everyone, their thoughts on the feasibility of time travel, where they would go if it were possible and if regret ever had anything to do with it.  From these interviews we came to the conclusion that there is a troubling aversion to traveling into the future.

​Naturally, we decided we must take our audiences into the future.

​Our first iteration of the piece, performed in Dixon Place's Lounge space, was a song cycle based directly from these interviews, tied together with the goal of using music to time travel, and to take our audience into the future with us.  
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​Our second iteration was developed with The Society for Misfit Puppets and accepted to Dixon Place's Puppet BloK, adding two new cast members, an overhead projector and a giant black hole puppet.  Our merry band of scientists have lost their Science Boss in time, right before their presentation to NASA (you the audience) on their discoveries on music based time travel.  Like a TED Talk gone terribly wrong, our scientists discover another impending doom and are forced to travel into the future with NASA, something never done before.  We presented a 20min selection of our still developing musical and are continuing to work on it, planning for future iterations.

 Charlotte Moroz has landed herself a monthly slot on a stage at the back of Otto's Shrunken Head, a tiki bar in the Lower East Side.  She and I brainstormed for a bit what we could do on a stage at the back of a bar and have stumbled upon a monthly improv musical.  

​We start with a topic, ranging from Greek Mythology to Cleopatra to discoveries of life on other planets to Jurassic Park.  Then we bring a group of talented musicians onstage and they on-the-spot, in-the-moment create a new song based off the plot points of that story.  It's been thrilling and I can't wait for the next one.  Check us out every first Wednesday of the month!  Below is a clip from the finale of Cleopatra

Working at Lincoln Center has been such a joy and privilege.  And getting to work there as an AD and PSM was thrilling, especially with this incredible poetic and imaginative show and killer cast. 

Our inaugural production I directed for The Society for Misfit Puppets was a huge success.  Completely packed house for our first play reading, exploring in shadow puppetry textured materials and first person point of view walking through three dimensional shadow sets.   

The Roar of the Greasepaint,
​the Smell of the Crowd
​Goodspeed Musicals, April-June
Assistant Stage Manager​

One of the biggest opportunities that came across my path this year was the chance to ASM at Goodspeed in Connecticut.  Working with a Broadway cast and creative team was such  an incredible experience while living in the woods of Connecticut.  And thanks to this show, I am now a proud member of AEA. 

LARP Me Gently
​Society for Misfit Puppets, June-July
Dixon Place, August-Sept
​Director

The next show I directed was LARP Me Gently, a puppet folk musical following a crew of LARPers who are set on a mission by a very real gnome to rescue three princesses from dragons.  We were so excited to receive a Jim Henson Grant for the piece and to present a workshopped selection of the piece at Dixon Place Puppet BloK.  This show was a huge step forward for all of us.

Such a joy PSMing this brand new Trusty Sidekick workshop this summer.  Taking kids up on the Highline for a tour of alternate realities was thrilling and I can't wait for this show to come back next year!

Spencer Lott has written and directed such a beautiful moving show, that I felt blessed to assistant direct with him.  We follow the show through the eyes of James Blossom, a scenic painter with early onset Alzheimer's in this visually stunning and imaginative play. 

I loved PSMing for this smart and sexy adaptation of Midsummer, and working with this new company.  This production incorporates text from every play in Shakespeare's canon to create a playful, contemporary tale for skeptics, romantics, and those of us who still, somehow, believe in magic.