Upcoming:
I will be returning in the school year as the theatre director for Washburn High School (MPLS) our season includes:
Chicago: Teen edition, Medea, and Clue: On Stage!
I would love to direct or assistant direct for YOUR upcoming shows! Please send me an email at courtmklein@gmail.com to connect!
Recent Work:
She Kills Monsters - Washburn HS
This was my first production directing at Washburn High School. I was hired one week before auditions, with very little time to plan. SKM is an ambitious show, and we made the job even more difficult by expanding the cast to a total of 27 (adding a full monster ensemble and cheer squad). The students rose to every challenge and we wound up out selling what they were used to for a musical. This production centered on ensemble movement, puppetry, stage combat, and a whole lot of learning to play D&D
Silenced On Barbour Street (One Act) - Washburn HS
6AA Perfect Score recipient, Section Finalist.
This competitive one act featured a cast of 17 plus several swings and understudies. With minimal tech and a set that is required to fit within a 10x10 space and travel to each competition, we chose to lean into the symbolism and abstract spaces of the play. Using benches as the primary set to become a door, a table, a mirror, etc. we were able to teach our students the importance of crafting stage pictures and being absolutely cohesive as an ensemble. We were thrilled to receive a perfect score from all 3 judges at our section pre-lim tournament, leading to our placement as a section finalist.
XANADU - Washburn HS
**Spotlight Participant
With a cast of over 40 and crew of over 60, this production was PACKED from start to finish! I utilized my history as a hockey player to teach several students to skate, which was a fun activity to end the school year. If you know Xanadu, you know it’s a beast of a show with challenging music and high energy dance numbers. Our production was evaluated by Spotlight Education and we receive 16 total awards, including an honorable mention for our overall performance. This show was a bright light and a perfect way to end my first year with Washburn.
Highlights
The show that taught me the most
The Winter’s Tale - Shakespeare Corrected
My senior year at Millikin University I was thankful to be asked by my acting professor and founder of Shakespeare Corrected, Alex Miller, to co-direct a production of Shakespeare’s The Winters Tale.
The difficulties that the COVID-19 pandemic would present in tackling such a massive project, especially having to convert to filming while being masked, but the end result brought us all so much joy and I left with a plethora of experience I never would have gained otherwise. While this was not my first adventure directing, it has been by far the most memorable and sparked a love of directing that I never knew I had.
My first full Musical
A Christmas Carol - Ashland Productions
For two consecutive winters, I had the joy of Assistant Directing my first full musical along side Artistic Director, Rob Sutherland. With a large cast of 45, this was the biggest project I have ever been a part of. I was thrilled to be in charge of the Ghost of Christmas Future sequence in which I got to combine my love for devised and abstract imagery with a musical sequence and deep text work in Scrooge’s following solo. I am extremely proud of the final product we created and so thankful for the guidance I received from Rob and the rest of the creative team, and for the immense trust the cast had in me.
Testimonial (Madelyn Smerillo, Future) “[Courtney] stepped up and created such awesome moments for this show. She is a great leader and teacher with an epic eye for crafting scenes.”
The times I learned the basics - and kids!
The Grunch & Press Start - DaVinci Academy
Junior and Senior year of High School my best friend Jacqueline and I were asked to co-choreograph and direct the spring musicals at Blaine Minnesota’s Davinci Academy. This was not my first time directing, but it was my first time directing such a young age group - and a full fledged musical at that! I am so thankful to Mrs. Severson for taking Jacqueline and I under her wing and giving us our first major experience in directing outside of our high school drama club.
