Knockers- Introduction

Note: Some of the "Knockers" journal entries are not posted when these events actually happened. I've had some technical issues and haven't been able to post until now but I've been keeping notes in a separate document. Now I am able to transpose them here.

Hello and welcome to the world of Knockers!

My name is PJ Harris and I would like to start by telling you a bit about myself. I am a second year Theatre major and Music Performance minor. Coming to OSU I was expecting a completely different experience than what I got. You see, my roots lie in musicals. It's where I first learned to act and sing, so you can imagine my surprise upon getting here and realizing that OSU virtually doesn't do musicals (of course, I did get the rare opportunity to be a part of this winters production of Kiss Me Kate which was a wonderful treat and refreshing experience as a performer).

This has left me to focus on other styles and mediums in the theatre arts. I've been able to greatly improve my auditioning ability and do away with those cold read nerves. I've been given an environment to experiment and develop my stage makeup and stage wigging techniques. But the most enriching experience I've had was to get into directing. I find myself lucky, being the youngest and least experienced in the directing track, to be allowed into such a program and learning space. It has really given me a greater understanding of the world of the theatre and is currently the option I am pursuing going forward with my education.

I chose the Knockers script for a few reasons. My number one priority for choosing a script was that it involved either a non-heterosexual or non-cisgender character and represented them fairly and not as a token or stereotype. At least one (if not all) of the main characters had to meet these requirements. This comes from my activism work in the LGBTQ+ community. I work at OSU's Pride Center and find that advocacy to be one of the most important things I do.
There is an enormous lack of Queer representation in scripts and I'm not going to wait around for someone else to bring it to the table. My second priority, which is flexible depending on how much I like a script, is that it be a comedy. I have previously found success in directing comedies and not so much success in directing more serious scenes. I figure while I'm still finding my footing as a director it would be best to play into my strengths.

Knockers has both of these things and I am very excited about it. To be honest with you, I'm still waiting to read the end myself! My script was found through a company on the internet and, until the physical script gets mailed to us, I can only read 75% of the play. But that's OK! I am confident that I have what I need of each character to cast each character appropriately.

Wish me luck!