Bio: Kevin O'Connell is a freelance theatre professional in the Washington, DC area. He holds a master's degree in dramaturgy from the Catholic University of America. He has served as dramaturg on several new works and on radio adaptations of a number of Shakespeare plays. He was the assistant dramaturg on the Shakespeare Theatre Company's 2014 production of Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2. Kevin is currently at work as director, producer, and dramaturg on the world premiere of Alexandra Petri's new play, never never, which, drawing subtle parallels to J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan stories, is about a man with deviant tendencies. He’s worked hard to keep from acting on his predilections but now faces his greatest temptation. never never will be presented with the Barabbas Theatre as part of the 2015 Capital Fringe Festival. You can learn more about never, never by following @barabbastheatre.

"Focus" for the week: As we conclude the audition process for never never, Alexandra and I are in discussions about the play's structure and character development. Rehearsals will begin in late May, so she hopes to have completed a new revision well before that.

Questions from LMDA:

What is your definition of dramaturgy? Dramaturgy is work related to the text and context of a play. This broad definition can comprise countless activities. Roughly speaking, the work of the dramaturg can be divided into two categories: work with new plays in development, which involves the playwright; and work with established plays, in which the playwright is not an active participant in the production.

What is your dream project? I've done quite a bith of academic research on Shakespeare's Henry V but have never worked on a production. I would love to spend a leisurely period of time doing dramaturgical work on the script and then direct it somewhere.

Follow along with @LMDAmericas