DIRECTING FOR THEATRE
Outside of film, Veronika holds a deep passion for live performance. She started her directing journey in theater which continues to inform her artistic style and filmic work. Veronika is constantly looking to work with unconventional projects and challenge herself conveying complex narratives in visually intriguing ways. Her two most notable theatrical works include Ghost Quartet and Ride The Cyclone.
Ghost Quartet
A tale of love, death, and whiskey
"Let me read you a story, let me read you a romance, I will read, you will listen, and this terrible night will pass..."
~ Side One, Track One: I Don't Know
Ever since finding out about Ghost Quartet in 2019, Veronika immediately fell in love with the musical complexity and set her sights on directing it. When given the opportunity and budget to make this project a reality, Veronika decided to reach out to her Musical Director Yehee Shin to make this dream a reality. After casting Abby Lutes, Aiden Morgan, Kara Chaffin, and Matthew Folkin as the quartet, she set to working on blocking, lighting, set design, and learning instrumentals.
In addition to directing, Veronika played the characters of Starchild and Soldier and was a part of the live band. For the show, she learned the Autoharp, Harp, and an assortment of percussion instruments. Throughout the show, she played alongside Sam Vance (piano, metallophone), Krishi Shah (percussion), and Yehee Shin (cello, guitar, erhu, percussion, piano).
While directing Ghost Quartet, Veronika's main goal was to maintain the integrity of the original production, featuring the dissonance and distinctive aspects of the musical score while adding unique elements of her own design. Unlike the original production which was performed by the actors from one point on the stage, Veronika chose to have the band be separate from the actors and to incorporate blocking into the show. From a musical standpoint, Veronika utilized her years of piano lessons and experimentation with teacher and mentor Elizabeth Lucus to enhance the ominous aural ingredients present within the show. This was achieved by opening the piano and utilizing the strings themselves as well as adding instruments such as the synth and singing bowl to deepen the dissonance and musical complexity present within the show.
Read more about Ghost Quartet on my blog!
RIDE THE CYCLONE
Six teens die.
One comes back.
Who will it be?
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Ride The Cyclone was Veronika Orlovska's large scale directorial debut. After losing part of her Junior year and all of her Senior year to covid, she decided to take on the role of directing her high school's Spring Musical. Due to an absence of students, she decided to open casting to kids from outside of her drama program and opened the stage to students from various schools in Orange County. Over the span of three months, Veronika formed a cast and a live band, held rehearsals in parks and at her home, managed costuming, sets, and props, designed lighting and projections, and managed the show's advertising.
One of her favorite parts of directing Ride The Cyclone was learning how to play the accordion and picking up the accordion accompaniment for Noel's Lament by ear.
After the show's success, she was given the opportunity to direct again the following year through Huston Performing Arts.
"We're all just sailing through space...you don't know up from down...it's all so beautiful and strange...but it's more than spinning round. Yes it's everything you loved, and everything you dreamed, and everything you shared, and everything that seemed so oh, so terrifying"
~ It's Just a Ride (Ride The Cyclone Finale)