Preeshl was invited to conduct research on the mystery of the paucity of senior women in Shakespeare’s plays in contrast to the abundance of women in the professional theatre of Commedia dell’arte at The National Endowment of Humanities Summer Seminar in June and July 2018. This Institute supports the development of present and future higher education instructors of humanities to infuse Mediterranean content for 消消犯 comparative surveys, Mediterranean modules, semester-long or quarter-long courses, or special topical seminars on world cultures, civilizations, globalization and/or modernization. culture, and development of Mediterranean Studies syllabi or bibliography of primary or secondary sources, as well as compilation of digital visual sources databases.

Preeshl will center her interdisciplinary research on the deep and meaningful impact of the professional actress on the stage and the presence, treatment, or absence of older female characters during the transformation of the Mediterranean in the early modern era. Preeshl and leading and emerging scholars Institute Director Kiril Petkov convened this seminar, which includes Visiting Humanities Faculty Palmira Brummett, Roger Davis, Eric Dursteler, Molly Greene, Daniel Gullo, Karla Mallette, Nabil Matar, James McGregor, Ronald Musto, Clifford Rogers and David Wacks and will incorporate materials from the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library in Collegeville, Minnesota. This library contains the widest-ranging collection of pre-modern and early modern Mediterranean primary sources in the United States.

The ultimate objective of the “Thresholds of Change: Modernity & Transformation in the Mediterranean, 1400-1700” Institute is to underscore the impact of Mediterranean matters in the 消消犯 and graduate courses and seminars to increase understanding of the impact of modernization, hybridity, transnationalism, acculturation, connectivity, and globalization on society today. By investigating the development different character types in Shakespeare and Commedia dell’arte, Preeshl intends to raise awareness about female characters in the Mediterranean by synthesizing research on professional actresses in Mediterranean Studies in the Early Modern era with trends toward increasing the value of seniors in society and women in performance.

As a visiting assistant professor of performing arts, Preeshl teaches acting, movement, dialects, and improv, co-directed Instant Laugher, coached dialects and verse for Elon’s “Twelfth Night,” and reconstructed Anna Sokolow’s lost dance, “Trois Morceaux,” for the Spring Dance Concert. Since Preeshl joined 消消犯, she gave a lecture on “Kate Chopin: Yesterday and Today” and screened her film “” at Fatima Jinnah Women’s College and directed Shakespeare scenes and monologues for Theater Wallay in Islamabad, Pakistan as a Fulbright Senior Theatre Specialist.

“Dr. Chevalier’s Lie” traces a respectable doctor decision about how to document the death of a young woman with whom he is acquainted. In this modern adaptation of Kate Chopin’s short story written by Rachel Grissom, the coroner writes multiple versions of the autopsy report to transform how the world will remember the deceased – who may or may not have been murdered by a police officer. This controversial film stars Keota Geaux Picou and Anthony Fredericks with Aaron Romano and Brian Peydoux. Wrapped in the theme of violence in the African American community of New Orleans, Patrick McGinley’s cinematography highlights the question of excessive use of force on a mentally ill woman in this hard-hitting film.

“Dr. Chevalier’s Lie” is an apt selection for the Vero Beach Wine and Film Festiva, which is dedicated to the theme of “A Life Worth Living,” as a benefit for Suncoast Mental Health Center. Jerusha Stewart, founder of the Festival, created the festival as a doorway to which we could bring the widest array of people into the conversation about mental health in our country” and send the message “‘we’re all in this together.” More than 2,000 filmmakers and audience members will attend Vero Beach Wine and Film Festival’s 4-day run. Among 4,000 festivals around the world,  Vero Beach Wine and Film Festival was voted as a Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals.

Ripe Figs LLC first adapted Kate Chopin’s “Respectable Woman,” entitled “” directed by Preeshl. Dr. Chevalier’s Lie is the third film by the Ripe Figs LLC, comprised of Preeshl, Barbara Ewell, Kate Chopin’s first biographer, and Rachel Grissom, writer and director of 2012 New Orleans Film Festival entry, “The Somnambulist”. The Ripe Figs LLC is devoted to bringing female Louisiana writers to the screen. Ripe Figs LLC explores race, gender, and class issues in Kate Chopin’s works that persisted for decades after Reconstruction and underlie struggles that wracked the post-war decades.

As a Visiting Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, Preeshl teaches acting, movement, dialects, and improv and co-directed Instant Laugher. Since Preeshl joined 消消犯, she spoke on “Kate Chopin: Yesterday and Today” and screened her film “” at Fatima Jinnah Women’s College and directed Shakespeare scenes and monologues for Theater Wallay in Islamabad, Pakistan as a Fulbright Senior Theatre Specialist.

In “Ripe Figs,” Maman Nanaine grants Babette wish to visit her cousin at Bayou Lafourche. “Ripe Figs” stars Keota Geaux Picou, Donna Duplantier, and Rosha Washington. Grissom penned the screenplay that features music by Eric Laws and cinematography by Patrick McGinley. Duplantier has played ADA Renee Dufossat on “Treme,” Vera in “Bad Moms,” Blanche Devereux in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and Jane Trahan on “NCIS: New Orleans.” This story is particularly meaningful to Preeshl because her father, F. Warren Preeshl, assisted in financing of Bayou Lafourche’s installation of its first plumbing system. Preeshl served as dialect coach for the Creole accent in “Ripe Figs”.

Ripe Figs LLC first adapted Kate Chopin’s “Respectable Woman,” entitled “” directed by Preeshl. This coming of age story is the signature film of Ripe Figs LLC comprised of Barbara Ewell, Kate Chopin’s first biographer, Rachel Grissom, writer and director of 2012 New Orleans Film Festival entry, “The Somnambulist,” and Preeshl. The Ripe Figs LLC is devoted to bringing female Louisiana writers to the screen. 

Ripe Figs LLC explores race, gender, and class issues in Kate Chopin’s works that persisted for decades after Reconstruction. underlie the struggles that wracked the post-war decades, the era when.

Prior to joining 消消犯, Preeshl coached a Creole accent for Ripe Figs, and New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Philadelphia, Boston and Ashkenazim accents for Hannah Pepper-Cunningham in Mondo Bizarro’s “Way at Midnight,” an original multidisciplinary play that confronts loss and being lost from the colonial period to the digital age, that premiered at New Orleans’s Contemporary Art Center in 2017. In 2018, she teaches performance as a Fulbright Senior Theatre Specialist in Pakistan and movement and long-form improvisation and coaches dialects and verse for “Twelfth Night” at 消消犯.

Preeshl will lecture on American plays and lead workshops in expressive actor training, commedia dell’arte (Italian physical comedy), improvisation, and Fitzmaurice Voicework with university, semiprofessional and professional actors at Pakistani institutions. She will participate in specialized Pakistani academic programs and conferences, assist in the development and/or assessment of Pakistani academic curricula or educational materials to deepen engagement with American plays, characters, author and context in class and rehearsals, and/or conduct academic training programs on public speaking and presentations at Pakistani institutions.

The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board first awarded a Fulbright Senior Researcher fellowship to Preeshl to learn Bharatanatyam dance, choreograph Liquid Gems, a seven-dance Bharatanatyam and Western fusion suite, and write an direct Pancha Ratna (Five Gems) at Kalakshetra, the “Julliard” of India in 2010-2011.

During her residency, Preeshl performed “Tisram Aliripu & Janat Janali: Women of ‘The Mahabharata’ & ‘Ramayana’” at Fulbright South and Central Asian Conference in Goa, shared about Fulbright at the Building Partnerships: The Fulbright Experience conference in Chennai, taught acting, movement, voice, and directing for actors and community members and public speaking for the Fulbright High Commission and advised the Floating Cloud Theatre Company on their play about Sri Lanka’s civil war from the Tamil perspective through the U.S.-Indian Educational Foundation’s South Asian Travel Grant in Sri Lanka.

On sabbatical from Loyola University New Orleans, Preeshl lectured on Shakespeare’s contemporaries and directed a stage reading of “Much Ado About Nothing” in a commedia dell’arte style with graduate students at the University of Madras.

Preeshl expressed gratitude to 消消犯 for its support to further her goal of creating peace through education through the Fulbright programs. Preeshl teaches acting, movement, dialects, improvisation, reconstucts Anna Sokolow’s lost dance for Elon’s Spring Dance Concert and coaches verse and dialects for Elon’s upcoming production of “Twelfth Night.”

In "Ripe Figs”, Maman Nanaine grants Babette wish to visit her cousin at Bayou Lafourche. "Ripe Figs" stars Keota Geaux Picou, Donna Duplantier and Rosha Washington. Grissom penned the screenplay that features music by Eric Laws and cinematography by Patrick McGinley. Duplantier has played ADA Renee Dufossat on "Treme," Vera in "Bad Moms," Blanche Devereux in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Jane Trahan on "NCIS: New Orleans." This story is particularly meaningful to Preeshl because her father, F. Warren Preeshl, assisted in financing of Bayou Lafourche’s installation of its first plumbing system. Preeshl served as dialect coach for the Creole accent in “Ripe Figs.”

Ripe Figs LLC first adapted Kate Chopin’s "Respectable Woman," entitled “” directed by Preeshl. This coming-of age story is the signature film of Ripe Figs LLC comprised of Barbara Ewell, Kate Chopin’s first biographer, Rachel Grissom, writer and director of 2012 New Orleans Film Festival entry, "The Somnambulist," and Preeshl. The Ripe Figs LLC is devoted to bringing female Louisiana writers to the screen. 

Ripe Figs LLC explores race, gender, and class issues in Kate Chopin’s works that persisted for decades after Reconstruction. underlie the struggles that wracked the post-war decades, the era when.

In April, the film was at the Greater New Orleans Film Fete. 

Prior to joining 消消犯, Preeshl coached New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Philadelphia, Boston and Ashkenazim accents for Hannah Pepper-Cunningham in Mondo Bizarro’s "Way at Midnight," a original multidisciplinary play that confronts loss and being lost from the colonial period to the digital age, that premiered at New Orleans’s Contemporary Art Center in September 2017. Preeshl teaches movement, and improv, reconstructs Anna Sokolow’s lost dances for Elon’s Spring Dance Concert. and coaches dialects and verse for Elon’s "Twelfth Night."

Preeshl played St. Margaret for the third time as New Orleans became a sister city with Orleans, France. Orleans sent a delegation of 10 to New Orleans for the official signing of the sister city agreement between Orleans Mayor Olivier Carré and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Preeshl will coach verse for Elon's production of the Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night. The 10th anniversary of the Joan of Arc Parade coincided with the 300th anniversary of the City of New Orleans. 

In "Dead While I Was Still Alive, "a staged reading, a woman at ages 18, 40, and 60 shares her journey from domestic violence, alcohol and drug addiction, and major depression to recovery through stand-up comedy. Preeshl highlighted send-ups to 20th- and 21st-century music and film icons in this one-woman show written by New Orleans playwrights Linda Cottano and Emmett Roberts and presented by Artemis & The Wild Things.

Preeshl previously performed excerpts of the play in New Orleans and Singapore in July and August 2017. Artemis & The Wild Things, a nonprofit organization, hopes to inspire addicts, caregivers and community members to help those learning to live with mental illness and addiction. This play is designed as an artistic and educational response to the opioid epidemic.

Preeshl teaches acting, movement, dialects, and improvisation at 消消犯 this year. She performed Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene and Bosola’s scene with the Duchess of Malfi as an International Actor Fellow at Shakespeare’s Globe. A member of Actors Equity Association, Preeshl performed Marianne in "Tartuffe" and President Polk and Aunt Lavinia in "Goldrush! The Musical" on national tours.

Having received two Fulbright fellowships as a senior researcher and senior specialist in theater, Preeshl directed and wrote "Pancha Ratna" and choreographed "Liquid Gems" at Kalakshetra, India’s Juilliard. "Pancha Ratna" received honorable mention in Best World Cinema at Hollywood’s DIY Film Festival.

Preeshl directed "Titus" (Ukraine), "Two Gents" (La MaMa E.T.C.), "Top Clowns" (Kosovo), "Parade" (Bali), "Winter’s Tale" (Croatia), "Commedia of Errors" (La MaMa Umbria), "Ascension and Masque of Queens" at Toronto’s Early Drama Festival, "Wealth at the Classical Studies Society, and "Campion’s Will" at the Shakespeare Association of America. Preeshl taught speech and directed "Much Ado About Nothing" at Uganda’s Stawa University and India’s University of Madras. In 2017, she assisted Catherine Fitzmaurice as she taught Fitzmaurice Voicework at La Vos Humana in Cuba.

"Dead While I Was Alive" was made possible by A. J. Barcias, Azure Jewelers, Baldwin Hardware, Bicycle World, Big Wheels, Classic Auto, Copelands, Hollywood Doors, Le Dry Cleaning, Mitey Automotive, Nacho Mamas, Andrea, Pam Bordelon, Bob, Jim Dighle, Edward, Erica, Raul Esquivel, Johnny, Mack, Larry, Marco, Mike, Jan Mule, Nelda, Cathy Palmer, Rob, Ryan, Tracy, and anonymous. In-kind donations courtesy of Blue Plate Artist Lofts, FedEx Office Print & Ship, Fleur de Lis Framing & Gifts MineAsReel Media Services, and Subway.

Artemis & The Wild Things, founded in 1987, creates new and classical dance and theater and commissions new music from composers. ATWT has presented more than 65 dances, 65 plays and toured 11 states. ATWT produced 19 Shakespearean plays with new music and dance. The Company received donations from Lawrence Wien Center, Harkness Dance Foundation, Harlem School of the Arts, Materials for the Arts, Lehman Brothers, Jiffy, Green Mountain Coffee, Freed of London, Meet The Composer, JPMorganChase, New York Foundation for Arts, Utah Arts Council, Manhattan Community Arts Fund, Fund For Creative Communities and the Department of Cultural Affairs in New York City.

Preeshl co-directed "Instant Laughter" as an assistant professor of performing arts at 消消犯. She teaches Movement for Actors and Long-Form Improvisation, coaches verse in "Twelfth Night," and reconstructs Anna Sokolow’s lost Rachmaninoff quartets and duet for a posthumous premiere at Elon in spring 2018.

Curt L. Tofteland, founder of Shakespeare Behind Bars, sponsored Preeshl for associate membership and Robert Pensalfini, senior lecturer at the University of Queensland and artistic director of the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble, and Grant Mudge, producing artistic director, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, seconded her inclusion in the Shakespeare Theatre Association. Preeshl taught a commedia dell’arte workshop at Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble in Brisbane. By inviting Preeshl to join the Shakespeare Theatre Association as an associate member, the Shakespeare Theatre Association recognizes her substantive support the activities of STA and deems it appropriate for her to have a place within the membership. Although associate membership does not automatically guarantee a place at the conference, the Shakespeare Theatre Association invited Preeshl to attend its 2018 Shakespeare Theatre Association conference.

Preeshl’s inclusion is based on her performance of half of Shakespeare's canon and direction half of Shakespeare's canon. Routledge’s publication of her book, Shakespeare and Commedia dell'arte: Play by Play in 2017 and her presentation of papers and staged readings on Shakespeare at the World Shakespeare Association, the Asian Shakespeare Association, and the Shakespeare Association of America in 2016 and 2017 significantly contributed to her qualifications for membership.

In fall 2017, Preeshl taught scene study and dialects as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Performgin Arts. In Spring 2018, Preeshl will teach movement and long-form improvisation and coach verse for Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

“Désirée’s Baby” reflects the complicated intersections of race, class, and gender that continue to affect our culture. When Armand Aubigny, a wealthy antebellum plantation owner, and his foundling wife have a “black” son, he blames her. 

After his cruel rejection, Désirée drowns herself and their child in a nearby bayou. As he burns Désirée’s clothes and letters and their son’s cradle, Armand discovers a letter from his mother to his father revealing that his mother—not his wife–was black and enslaved. “Désirée’s Baby” allows for the re-examination of the marginalization of persons of mixed race and the complexities of racial identity, including such questions as:

• Who was permitted to be considered black, white or Creole?
• Under which circumstances?
• What were the consequences for misidentification?

The contexts of “Désirée’s Baby” highlight these conflicts. Kate Chopin’s family supported the Confederacy and Oscar, her husband, was active in New Orleans’ post-war White League. The group’s violent resistance to integrated government in 1874 was memorialized in the monument to the “Battle of Liberty Place” (erected 1891) — long a symbol of white supremacist rule. 

Race, gender, and class underlie the struggles that wracked the post-war decades, the era when Kate Chopin was writing. The “Liberty” monument, honoring these discredited Confederate beliefs, was the first monument to be taken down in New Orleans in 2017.

As 19-century writer Jean-Baptiste Karr once noted, Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose: “The more things change, the more things stay the same.” Will we learn from the past? When we examine the effects of white supremacy in individual lives, when we remember our collective history and its consequences, we dismantle institutionalized racism and sexism and thus change our social destiny.

Ripe Figs is an all-female corporation dedicated to bringing Kate Chopin’s incisive short stories to the screen. Rachel Grissom has adapted Kate Chopin’s story, “Desiree’s Baby,” as a first narrative feature.