In 2005 I was approached by the Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church in San Francisco with an unlikely dream project — to direct Jean Genet’s play The Maids in the sanctuary of the church.

I had always wanted to stage the play, and the project gave me the opportunity to work extremely closely with three of my favorite actors (and close friends), Kathryn Syssoyeva, Rachel Joseph, and Florentina Mocanu.

The process was one of the deepest and most insightful directing experiences of my career, as we explored the layers upon layers of mask and performance that the characters use to create their distinct and urgent realities.

The play came to life in the sanctuary in a way I still find moving to think about, as Genet’s intense theatrical meditation on the magic of our strange human rituals played out in front of an enormous crucifix…