Whether she is acting, teaching, or directing, live theater is core to Brooke Hardman Ditchfield’s being. She is involved in a dizzying number of undertakings. Currently, Ditchfield is a director of the theater program in the performing arts department at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS); is director of Circuit Stage, which presents live theater as part of Circuit Arts; and continues to feed her passion for acting, playing Lady Macbeth in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of “Macbeth” in Boston through Oct. 26.
Ditchfield’s early experiences shaped her career. She grew up in the Berkshires in a family that loved the arts, often visiting places like the Clark Art Institute and Tanglewood. Her grandparents had helped establish the renowned Williamstown Theater Festival in the 1950s.
Ditchfield made her stage debut at the Williamstown Theater Festival when she was just 11. “I got sacrificed to the sphinx in the very first scene in ‘The Legend of Oedipus.’ There was a lot of dry ice, and a giant Styrofoam sphinx head that I had to walk through its mouth, looking very forlorn. But it was the environment and community that I was part of and witnessed behind the scenes that really made me want to be part of the theater community in general.”
Eleven was a significant age, because Ditchfield also started participating in Shakespeare and Company’s school program, appearing in “King Lear” in the fourth grade. She continued to perform in a Shakespeare play every year through her senior year of high school. Ditchfield reflects, “I think that’s why I’m a passionate theater arts educator, and will always fight for the arts in the schools, because it did so much for me. It was a huge part of shaping who I am and the kind of person I want to be, and the community I want to be part of.”
At 16 years old, while still in high school, Brooke attended the Boston University Summer Theater Institute, where she met Brian Ditchfield, who grew up on the Island and is currently the executive director of Circuit Arts. “It was that summer that he first brought me to the Vineyard. I instantly felt attached to it.” Later, both she and Brian earned their BFAs in acting from the Theater Conservatory at Boston University. Afterward, Brooke moved to New York, where she acted and began teaching theater to children through the 52nd Street Project at the age of 22. She continued to perform and teach for many years, including as part of the Court Theater, teaching students on the South Side of Chicago. “I hadn’t studied to be a teacher, but I figured it out, and I was working with these amazing schools and amazing kids.”
Seventeen years ago, the Ditchfields, who were now married, wanted to start a family and be close to their relatives, so they moved back East, both working at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse. “We thought we were going to stay on the Vineyard for three months,” Brooke laughs. “I found the arts community very welcoming. It instantly struck me as a place where you can come and be creative. There’s a connection and a sense of place that many of us feel when we come here. I think there is something we have because of the separation from the rest of the world, where you are allowed to take that much more space to create and see things a little bit differently.”
Eleven years ago, Ditchfield began at MVRHS, working with a team she adores. She loves that each year they eagerly take on a new theatrical challenge, like last year’s musical, Noel Coward’s “Anything Goes,” which featured a showstopping six-minute-30-second tap number choreographed by Kenny Romero for the entire cast of 35. Referring to the performing arts team, which also includes Abigail Chandler, Charlie Esposito, Stephanie Aurenz, Amy Crawford, Chelsea McCarthy, and Nicole Macy, Ditchfield says, “The people I work with are the best of humans and the best of teachers.” She adds, “And my students are my favorite people in the world. I love teenagers, and that their emotions are right on the surface. They are so ready for theater. They are feeling everything all the time. It’s really hard to be a teenager, especially right now. To be able to facilitate and hold a space where it’s safe to be who you are and to take creative risks and try things on and explore is the greatest honor and privilege.”
A year and a half ago, Ditchfield also became the director of Circuit Stage, the theater arm of Circuit Arts. “When Circuit Arts became a reality in spring 2022 and got the Grange as our home with a stage, there was a real desire to activate the space for our community and for artists who are coming here to experiment and try new things.” Examples include “Live from the Grange,” “Locals,” TBD Improv, play readings, and music.
Ditchfield is equally passionate about continuing to work as an actor and director. She notes, “When we moved to the Vineyard in 2007, I thought, ‘Well, I guess my acting career is done.’ Then I received an email from the director of the Actors’ Shakespeare Project in 2010, suggesting that I audition for “Othello” with the part of Desdemona.” Brooke landed the part, and has continued to work with them ever since, including, as mentioned above, as Lady Macbeth in this month’s production of “Macbeth.”
Ever since having children, Ditchfield has taken on more directing jobs, as they don’t require her to be away from home for as long as performing does. She explains, “But with the directing, I am scratching an itch without having to compromise as much. It’s also opened up a new way of experiencing theater — to think about it holistically rather than just what my scenes are about. As the director, that’s your job. Not just working with the cast but the crew and the design team, and how you run a rehearsal room — the energy you bring to it. You get to set the bar to create a culture of community and kindness and creativity.”
Community is also what allows Ditchfield to keep so many balls in the air. “It doesn’t always look the most graceful, but I have the most supportive partner in life and in art with Brian. I have magnificent kids who are incredibly excited for me, as well as friends, family, students, and my co-workers at Circuit Arts and the high school. The outpouring from the community is amazing, and a level of support and enthusiasm that really humbles me and leaves me feeling like the luckiest person on the planet.”
Brooke Hardman Ditchfield will be appearing as Lady Macbeth in the Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of “Macbeth” through Oct. 26. For information and tickets, visit actorsshakespeareproject.org.
