ARTISTIC STATEMENT
I have been singing and playing pretend for as long as I can remember. It is my greatest source of joy and fulfillment, and I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. I love sharing my knowledge and joy with my students, and the following are my guiding principles for why I create art and theatre.
Theatre should be accessible for everyone regardless of ability, race, class, beliefs, gender, and orientation. There are some stories which must be prioritized (because they are historically ignored), and those are the stories of marginalized people. I believe those stories should never be modified to be more appealing or palatable to the masses. It makes them inauthentic.
Theatre should be taught alongside core subjects in school. It is an important tool in teaching our young people empathy, and that is arguably the most important ability on the road to justice.
I believe that there is no one right way to put on a show (but there are most certainly wrong ways).
I believe in truthful storytelling and that it’s ok to judge characters on the way to finding their truths.
As a theatre artist, it is my job to hold up a mirror to audiences so they can see themselves and the world more clearly and critically. Theatre should be a call to action. It is the starting point for larger conversations to improve our world.
It is important to learn as many jobs in the theatre industry as possible in order to fully appreciate everyone with whom you collaborate. I believe that collaboration is necessary to produce good art.
I also believe good art is subjective.
I believe in being 100% myself, whether that means I am loud and singing quirky camp songs or quiet and introspective. I am perfect and whole right now in this moment and growing into more. I have this mindset when I approach my craft. It is important to practice theatre with self-compassion and incredible drive. I strive to mesh the joy of play with self-discipline.
I believe in the theatre community as a whole. We must lift one another up, celebrate victories, and mourn losses together.
Theatre should be accessible for everyone regardless of ability, race, class, beliefs, gender, and orientation. There are some stories which must be prioritized (because they are historically ignored), and those are the stories of marginalized people. I believe those stories should never be modified to be more appealing or palatable to the masses. It makes them inauthentic.
Theatre should be taught alongside core subjects in school. It is an important tool in teaching our young people empathy, and that is arguably the most important ability on the road to justice.
I believe that there is no one right way to put on a show (but there are most certainly wrong ways).
I believe in truthful storytelling and that it’s ok to judge characters on the way to finding their truths.
As a theatre artist, it is my job to hold up a mirror to audiences so they can see themselves and the world more clearly and critically. Theatre should be a call to action. It is the starting point for larger conversations to improve our world.
It is important to learn as many jobs in the theatre industry as possible in order to fully appreciate everyone with whom you collaborate. I believe that collaboration is necessary to produce good art.
I also believe good art is subjective.
I believe in being 100% myself, whether that means I am loud and singing quirky camp songs or quiet and introspective. I am perfect and whole right now in this moment and growing into more. I have this mindset when I approach my craft. It is important to practice theatre with self-compassion and incredible drive. I strive to mesh the joy of play with self-discipline.
I believe in the theatre community as a whole. We must lift one another up, celebrate victories, and mourn losses together.
Photo by BB Photography