Artist Statement 

I believe that theatre-making is excavation– the ways we sift through personal and cultural histories, unpack the complexities of human experience, and (re)discover our desire for connectivity. In search of vulnerability and belonging, we gather around story. Theatre extends a powerful invitation to imagine a world less lonely and divisive, more equitable and empathetic, where life and love can thrive, and dreams are not deferred. 

As a director, my affinity for plays that pursue lineage and kinship, repurpose and invent structures for language or storytelling, and live at the intersection of epic and human comes from my experience living as a Black woman. This is the kind of theatre that makes me feel alive. It affirms my humanity and inspires me, challenging me to do the same for others. For this reason, I gravitate to writers like Suzan-Lori Parks, Shakespeare, Ntozake Shange, and Samuel Beckett. I am drawn to heightened language, stories that expand our emotional capacities, and theatre that dares to be bold. 

Across genre, my work engages a Black diasporic lens along with contemporary theatre practices to imagine a more connected and empathetic world. I make theatre that creates transformative experiences for the communities I work with and myself, that digs into questions about self-expression and definition, that invites us to think deeply about our relationship to self and the world. All this in an effort excavating vulnerability and belonging. 

A commitment to curiosity, collaboration, and listening drive my approach to directing. With a sensitive ear for entry points and areas of interest/affinity I can further extend the invitation for collaborators to bring their full selves to the work. My aim as a leader is to create space for bravery, risk, and vulnerability. The vitality of the theatre we make depends on these being present in the work.