Youth Productions

When I was fourteen, I attended my first session of Trinity Rep’s Young Actors Summer Institute (YASI). That summer, I found artistic inspiration and a sense of direction. My teachers were theater professionals who spoke to me like a fellow artist. Five years later, the education team at Trinity hired me back as a teaching artist and I learned a life-changing secret… Teachers get to experiment and grow and make art too.

More than ten years later, I still love working with young people of all ages. I love their spirit,  their creativity, and their resilience. I strive to sustain a balanced life through art-making and teaching, each feeding the other. I draw on skills from both fields in the hope that I can contribute to a positive transformation of the lives of the young people in my community.

I make space for conflict in both the classroom and the rehearsal room; a successful group is not without tension. I want to move through difficult topics of conversation rather than tiptoe around them. Only an ensemble built on trust can enter the necessary discussion of topics like race, gender, class, and disability. There must be an understanding that every voice will be heard, that my voice, too, is only one of many, and that some of the best creative work is born out of such dialogue. 

Much of the work required to produce stunning physical performance is seeded in liberation: the liberation of one’s body, voice, and imagination. Like a protest or political movement, a unified ensemble of actors exerts a force greater than the sum of its parts. A group sensitive to the subtle changes in tone or physicality of its members can shift direction and leadership with greater ease. It is flexible and therefore more powerful. I believe in the power of an ensemble and I aim to construct spaces where students and artists are drawn together organically through rigorous play. Whether it’s a clowning class, or a deep-dive into Shakespearean text analysis, I have watched skepticism melt away when students step into their power through vulnerability through play.  

I am an artist and teacher wholly concerned with love. I used to think this was a weakness. I know now that it is my strength and special skill. I lead with love, and I believe an education in theater has the power to teach all of us to love more and love better.