Directing.

I began directing theatre at age 12, through a community theatre program supporting budding young theatre creatives. I wasn’t very good at it then, but at 12, I pretty much wasn’t good at anything that wasn’t Pokemon.

I direct plays because I love making things. I’m deeply drawn to the generative rhythms of going through the life cycle of a piece of theatre, from a first read of the script to the show’s closing night. Collaborating with talented people to make something greater than the sum of its parts is, to me, the most exciting part of the job.

Theatre is, at its best, a ritual reaffirming of shared humanity. At its worst, it’s two hours you could have spent on your couch watching TV. As a director, I recognize your attention and empathy is valuable - I seek to earn it honestly.

I am attracted to work that makes our collective picture of humanity feel bigger. I love plays that occupy the grey space between tragedy and comedy. (Genre is dead! Long live genre!) I love small-scale stories and large-scale spectacles. I am fascinated by the relationship between an audience and what happens onstage - the most sacred part about theatre, to me, is the breath shared between an audience member and the artists onstage. I talk often about “quiet electricity” in my rehearsal rooms and design meetings - my greatest obsession is finding the right tempo and frequency of a piece so that it might buzz with theatricality.

I love musicals. For this I will not apologize.

I believe directing is a craftsperson’s trade as much as it is some hoity-toity arsty-farsty mode of expression. To that end, I am equally interested in product and process. Directing is an art as much as it is the much-less-sexy practice of long-term project management. Respond to emails, meet deadlines, the whole shebang.

I am an alumnus of the 2024 cohort of the Kennedy Center Directing Intensive. I hold a certificate of study from New York University surveying the performing arts industry. Additionally, I proudly serve on the staff of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

____________

UP NEXT:

Looking for my next project - let’s connect!