Director's Statement
As a director, I perceive my primary roles as a collaborator, visionary, and facilitator. I strongly believe that we are more creative in the collective than we are in the singular. Therefore, I attempt to create a rich environment for collaboration through ensemble work. Ensemble work continues as we layer in improvisation and physical theatre exercises to stage a work. Finally, I attempt to extend the reach and increase the impact of a production by targeting specific communities as collaborative partners. By inviting more people into the process, I seek to enrich the theatre experience for audience members, actors, designers, and technicians.
Michael Rohd, artistic director of Sojourn Theatre, mentioned in a workshop that he ended a production by asking audience members to identify those moments when the production provides mirrors into their own experiences and windows into the experiences of others. The arts possess this unique potential to serve as mirrors and windows in society—awakening our souls to inequities and injustice while opening our eyes to unrealized hope and possibilities. May my directing processes provide participants with mirrors into their own creative and intellectual abilities. And may my finished productions provide windows through which both participants and audience members understand that civil discussion prevails over polarizing debate, that careful reflection replaces unquestioned action, and that service for others trumps comfort for self.
Michael Rohd, artistic director of Sojourn Theatre, mentioned in a workshop that he ended a production by asking audience members to identify those moments when the production provides mirrors into their own experiences and windows into the experiences of others. The arts possess this unique potential to serve as mirrors and windows in society—awakening our souls to inequities and injustice while opening our eyes to unrealized hope and possibilities. May my directing processes provide participants with mirrors into their own creative and intellectual abilities. And may my finished productions provide windows through which both participants and audience members understand that civil discussion prevails over polarizing debate, that careful reflection replaces unquestioned action, and that service for others trumps comfort for self.
