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Kirk Lynn wrote: “This room is the perfect setting. Now is the perfect time of day. You are the perfect group of people. Or not. You decide.” This is my favorite quote from 'Thoughts on Collaboration' because it challenges us to set aside our egos.  Life is complicated, we don’t always have the resources we want/need, but gratitude should drive our work.

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We live in an individualist society! Collectivization both in theatre but also in organizing is imperative. What draws me to the theater is that I cannot be the sole contributor. This ties into my earlier value section where I stated that we are the sum of our experience. Our work is valuable because it speaks to people and makes them consider why humans make choices. The better we can understand each other in our work, it will serve the audience tenfold.

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I want to improve my acting and direct later on!

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I would love to work in a children’s theatre or as an independent artist that specializes in children’s theatre. I took psychology for two years in high school, and I think in the future, I will research the intersection between child development and empathy/social-emotional learning. I did my research in PPP and my UGS “Young Children, Schools, and Democracy” on the ways that theatre viewership and participation impact empathy and feelings of belonging in young people.

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Theatre for the Very Young at Stages Theatre Company

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I have no idea where I am going! I have a lot of interests in Theatre for Young Audiences, History, English, Sound Design, and performance. Recently I have realized that 80% of my family has changed career paths. I am learning not to put pressure on myself regarding my future. I want to continue to learn, and I know I have the work ethic to sustain myself. However, that is a nonanswer so in this section, here are some ideas on cool stuff I would love to do.

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I am obsessed with music, and I have been going to shows for as long as I can remember. My Dad was friends with Blues Pianist Pinetop Perkins, and we used to visit him after school. These experiences founded my love for folk and blues. Music can communicate visceral emotions when words fail us. I love sound design because it is the intersection of the audio and the physical. It can simulate real life on such an unnatural setting of a stage.

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Children are so inspiring! I envy that they get to see the world from such a fresh lens. I have worked with children in an official capacity since I was 14. My love for theatre and my amazement with young people is why I am on the Theatre for Youth and Communities tract. I have been a camp counselor for two summers, and I must spend extended time outside learning how to catch fish with grasshoppers from the field and create intricate forest homes out of sticks.

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I love Blues Music, my favorite song right now is Queen Bee by Taj Mahal.

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Puck- A Midsummer Night's Dream (the production I fell in love with).

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Sharir Dance Company

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I have gone back and forth since I was fourteen regarding whether I am an actor or a technician. I love both, and this has been a source of confusion for people who believe someone between the ages of 12 and 30 ought to have their lives figured out. I am hungry to know things, both as an artist and a scholar, as well as a human being. I come from a family of gluttons for information and experience.

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I grew up with my dad’s family being full of artists, and my mother’s family includes teachers, lawyers, surgeons, and business people. The prominent adult figures in my life have always spoken to me as an equal. I realized early I was surrounded by complicated people with deep inner lives. I desired to uncover their stories and make sense of them with my own.

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We are the sum of every person we have ever known. For better or worse. I spent much of my childhood amongst Southern-Christian principles. These theories have manifested in my art positively, and it has inhibited my growth at times. However, I believe all people have intrinsic value. I disagree that women cannot hold positions of power. I hold love for the women that measured my skirt length in the middle school hallway. I extend grace to the ones that argued men were predetermined to lead. I accept these dichotomies.

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Art is essential. I was pushed as a child to value intellectualism and to do well in school. My brain prefers spaces where I can move and feel and where conformity is challenged. I went to school and did the “right” things because it was a small price to pay for after-school rehearsals. My “how hard could it be?” gene preferred acting and theatre technology. I realized that art was the only means of making sense of the world that resonated with me. Theatre is an extension of my lifelong wondering of why people do things. What components lead to our decisions?