I am a theatre director and trauma-informed yoga instructor (200RYT) working toward my Master's in Social Work. As a Queer, Non-binary, and Dis/abled artist, I know that representation matters - on the page, the stage, and in the rehearsal room. I am especially passionate about lifting up stories that center the lived experiences of Queer and BIPOC womxn and Non-binary folx. As our rehearsal rooms look more like the world we live in, it is vital that we put infrastructure in place to support and uplift all of our collaborators.

As a director, the well-being of my team is my number one priority during the rehearsal process. In practice, this means intentionally setting aside time and space to create community guidelines together as a team at the start of each rehearsal process, establishing a clear conflict-resolution path to address any harm done, checking in regularly about physical and emotional safety, respecting and honoring the wisdom of lived experience, and simply acknowledging that artists are people first.

I believe that the communal practice of theatre-making has the power to spark real social change. This authentic, vital theatre happens when we are actively working toward de-colonized, antiracist, and trauma-informed rehearsal rooms.

When this happens, theatre is transformational. Theatre is medicine. Theatre is magic.