Artistic Statement
As a creator, in thought, process and as a leader in the room, I am interested in finding and lifting the nuance of the human experience to start conversations. Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, I thought that because I lived in one of the most diverse cities in the world, I would have a greater understanding of other perspectives. I had to take the MTA to high school, I had friends from every borough, and I was able to see a lot of theater. My mother would lie to TDF so we could get discount tickets to see Broadway shows. I saw so many shows from the very back row, and I soaked all of them up. I thought I had seen it all. Then I became an actor and booked a national tour. This Brooklyn Italian was ready to take on the world.
When I left NYC and began traveling, I had to humble myself and come to terms with my own inherent biases. Diversity is not specific to a city center or to what I saw in NYC. What I thought was the one way of seeing things, actually is one of many lenses. I have made a promise to myself to always try to see beyond what I already know. I learned that though we all see things differently, there are aspects of being human that we all share. Through listening and empathy, a gentle hand and focusing on the story, I hope to create theater that can be specific to individuals on stage but humanly accessible to every audience member.
One way to create theater that is more accessible to everyone, I discovered, is by not forcing my beliefs and by focusing on the story being told. There is such a divide in our country at the moment, and I hope to reach across the aisle with stories that touch people’s humanity. This is what I learned through my travels. Love, loss, hurt, growth, change are shared experiences that we can all connect to. We label others before getting to know them and understanding how similar we are. By allowing others to safely walk in someone else’s shoes through the power of theater, I hope to challenge societal prejudices. Right now, there are many stories that are not being told. Whether it is a new play or a revival, it is important to push boundaries through things like casting to allow for different perspectives to be seen and exposing provocative themes.
Though I enjoy provoking audiences to think and expand their views, I don’t believe in standing in my pulpit. I am interested in using my storytelling to guide people into having conversations. My mother was a Kindergarten teacher and instilled a sense of play in my siblings and me. I use aesthetics such as minimalistic sets, puppets and theater magic where audiences must fill in the gaps themselves through their own lens as opposed to spoon feeding them my point of view. Avenue Q, War Horse and Peter and the Starcatcher are all examples of theater that I feel use these methods to get their points across. I find directors like Marianne Elliott and Alex Timbers to be very inspirational as they intricately leave a trail of breadcrumbs for the audience to follow.
It is not just the audience that I attempt to guide, but the creative team and the actors as well. As a director, I take in everyone’s point of view and listen first. I surround myself with people who bring ideas, and I establish a room where everyone’s voice is heard. I have a great sense of empathy and use it to tell stories of voices that aren’t my own. For my thesis when getting my MFA, I directed four shows that told the stories of women and other femme humans. I build the world through research, conversations, and creativity. I use improvisations to help the actors fill out the lives of their characters. I give my designers a balance between information and space and encourage them to make bold choices. The final product is never my own, but one that is created by a team of artists with varying ideas and perspectives. This makes theater more accessible to the audience.
I want audiences to watch my work, and leave knowing more about others and more about themselves. I want to be an artist who creates art that anyone can enjoy. I want my art to make a greater impact to help move humanity to a brighter future. There is always something that we focus on and the things we focus on will change. I hope to keep moving the needle to create a better tomorrow.