My directing journey began when I was in high school. I performed from a very young age on stage as an actress and musician, so I knew I loved live performance. When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to student direct a production of Give My Regards to Broadway, and it opened my eyes to the process and magic of creating things “behind the curtain”. I strive to create community and social impact in my art, specifically through directing. Using consent-based and collaborative practices, I work to uplift other artists and create impactful and powerful productions
The Lion King with Theatre Unlimited
Theatre Unlimited is a barrier-free theatre group hosted by the J St. Louis. The group is comprised of individuals who may not otherwise get the experience to create and put on a production due to developmental and intellectual disabilities that have limited their participation in more “traditional” settings. Together and with the support of the Adult Day Center staff, and musical direction by Whitney Castillo, we collaborated on props, rehearsed music and blocking, and performed The Lion King in two public performances for 200+ audience members.
This experience is one that was truly dear to me. I have focused my work on accessible performance and trauma-informed and consent-based practice—all which came into play when working with this wonderful group. We had fun at every rehearsal while also learning how to communicate feelings and understanding what others were trying to communicate (as both the character and individuals). We focused on working together, supporting each other, and encouraging each other and ourselves even when we were doing something we had never done before. Not only did we learn how to sing the songs, some even in another language, we also learned some choreography and even made up our own. We helped to create our props and costumes and did our makeup for our performances. Most of all, we made new friends and had fun along the way. This was truly a process over product experience—though both ended up being exceptional. As their director, I learned more from these 46 humans than I ever did in a formal classroom, and I look forward to bringing what I learned from them into all of my future work.
The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter
Assistant Director
Directed by Suki Peters at Albion Theatre Company in St. Louis, MO.
More Information and Photos Coming Soon
Barefoot in Nightgown by Candlelight
Barefoot in Nightgown by Candlelight was probably one of my favorite plays to direct, and it certainly ignited conversations in the audience. The show was written like a Victorian ghost novel—a story of three orphans who chose to play a game that blurred the lines of what was wrong and what was evil. It was performed during a time where the current political climate was asking many similar questions which definitely influenced the production itself.
The script for this production was written in verse. I took this opportunity to create a production with minimal set, props, and costumes and complex lighting and movement to reflect the pattern of the writing. The set consisted of a black backdrop and a wooden ladder. The only prop was a deck of cards that was used to represent everything from a pet bird to flames.
This production is also what sparked my interest in exploring human connections outside of just words. I had a choreographer come in to work with myself and my actors to create moments of connection and disconnection in our rehearsal space and throughout the production. Many of the rehearsals did not involve speaking the script, but just moving through the story. This created an atmosphere in the room whenever the actors were together that was felt through the audience even as soon as they took the stage.
Photographs by Kayla Lindsay
God of Carnage.
I was the Assistant Director to Andrea McCook for Flagler College’s mainstage production of God of Carnage. This was a show of subtle and dry humor. It captured a moment in time where people showed how human they really were. It was a show full of conversations about death, parenting, lies, and how we as humans handle those conversations.
During this production, I got to learn firsthand how to direct a small cast and help them form meaningful connections to each other that could be felt to an audience. It also gave me the opportunity to analyze a full-length script and translate that analysis onto the stage in all the elements of the production.
Photographs by Kayla Lindsay
Dancing in the Afternoon
This production was my solo directing debut. It explored the complexities of going through grief while also facing the everyday challenges of being two women in love. It was a short production, but one where I faced many challenges as a director throughout the process. It was also what ignited my passion for directing and sharing stories that often are not shared on our stages.
Photographs by Kayla Lindsay
