“At its peak, I believe theater is a marriage - an ongoing conversation between collaborators, previously strangers, who meet in the rehearsal room to serve a purpose greater than themselves.”

Whether I am serving as an acting, vocal, directing, or producing artist, my goal is to usher the collective down a metaphorical aisle toward a unified vision. I believe in mindful leadership; leading with joy to draw out a performer’s brilliance and with intentionality to honor their scars. This is the heart wrenchingly romantic crux of the craft: the unashamed commitment to be in service of another, no matter the cost.

The stage can be revealed as both weapon and antidote, a site where the primary vow of the work is the promise to demand a transformation within the observer. I view the stage as a point of contact designed to capture the heart and change the breath of each witness. When we move the conscience of one, we change the atmosphere for everyone. And that is exactly what I, as an artist, have set out to do.

My work as an educator is the vital bridge between this artistic union and the global stage. I view the classroom as a sacred laboratory for civic engagement, where students learn that the "oneness" required for a production is the same oneness required for a healthy society.

The emphasis on artistic integrity is a civic duty. I actively deconstruct the impulse to mimic the work of others or to adopt another artist’s creativity as the ultimate standard for their own. By strictly forbidding the adoption of a counterfeit self, I instill a deep respect for the un-borrowed self. I teach that a marriage of many is only strong when each individual brings an authentic, original voice to the table, rather than a reflection of someone else's light.

The classroom is where the world begins to change. I recognize that if I can teach students the discipline of the "marriage"—the act of swallowing the script until it pulses in the blood and exhaling it as a collective, living breath—I am training them to be citizens of a higher order. By fostering this sacred respect for the "oneness" of the room, I prepare my students to step out of the theater and into the public square. I believe that by teaching the artist to value their unique toolbox and be in service of the story, I am teaching the human to be in service of humanity. When this alignment is reached, the story does more than change a scene; it shifts the atmosphere of the community, recalibrates the social contract, and ultimately changes the very breath of the world.