Artistic Statement
I want my work to ask questions instead of attempting to provide answers. I aim to build within all of the queerness, the softness, the absurdity, the joy, and the rage I steep in. I write for community, I write for exorcism, I write to build a better world.
Okay, sure! But like…. what does any of that mean in practice?
The story of straight vs. queer, “woman” vs. “man,” good vs. bad, have been told by many people. I’m less interested in offering my perspective on those binaries, but rather the effect that those binaries have on people trying to survive. The worlds I create explore genre and time, set in distant futures or parallel timelines. Worlds inspired by good people doing bad things. Audacity. Reality television. Witchcraft. Science fiction. Rusted over factories and dying fields. The fine line between laughter and tears; when the joke has gone too far, or, when the bit has run dry. The work that I love is effortlessly of itself. Queer audacity is one of my biggest inspirations. I devour films by Derek Jarman, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Stanley Kwan. I adore the poetry of Frank O’Hara.
I think my greatest strength is my perspective. I’m a trans artist who lives in chronic heart failure. I had my first open heart surgery when I was 8 months old and had my most recent last year. I’ve never fully understood “normalcy.” Growing up a disabled queer kid in Ohio presented challenges, perhaps, but it fully shaped who I am today. I carry that with me. I step back to find beauty in the grotesque, happiness in fleeting moments, and courage out of thin air. Through storytelling, I want to honor my path and give voice to others who have walked similar ones.
Ultimately I want theater to serve as civic practice. I think it can build community in a way that no other medium can. Storytelling is archival, it captures a moment in history, it’s ephemeral, magical, and alive. I hope my work embodies the expansiveness of what a story can be.
-Dom
Okay, sure! But like…. what does any of that mean in practice?
The story of straight vs. queer, “woman” vs. “man,” good vs. bad, have been told by many people. I’m less interested in offering my perspective on those binaries, but rather the effect that those binaries have on people trying to survive. The worlds I create explore genre and time, set in distant futures or parallel timelines. Worlds inspired by good people doing bad things. Audacity. Reality television. Witchcraft. Science fiction. Rusted over factories and dying fields. The fine line between laughter and tears; when the joke has gone too far, or, when the bit has run dry. The work that I love is effortlessly of itself. Queer audacity is one of my biggest inspirations. I devour films by Derek Jarman, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Stanley Kwan. I adore the poetry of Frank O’Hara.
I think my greatest strength is my perspective. I’m a trans artist who lives in chronic heart failure. I had my first open heart surgery when I was 8 months old and had my most recent last year. I’ve never fully understood “normalcy.” Growing up a disabled queer kid in Ohio presented challenges, perhaps, but it fully shaped who I am today. I carry that with me. I step back to find beauty in the grotesque, happiness in fleeting moments, and courage out of thin air. Through storytelling, I want to honor my path and give voice to others who have walked similar ones.
Ultimately I want theater to serve as civic practice. I think it can build community in a way that no other medium can. Storytelling is archival, it captures a moment in history, it’s ephemeral, magical, and alive. I hope my work embodies the expansiveness of what a story can be.
-Dom
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Dom Martello
Artistic Statement
I want my work to ask questions instead of attempting to provide answers. I aim to build within all of the queerness, the softness, the absurdity, the joy, and the rage I steep in. I write for community, I write for exorcism, I write to build a better world.
Okay, sure! But like…. what does any of that mean in practice?
The story of straight vs. queer, “woman” vs. “man,” good vs. bad, have been told by many people. I’m less interested in offering my perspective on those binaries, but rather the effect that those binaries have on people trying to survive. The worlds I create explore genre and time, set in distant futures or parallel timelines. Worlds inspired by good people doing bad things. Audacity. Reality television. Witchcraft. Science fiction. Rusted over factories and dying fields. The fine line between laughter and tears; when the joke has gone too far, or, when the bit has run dry. The work that I love is effortlessly of itself. Queer audacity is one of my biggest inspirations. I devour films by Derek Jarman, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Stanley Kwan. I adore the poetry of Frank O’Hara.
I think my greatest strength is my perspective. I’m a trans artist who lives in chronic heart failure. I had my first open heart surgery when I was 8 months old and had my most recent last year. I’ve never fully understood “normalcy.” Growing up a disabled queer kid in Ohio presented challenges, perhaps, but it fully shaped who I am today. I carry that with me. I step back to find beauty in the grotesque, happiness in fleeting moments, and courage out of thin air. Through storytelling, I want to honor my path and give voice to others who have walked similar ones.
Ultimately I want theater to serve as civic practice. I think it can build community in a way that no other medium can. Storytelling is archival, it captures a moment in history, it’s ephemeral, magical, and alive. I hope my work embodies the expansiveness of what a story can be.
-Dom
Okay, sure! But like…. what does any of that mean in practice?
The story of straight vs. queer, “woman” vs. “man,” good vs. bad, have been told by many people. I’m less interested in offering my perspective on those binaries, but rather the effect that those binaries have on people trying to survive. The worlds I create explore genre and time, set in distant futures or parallel timelines. Worlds inspired by good people doing bad things. Audacity. Reality television. Witchcraft. Science fiction. Rusted over factories and dying fields. The fine line between laughter and tears; when the joke has gone too far, or, when the bit has run dry. The work that I love is effortlessly of itself. Queer audacity is one of my biggest inspirations. I devour films by Derek Jarman, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Stanley Kwan. I adore the poetry of Frank O’Hara.
I think my greatest strength is my perspective. I’m a trans artist who lives in chronic heart failure. I had my first open heart surgery when I was 8 months old and had my most recent last year. I’ve never fully understood “normalcy.” Growing up a disabled queer kid in Ohio presented challenges, perhaps, but it fully shaped who I am today. I carry that with me. I step back to find beauty in the grotesque, happiness in fleeting moments, and courage out of thin air. Through storytelling, I want to honor my path and give voice to others who have walked similar ones.
Ultimately I want theater to serve as civic practice. I think it can build community in a way that no other medium can. Storytelling is archival, it captures a moment in history, it’s ephemeral, magical, and alive. I hope my work embodies the expansiveness of what a story can be.
-Dom