Artistic Statement

Artistic Statement

I am a collector. I grab the scraps of stories wherever I go and whenever I can. I don’t sleep in the car, I don’t sleep on trains. I keep my earbuds in, but don’t play any music. I go for walks. I eavesdrop in cafes. Sometimes, the stories come to me, and then I count my lucky stars (gratitude is important). My grandmother opens a box of letters. My father shows me how to find a fishing hole. My partner gets bit by dog. Then, I become archivist. Journals, notes on my computer, scribbles on the back of my hand. (Note to self: Devin got bit by a rottweiler, tried to feed it peanut butter.) After that, the words come. And the images. And the world. That’s when I become a storyteller.
Storytelling is my favorite thing in the world. Most of my plays are my family stories that intersect with issues I find in my community. For example, the story of my grandmother’s move to California becomes a story about assimilation into white culture. I believe, just as my family believes, that passing along stories can be a powerful form of resistance. My work as an activist and a spoken word poet continues this legacy in a different form. In today’s world, I can’t see the point in making theatre that doesn’t engage with our political climate. It’s our duty as citizens and as artists.
My work draws from the legacies of Juan Rulfo, Federico Garcia Lorca, Susan Glaspell, Sherman Alexie, and Los Lobos. My plays work with poetry, strong imagery, and complex identities. I like to work in open, fluid, and courageous spaces, with a diversity of people and viewpoints. I write from my heart, my neighborhood, my family photo album, and my best friend’s gossip. Really, it’s all just gossip that’s been gussied up. I am a girl from Sacramento, California who always listening for her next story.