I am a theatre artist. Lately I’ve had the opportunity to become a professional theatre artist; paid to act, direct, design, produce, and write. I believe theatre changes lives regardless of artistic intent. The power that theatre has to change lives should be examined intentionally at the start of every project.

I wish for my art to be substantive, relevant, and immediate. I want to examine subjects that are important locally, nationally, and globally. Most of the plays I write explore elements of science and math, ecology and anthropology, medicine and bio-ethics. I want to use the stage as a place to bring things to light. Things that should, but don’t, make front-page news. Topics no one is talking about yet. People come to the theatre to be enlightened, to be entertained but also to engage in social relevancy. I want to create theatre that shines a light on areas of our culture that aren’t being discussed.

I believe that the future of theatre is in new play development. And the future of new play development is dependent on the Artistic Directors around the country and the relationships they share with emerging playwrights. St. Louis has great potential to be a hub for new play development. During my academic career at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA, while pursuing my MFA, I’ve been able to meet very important figures in the theatre world and develop tremendous relationships with working professionals around the country. I’ve received praise from the likes of Mark Bly (former head of Yale’s School of Drama and first dramaturg to be credited on Broadway), Gary Garrison (Executive Director for Creative Affairs of the Dramatists Guild of America), and Carl Hancock Rux (OBIE award winner and former head of the MFA Writing for Performance Program at the California Institute of the Arts). Studying under these individuals (and maintaining relationships with them) has instilled in me a great responsibility to make theatre a venue for social change.

As a playwright and Artistic Director studying the art of new play development, I believe my main responsibility at this moment is as a playwright. When I write, I find an issue. Issues that will hopefully let the greater humanity, or inhumanity, inside a community become illuminated about all sides of the issue. My plays attempt to push past boundaries - while at the same time warming the heart, purging the soul, or maybe inducing shock to the whole body - but never allowing the text to ignore the story or become “preachy” or self-serving.

We aren’t taught to know the names of military generals during the time of the ancient Greeks, or the Renaissance, or 17th century France. But we celebrate and remember each of these society’s theatre legacies. What will be our era’s theatrical legacy? New play development needs to be supported in our time. The issues of our time need to be addressed. And this is why I write plays for today’s audiences about today’s issues; to articulate ideas, anxieties, and visual images at the center of today’s American pop culture.