Artistic Statement
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Aja Houston
Artistic Statement
My intention as a playwright is for my work to be the kindling for a transformative, healing light that humanizes people of color, particularly women. James Baldwin wrote, “The precise role of the artist…is to illuminate that darkness…to make the world a more human dwelling place.” As a black American woman, throughout my life, I have desperately sought a dwelling place within the theatre canon that included multi-faceted representations of me. It is my charge as an artist to carve and demand lighted spaces where black people throughout the diaspora, can be counted without limitations. Although my stories are told from my perspective, they are for everyone, from everywhere. I believe this is necessary to ensure the future of theatre that reflects the diverse world in which we live. It’s imperative for me to be a part of shaping that future and encouraging the next generation of dramatists to do the same. I employ magical realism of, bending the proscribed ideas of what is possible, what one can be, and boldly create infinite possibilities. My plays are heightened character-driven thematic explorations of heritage, identity, self-love, faith, and the psychological scarring of descendants of American slaves.