Well, this has certainly been interesting.

I sat down to figure out how I could talk about who I was and why I do what I do.  And over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been trying different versions of answering those two questions.  Should I just provide a pared down version of my bio?  Or a personal history?  Or talk about why we should all care about theatre? 

None of those felt right, so I sat down to examine the ‘authentic me’ inside the theatre artist. I asked her some questions.  What I found may come as a surprise.

For more than 25 years, I’ve been creating, directing, studying, teaching, and coaching theatre. It’s my passion and my purpose. I know it, I know myself, and I know what I love about theatre: I love to collaborate, to create, to build moments, to tell stories, and to engage an audience. Are these the things I should talk about?

No, that doesn’t really get to the authentic heart of things, does it? I need to ask why. Why do I love telling stories?  What is it about stories that fascinates me and keeps me going back for more?

That’s a good question.

Part of the answer came back simply as “That’s who I am”. I’m a theatre artist and educator, and telling human stories in the best way for the most people possible is why I make theatre.  And I want all artists and storytellers to do what they do as well as they possibly can.  So, I try to help others find their way to make it. That’s just who I am and what I’m passionate about.

But why am I that person? What makes me want to tell stories? 

That’s a deeper, and far more interesting question. 

For me, stories are how we connect as human beings, how we make sense of our world, and how we share our experiences.  They’re how we relate to and learn from one another. At some deep level, we all want to understand what the other is going through: how they are living their lives, how they make their decisions, and how they face adversity and heartbreak.  I believe we are all sourced from the same energy, the same creative force, and that we come to play on this physical plane as individuals in order to live our own unique adventures and challenges.  But at a fundamental level, we are all one energy.  That is why we like to share our stories: they inform and enrich the whole.

 Stories are more than just entertainment, then.  They are the things that help us understand that there really is no “other”, that we’re all here to share our own experiences of being human, and collectively, those experiences make us stronger. They make us whole.

 That’s why I want to tell stories as powerfully and truthfully as I can. I want to offer people a different perspective, to tell the story in a new way. I like to break conventions and surprise an audience. I want the story to move them, to make them think, and to help them see something through a new lens. An other lens.

 And I do this by exploring beauty and tragedy, light and shadow, movement and stillness.  In other words, I care about the range of human experience, the experience of the other. But the best storytelling also touches the sublime in some way. To reach for that, I work with some of my favourite tools: imagination, absurdity, innovation, juxtaposition, surprise, etc. When the polishing phase begins, I focus on the fine details, the precision, and the timing. I strive to make my stories as unique and truthful as they can be, because I care very deeply about sharing our collective experiences, and about both the art and the craft of theatre. 

I care about every theatre artists’ stories, too.  When I teach actors, I want them to begin the process of playing the truth of the human experience in everything they do on stage. I show them how to be more confident and engaging, and how to create moments that resonate with the audience. When I coach a community theatre group, I want to help them elevate their work. I offer them professional techniques and advice so they can work on their craft, hone their skills, and polish their productions for their community.

I care because it’s about sharing something essential: the human experience, the spiritual recognition of us in the other.  That’s the answer to the questions, the answer from deep inside the authentic me. But dare I say: it’s not just my answer. The glory, sorrow, triumph, failure, ecstasy and suffering…we all come to the theatre for it. We come to know ourselves better. We come to get a little closer to resonating as one. We come for answers.

That’s what I do, and why I do it.  So the next question is:

how about you, other?