Directing and Choreographic Career Highlights
Bringing compassion to the forefront with consent-based practices
I have been choreographing almost as long as I have been dancing. For me, it always flowed naturally, and I was lucky to get a lot of choreographic opportunities throughout high school, ranging from solos to full production numbers. I began discovering my passion for directing in high school, but it has been in college that I have gotten to really develop my craft. More recently, I have had the opportunity to truly develop my directorial vision and philosophy; I am dedicated to leading with compassion, and dismantling the inherent power hierarchy within the theatre. I want to create rehearsal spaces where actors always feel that they have space and agency. Too often, this gets overlooked, and it is my goal to bring this into the professional sphere.
HARMONY: A NEW MUSICAL
(Barrymore Theatre, Broadway)
Assistant Director, Dir. Warren Carlyle and Assoc. Dir. Sara Edwards
I was responsible for updating our directing script in StageWrite, tracking all blocking and acting notes, along with formations and transitions. I used this information to run individual rehearsals with understudies and swings. I also served as the main liaison between the production and our Anti-Semitism Consultant and Holocaust Historian, Dr. Berkowitz. Additionally, I served as support for the director and associate wherever needed.
Spring Awakening
(Spotlight Musical Theatre)
Director-Choreographer
I was so honored to direct Spring Awakening for Spotlight Musical Theatre, and could not have asked for a better capstone for my collegiate directing career. I was able to utilize all my skills in consent and trauma-informed practices, as well as intimacy direction, to create a compassionate and brave space where the actors felt empowered to embody the intense material of this show and share its invaluable lessons with the community.
Head Over Heels
(Pomona College, Dir. Gleason Bauer)
Assistant Choreographer
This was my thesis production, where I served as an Assistant Choreographer and Dance Captain, as well as played the role of Philoclea. For me, the most important part of my thesis was studying and creating a compassionate and 'brave space' in the rehearsal room, using consent and boundary work. I was tasked with choreographing the intimate and sexual dances (This Old Feeling, Heaven is a Place On Earth), using my training in Intimacy Direction. I also got to choreograph a contemporary ballet solo (The Lion Attack) and a musical theatre partner dance (Turn to You).
Don't Tell Mama: Broadway's Wildest and Raunchiest
(Spotlight Musical Theatre)
Co-Director and Choreographer
This was a musical revue that I curated to celebrate our return to live student theatre. During quarantine, we still worked, learned, and studied hard. The aspect that was missing was the connection--the friendships, relationships, freedom, and wildness. That’s what this show captures: those parts of us that have been kicking and yearning to get out. As theatre kids, we spend years in high school belting out Chicago, Heathers, and Rocky Horror, only to be told we aren’t allowed to perform them. In college, there’s a chance to push the envelope--to be unafraid, and the fullest version of yourself. That is what I aimed the capture in the direction and choreography of this production.
CATS!
(Berkeley Playhouse Youthstage)
Assistant Director and Co-Choreographer
While the movie may have made this show rather infamous, I had so much fun working at Berkeley Playhouse and learning from the incredible direction of Weston Scott. Although I was originally brought on as an Assistant Director, I quickly became a co-choreographer as well, choreographing a variety of dance breaks and numbers, including "Macavity" and Victoria's iconic ballet solo. The challenge in this production was that we had a cast of 17 young teenagers, most of whom had never taken a dance class. So, I was able to grow not only as a choreographer, but as a compassionate and empathetic leader.
Corona Cutie: A Digital Quest For Love
(Claremont Colleges, Virtual)
Director-Choreographer
This was my first time directing and choreographing a new work, and collaborating with the creators. Corona Cutie is a student-written musical centering on Claire, and her adventures while online dating during the pandemic. Directing and choreographing a musical over Zoom is not easy. Actors get burnt out faster, WiFi lags, and it can take 12 hours to upload a finished production. But with a lot of laughter, organization, and gigabytes upon gigabytes of footage, we produced an incredibly uplifting and optimistic show in the midst of a global pandemic. Furthermore, we submitted this production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it received a special mention for "Best Musical," from Musical Theatre Review. I couldn't be more proud of the art we created, in a time where there was very little theatre occurring.
For choreographic and directing reels, please contact me! I am happy to show you my work privately, but out of respect for the performers I want to refrain from posting the videos publicly.