… I want to be remembered as a Story-Teller.

Stories are the electronic sparks that move between groups of people, between individuals, between strangers, friends, enemies, allies, nations. And story-tellers are the synapses that connect the separate elements and convey the stories upon the backs of their respective talents. What I like best about theatre, and my role in theatre, is having the opportunity to move a story from the mind of an individual (playwright), to a hive of ’emphasizers’ (production cast and crew), to the collective of a group (audience). And if I’m really lucky, I get the chance to see it move past that collective and gain momentum out in the community, and then the world.

I like stories that combine “myth, magic and the mundane.” By this I mean, stories that either take a mundane topic and elevate it to higher levels (a story about getting rid of a difficult stain on laundry day becomes an allegory for ridding ourselves of stains in our lives), or that do the reverse and start with magical, mystical elements and then compare them with situations that everyone goes through (a battle between Greek gods helps a young boy deal with bullies). I like stories that address big, timeless issues rather than superficial, ‘cotton-candy’ topics.

I believe that the role of the theatre artist (all artists, really) is to be the finger-pointer, the nudger that pokes people just enough to make them stop, think and consider their choices more consciously. We stand on the shoulders of court jesters, of shamans, of bards. We entertain, yes; but that entertainment should be a tool, should have a purpose.