Musical Theatre

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This is an ever-evolving statement about why I create art and why I keep coming back to musical theatre storytelling: why it is my calling. 

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I am a writer, theatre artist and musician. I approach musical theatre work through the mind of a writer, with the training and interests of a liberal arts, wide ranging performance education. No matter the specifics — from theatre comms and journalism to performing, music directing, dramaturgy and songwriting — the following principles matter to me: 

 

I create for others and for myself. I am a multi-hyphenate and value interconnections between art forms. I strive towards empathy. I believe in owning my story and standing up for others. I believe that stories should create understanding, build bridges, and allow audiences to see other lives complexly and authentically. 

 

I love providing strong foundations and setting projects up for success. I want to bring people together. I want to demystify processes and make storytelling accessible. I want to provide resources from my skillset and be a solid, reliable team player. I am a music director who cares, a performer who goes deep in characterization, a writer who does her research and asks analytical questions. 

 

I live for great challenges, adventure, and innovation in the stories I tell. I love daring new works, classical reinterpretations that breathe new life and the Golden Age scores that provided my foundation in musical theatre and make my heart sing. I listen to powerful women singer-songwriters on repeat. I prioritize the stories that matter to me while opening my mind and heart to stories I may not have considered before, and love discovering new art to love.

 

Applying my nonprofit and journalism skills in theatre spaces is important to me. As a writer, it's my mission to capture the history and memory of fleeting moments of art. In my marketing work, I want to service the intentions of the art I’m promoting and give artists their voice and due in the right way that will interest the world. As a theatre journalist, I want to dispel the notion of the “mean critic” and support art constructively. I want to give useful critiques, hold the form and the industry to a high standard and never compromise for anything less than what I know is right to me. 

 

I believe that my own voice as a Filipina American artist is valuable. I believe that my sensory processing challenges have made me stronger. I believe that stories should represent the world that we live in. I believe in lifting up underrepresented communities and people of the global majority. But I also believe that we need to go beyond “being seen” and the basic language of “representation” when it comes to EDI in storytelling. I believe the best diverse stories are not just universal. They need to be specific, about seeing people’s individual, personal journeys and existence in this world.

 

I want to do stories right. I like having vision, but I thrive most in the details and organization. I want to be careful, precise and accurate, and I also want to be understanding, curious, and open. Honesty, vulnerability and trust are at the core of what I value as a storyteller and as a person.

 

I want to make the world a better place through art, because art gives me hope. I want to lead with love, do good deeds and share radical joy.

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