Membership Spotlight – November 2023

Last October, New York City Children’s Theater produced my show The Adventures of Honey & Leon, the Musical, based on the picture book by Alan Cumming, illustrated by Grant Shaffer. Earlier this year, La Jolla Playhouse produced Jin vs the Beach, which toured the greater San Diego area as part of its 2023 POP Tour.

Manual Cinema’s Leonardo, presented at the TYA/USA conference, was so innovative and impactful. I can’t wait to see another production of theirs! Otherwise, I’ve been really drawn to pieces that feature or grapple with the absurd. We’ve been living in such absurd times, and the idea of “realism” feels odd to me. I think through presenting the fantastical, the magical, the absurd on stage, we can actually find ourselves pointing to something more truthful than realism.

Interestingly, I don’t have any active TYA projects at the time. Happy Pleasant Valley – a NSFTYA murder mystery musical – is currently in development at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Otherwise, I’ve got a lot of ideas in various early stages that I’m hoping to be able to workshop eventually.

Because there’s something so special about creating theatre that goes deeper than “family entertainment,” crafting a story specifically with young people in mind. Special shout-out to Theatre for the Very Young creators. It’s not something I’m compelled to do as a writer. But I always cry while watching a TVY show. Probably because these pieces are infused with a gentleness and care that we need and crave as adults.

Jacole Kitchen, Bridget Cavaiola Stone and the entire team who worked on Jin vs the Beach at La Jolla Playhouse. They made creating this musical such a joy! I felt very supported to write the story I wanted to write. I also felt like there was space created to go deeper into dramaturgical questions for this 45-minute musical than I have received for longer projects! After all was said and done, I believe we put up a really special production, and I came away from it feeling like I had made some great connections.

Nina Meehan. I would not be the artist I am today without the opportunities that Nina trusted me with at Bay Area Children’s Theatre. I view my commissions at BACT as my “grad school.”

www.minkahng.com or @minkahng.

This past winter, I had the opportunity to work on a production of This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing by Finegan Kruckemeyer, at Theatre Alliance in DC. When I first read this play, I immediately fell in love with it. Kruckemeyer uses language to ignite the imagination and explores the human experience through curiosity, adventure, self-discovery, resilience and transformation. This project reminded me of how I once was, who I am now, and where I am going. The connection between the sisters in this play, and perhaps any siblings, is a bond that transcends time, culture, and language.

I am currently reading the final chapters of Finding Me by Viola Davis. This autobiographical journey is an incredible story about love, struggle, resiliency, belonging, and doing the impossible. Her life is so inspiring!

I am directing the Seattle Children’s Theatre upcoming production of Luchadora! that centers Mexican American culture, powerful girls and women, and the tradition of Lucha Libre Wrestling. I am grateful to be working with a dynamic team of artists to bring Alvaro Saar Rios’ timely new take on an ancient tale, for the young hearts and minds of our community. This play is rooted on the power of passing on the stories of women that changed the narrative of societal expectation, and in many ways paved the way for today’s generation of girls and women. I am ecstatic this production will be the first that I direct in my career to be fully produced that speaks to my people, culture, and heritage! Dreams do come true, it’s about time!

As a Mexican-American woman growing-up in Southern California, I struggled to not become another statistic in my community. Throughout my childhood I lived in an underserved community where Hispanic women had a small window of opportunity to go to college, due to lack of education and exposure to the arts. Theatre opened a door of artistic possibilities and more importantly led me to my personal mission of educating, exposing, and mentoring underserved communities through stroytelling. For these reasons I am inspired and motivated to continue working via theatre for young audiences as a way to give back to a field that gave me the opportunity to find my superpower!

Arnold Bueso, is a brilliant Scenographer (lighting, scenic, & costume designer) and professor at Cal State LA. In 2022, we had the opportunity to work together on First Stage’s production of Last Stop on Market Street by Gloria Bond Clunie. Arnold is currently designing the sets for Luchadora! See Arnold’s work at https://arnoldbueso.com.

Professor Margaret Larlham gave me direction during my undergraduate years at San Diego State University. She taught me that trust, respect, creativity, discipline, and personal reflection were the cornerstones of collaboration and ensemble. I hold these fundamentals of theatre close to my heart and infuse them into my daily life and career. She cultivated a student and mentored a relationship of trust and respect that I deeply admire. Her ensemble approach to working with her students as equals made me feel included and accepted into the process, and at that time I had no idea the impact this would have on the rest of my life and my career. Thank you Margaret!

https://www.johamymorales.com and I am on insta @johamymorales.

We are working in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Education on their LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Program. The pilot program intention is to develop curricula and arts experiences that focus on the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ2SIA+ students, creating inclusive classroom practices for queer and gender-diverse students, and provide resources to educators on how to facilitate a more affirming educational environment guided by the creativity and artistic expression of their students. Working on this project continues to be a highlight of my time with Oregon Children’s Theatre..

Can another human be a piece of art?! Honestly – my wife Allison is my biggest inspiration and fuel right now. I am about to become a father for the first time and seeing her go through this experience has left a bigger imprint on my Being than any piece of art. Aside from that – Jason Mraz’s most recent album “Mystical, Magical, Rhymical, Radical Ride” has been the soundtrack to my life.

Each year I direct “Impulse” which is our Young Professional Company’s Improv Troupe. It brings me such immense joy to work with our incredibly talented teens. I often get asked “How do you rehearse for an Improv show?”… As an ensemble we rehearse games and activities that allow us to practice presence. Cultivating this practice and seeing the students shine is incredibly fulfilling.

Theatre for Young Audiences changed my life. I started my artistic journey as a 9 year old student at Oregon Children’s Theatre and have now seen this company through almost every lens. Now, I see myself in the eyes of our students and they will forever be my biggest teachers. We have a responsibility to listen, honor and respect the voices of young people and I am so thankful that I get to strive towards that each day. I hope to tend to the stories of young people and help build the stage for them to share their voice.

I get to share the absolute joy in working alongside Nick Condon, our Education Programs Coordinator. We work on the day to day doings of our Education Department, but more importantly we make time to Play. Nick and I direct together, teach together, learn together and laugh a whole lot. Lots of love to Nick!

Shout out to Maggie Lally at Adelphi University for teaching me the skills to work on the “the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do”…Just Be!

www.octc.org | blake@octc.org | 503-936-2616.