Highlights
Los Angeles, CA
CalArts
Graduation 2024
The third Graduation I worked as staff at CalArts was by far the most special for me. I lead a student team of 18 BFAs and 2 MFAs and they were able to collaborate to design a unique stage that was inspired by the idea of growing and outgrowing the spaces we are comfortable in to fully flourish. We were also able to honor two incredible artists at our ceremony with honorary degrees: Keanu Reeves and Gina Prince-Bythewood, the later I also coordinated a special directing seminar with our then-Dean of the School of Film-Video, Abigail Severance.
Los Angeles, CA
CalArts
Drag Ball 2024
2024 was the first year Drag Ball had a class associated with it, that I was lucky enough to co-teach with my friend and colleague, Cheyenne Knehans. In class, we taught the history of drag performance in the west over the last 100 years, did a weekly Gay News current events segment, and created the first story-centered event with designs in 5 spaces on campus that came in under budget, despite being the largest Ball yet. I also worked closely with LA County Fire to ensure our event was as safe as it was fun. Because of the relationship I’ve built with our fire marshal, we were able to bring in a mechanical bull to entertain guests who wanted a break from performance.
Los Angeles, CA
Location Management
Beginning in 2024, I took on being the location manager for the CalArts campus for film, tv, commercials, and student films. Film and TV was not a world I had ever anticipated entering, but I’ve learned a lot and had a lot of fun on set. CalArts tours for all sorts of scales and budgets of projects, including student films from other schools, network tv and streamers, and commercials. I am responsible for touring the productions around the CalArts locations they are interested, coordinating with their production company on dates, times, and all other production needs (like power, restroom access, things like that) and then coordinating with the CalArts communinity to ensure access to the spaces, that the community is informed, and not impacted too drastically during the shoot.
LA, Detroit, Washington DC
Arts In A Changing America, 2016-2017
As the Arts Management Fellow for Arts in a Changing America, a 5-year initiative based our of CalArts and their offices in New York, I was responsible for coordinating logistics of guest artist visits to CalArts, stage managing the main stage performance and keynote remarks at the REMAP:Detroit convening, and got to produce their first event at the Kennedy Center - Water Is Life: Living our Legacy with Liz Medicine Crow and Ty Defoe. I was the youngest fellow in the ArtsChangeUs program, and one of two who were pursuing their undergraduate studies at the time of our fellowship.
Los Angeles, CA
Visions 2030: Earth Edition
A bi-coastal team of creatives worked to put on a week-long festival focused on eco-arts. As the CalArts coordinator for the project, which activated 15 spaces on our campus (including theaters, fields, hallways and classrooms), I worked with the Visions team and their producing partners, Monkeyjean, to coordinate this massive, immersive and mission-driven festival. Visions2030s keystone project was a three-dome immersive, medetative experience, that invited participants to imagine their ideal eco-future. It also embedded indigenous storytelling by members of the San Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, DJ performances by Novena Carmel of KCRW fame, and workshops led by CalArts faculty whose work is at the intersection of arts and ecology.
Washington DC
All In Democracy Challenge
I lead a team of faculty, staff, and student leaders in expanding CalArts’ voter education initiative, CalArts Votes. For that effort, we were awarded grants from MTV and the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, and we were awarded the All In Democracy Challenges 2019 Most Improved award from 4-year specialty schools for the increase in our voting rate from 2014-2018. I was able to accept the award at the Newseum (just before its closure). In those four years, our voting rate increased from 6.2% to 49.5%, and has increased steadily each election cycle. In 2022, the most recent data available, our student registration rate was 96.9%. We expect our voting rate in the 2024 presidential election to be in the 60% range.
Los Angeles, CA
House of Gold, 2016
I production stage managed CalArts’ 2016 performance of House of Gold, written by Gregory S. Moss, directed by Blake Harris. This was by far the most collaborative theater piece I was a part of, with Blake’s directing process being heavily influenced by Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s Exercises for Rebel Artists. The play is a journey into the mind of Jonbenét Ramsey, the suspicion of her parents and neighbors, the corruption of the police on the case, and her discovery of autonomy only through death. Given the subject matter, it was incredibly important to maintain a safe environment, both physically and emotionally for everyone involved: actors, designers, managers - everyone. Keeping everyone safe and giving space for feelings to be heard and understood as they arose in the process, and keeping things on time and productive, was the greatest challenge on the production, and one of the things I am proudest of as a stage manager.
Los Angeles, CA
Burlesque Performance
From 2015-2020, I performed in or produced at least one burlesque performance a year. My favorite performance was my directorial debut - Cartoons And Cuties - which centered on animation and illustration in all forms, from comics to video games to film. I worked with a team of 12 performers, including one pole dancer, scenic, lighting, graphics and sound designers to develop a 90 minute one-night-only show. In addition to directing and producing the event, I also performed the closing number as the DC Comics character, Zatanna - Mistress of Magic.