My Story.

I was born & raised in Des Moines, Iowa with an immediate love for stories. This love then branched off into different forms of storytelling such as writing, singing, dancing... and then I found the love to end all loves: theatre!

After diving into school musicals and plays in my early education, I chose to pursue a double emphasis in Theater Performance and Theatre for Youth & Communities at the University of Northern Iowa. During my time at UNI, I helped advocate for the creation of the TheatreUNI Equity & Anti-Racism Faculty Board, and facilitated the creation of a new student organization, The Multicultural Theatrical Society, which produced productions centering the BIPOC experience. This all happened in the midst of an intensive acting, singing, and dance training, as well as student teaching out in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo school districts. Bridging my training as a performer with my lesson plans as a teaching artist is a highlight of my creative journey! These experiences helped me expand my artistry not only for myself, but for the community around me. 

After graduating, I was fortunate to receive a position in the Teaching Artist Fellowship at The Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska! After my fellowship year, I was immediately hired full-time as the Director of School-Based Programming & Company Actor- and have been here ever since. It is with this Regional Children's Theater that I've been able to deeply pursue my talents as a teaching artist, director, choreographer, and performer in a professional setting. As a performer and director, I aim to uplift the stories of underrepresented communities. As a Queer Black Woman, it is often that my experience was not the center of the spaces I occupied in the past. It is now my primary artistic goal to forge that path for myself and my fellow BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ community members. Creating platforms for young people to take up space and use their voices to tell THEIR stories is at the very core of my teaching philosophy!

At The Rose, I've been able to establish a new teen production entitled "Livin' In Color"- a performance centering Hip-Hop Theater, Non-Verbal Storytelling, Soul Work, and other non-traditional theatre practices with young people of color. I am also serving as the EDIA Co-Chair, in charge of managing and forging the action connected to The Rose Theater's Equity Diversity Inclusion and Accessibility Action Plan and am in charge of the very same Fellowship Program that I started in. Additionally, I've performed in many productions both with The Rose and other theaters in the Omaha community. Everything I could have ever dreamed of pursuing leadership and artistry in is present here in the beautiful city of Omaha!

In the future, I hope to pursue a larger-scale leadership position at a theater where I can truly zone-in on educational programming decisions, season planning, and mainstage directing. I also wish to persist in my passion for telling stories onstage myself- a love that has never left me throughout this entire journey! I will always continue to look for opportunities to center the voices of young people, as well as step into the spotlight as a performer myself.