Theatre begins with attention.

Before there are ideas, there are people. Before there is interpretation, there is a story. Before there is movement, there is the quiet work of listening. I have come to believe that the smallest acts of attention often have the greatest consequence: a question asked at the right moment can transform a rehearsal; a room built on trust can transform an artist; and a story told with honesty can transform the way we see ourselves.

My work is rooted in curiosity. Whether directing opera, musical theatre, or new work, I return to the same questions: Why this story? Why now? What is it asking of us? Every script carries its own internal rhythm, logic, and humanity. Rather than imposing ideas onto a text, I am interested in uncovering what already lives within it, creating productions that feel both deeply personal and unmistakably communal.

The rehearsal room is where this work truly begins. I strive to cultivate spaces where generosity and rigour coexist, where artists feel empowered to take risks, challenge one another, and discover something none of us could have found alone. I believe the director’s role is not to possess all the answers, but to create the conditions in which the best questions can be asked.

That philosophy extends beyond the stage. As a teacher, arts leader, and director, I think of my work as stewardship: caring for artists, stories, and the cultural institutions that bring people together. Great theatre is never created in isolation. It is built through relationships, sustained by community, and made meaningful through shared experience.

Theatre remains one of the few places where we willingly gather to inhabit another person’s perspective. For a brief moment, we are invited to sit with complexity instead of certainty, to wrestle with ideas larger than ourselves, and to leave carrying something we did not bring with us. That quiet act of collective imagination is what continues to draw me back to the work.

I live and create on Treaty 6 Territory, along the banks of kisiskâciwanisîpiy. I am grateful to work on this land and remain committed to listening, learning, and contributing to a cultural landscape that is more equitable, compassionate, and welcoming for all.