NOTE: It’s taken me five years to write this statement. The daunting task of having to tell people “how and why you do what you do” was surely developed as a method of torture some years ago. And half of that time was trying to figure out how to sound “professional” and “distinctly me”. I read books. I studied others’ statements. I feared I didn’t have enough to offer. I don’t approach directing fearfully, so why was I approaching this statement that way? So instead, I’ve decided to approach this statement like I approach my work. It may be over-thought or goofy. I may overshare or be long winded at times. But it is “distinctly” and authentically me.

The night I admitted I was powerless over addiction, I was told to find a sponsor who had that “something” that I was missing in my own life. At the time, I was broken, scared, and had absolutely nothing. How could I narrow it down? But then I heard a laugh from across the room. I had never seen a smile so beautiful. Not because it was perfectly white or straight (though it was), but because you could feel the JOY. My addiction had stolen the JOY from the last 15 years of my life — if one could call what I was doing “living”. I now make JOY a priority in all aspects of my life: in the people with whom I surround myself, in the places I choose to spend my time, and in the theater I create. 

JOY comes in handy as I tend to direct a lot of musical comedies and family musicals where I approach a rehearsal process with humor and games. It’s my comfort zone, my coping mechanism. It helps to keep my artists and audiences smiling, laughing, feeling good. However, I don’t believe that a piece needs to be particularly JOYOUS in and of itself for JOY to abound. In fact, it is the darker, more thrilling, “everything-is-not-as-it-seems” kind of pieces that truly excite me, and – I think you’ll agree – it is in those rehearsal rooms and theaters where JOY is needed most.

JOY is a state of mind and an orientation of the soul, a state of confidence and hope. For every script that finds its way out of the pile on my desk (or, more realistically, threatening the storage space in my inbox), I ask, “Where do we find the JOY?” No matter the piece, the JOY really lies in the connection, creation, and collaboration. 

JOY is a powerful motivator when building a safe and inclusive workspace shaped by generosity. I prioritize leading a process where company members feel they can challenge themselves, others, and even me to create the best production possible. I don’t pretend to come into the room with all the answers. That’s not my job. The art of creating theater is collaborative and communal. It is with JOY that cast and creative teams can participate in a much more engaging and fun exchange of ideas and develop a deeper understanding of the work and the people who are creating it.

And I don’t hoard the JOY for the creators. No, not in the least. 

JOY is meant to grow, overflow, transfer, recycle. I’m moved – compelled, even – to create for the lasting goodness of those who witness our work. It is my great JOY and even greaterMy reward for an audience to leave the theater having experienced that goodness and find themselves compelled to impact others for good, now and into the future. It’s selfish, really – the more I think about it. The more JOY I can help to release into the world, the more I get back. It’s become a new addiction. A healthy addiction. If JOY be my addiction, let me be powerless over it. 

Nine years ago, the power of one smile was enough to make me choose JOY each and every morning. One JOYFUL smile was enough to make me – as we say in the program – "keep coming back." Imagine what a whole room filled with JOY can do for your artists and audiences alike.