My inspiration as an artist was influenced by my time growing up in Philly and my desire to stay here as well as the necessity for communal experiences in a highly-segregated city. The things that continue to fuel my work are the desires of North Philadelphians to see their stories on stage, talk about them, and create their own stories that speak to their cultural humanity; the audience members who send love letters after experiencing a show I produced; the marginalized artists who have new opportunities to see their work come to life; the young people in my classes who realize they, too, can be artists. I was told by my professors that if I wanted to be a successful actor, I would have to move to LA or NYC, that I couldn’t do the work I wanted to do in the city I call home. They were wrong! 

 

At the age of 15, I landed my first gig touring to recreation centers throughout the city performing musicals on conflict resolution. In 2012, as a college senior majoring in theater at Temple University, I decided to pitch my dream to classmates about mobilizing to create a Womxn of Color led multicultural theatre collective, and Power Street Theater (PST) was born. Upon graduating, I got my first job on el Centro de Oro in North Philly at Taller Puertorriqueño as the Cultural Enrichment and Facilities Manager teaching children theater, organizing annual cultural events and diving face first into nonprofit work. In 2015, I transitioned from my role at Taller to being the Education Director at Norris Square Neighborhood Project managing after-school arts education for high school youth in North Philly.  In 2017, I took a risk and resigned from my full-time Education Director position to be a freelance artist and build PST.

 

Now, I am the Founder and Managing Director of PST, employing a non-traditional structure for management, operation, and even our seasons. I am also currently a teaching artist working at Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Theatre Horizon and PST, connecting to and adapting with people of all ages and backgrounds. My directorial debut was directing Pa’lante for the 2018 First Persons Arts Festival which was influenced by the five senses, cultural roots, and Latinx resilience. With funding from the Knight Foundation’s Emerging City Champions Fellowship, I launched Theatre al Fresco, a series of pay-what-you-decide outdoor events featuring culturally-resonating performances in a sacred cultural garden space in el Barrio. My work creates social change through intentional artistic co-creation that seeks to bring joyful and welcoming arts-participation experiences to diverse communities.