Vision Statement

In theatre, I seek those moments where a single piece of storytelling lands so effectively, so cleanly, and with such precise purpose that it causes an immediate and involuntary emotional response from the audience. Moments such as these drive me to create theatre, and they exemplify the particular power of theatre as a storytelling medium.

The theatre that I love exists in the present – work that is aware of the time and place it is produced; work that finds new ways to show us simple truths about ourselves. I love new plays, and am invested in the emerging playwrights that are shifting the way we think about theatre by offering fresh voices and perspectives. I love thoughtfully reimagined productions of older plays, using established texts as a vehicle to find surprising relevance to our current social and political climate. I love any work that acknowledges that the purpose of theatre is to celebrate the present, and thrives in the temporal nature of the form.

-James Nelson, 2019