Photo by Tony Valainis
As a student at Southport High, did you ever go on a field trip to the IRT?
I saw my first professional shows there! At A Christmas Carol [which hinh directed this past season], I may have shed a few tears when I made a toast about being a young person coming here for shows, going to the IRT Conservatory, and dreaming about being able to come back and work here. It’s very full circle for me.
While directing A Christmas Carol anchors the job, it seems like the role of associate artistic director differs with each new person in the position. Is that accurate?
Absolutely. Who I am and my interests are going to shape this role. I’m excited to feel supported to explore things I love, including new plays. But I just started mid-July. I’m still a wriggling fish on the deck.
Apart from the creations of former playwright-in-residence James Still, new work isn’t something IRT has been big on in the past. Is that changing?
I hope so. It’s one of the things I talked about in taking this position, finding a way to engage with more writers and craft new work. It was inspiring to see Indianapolis companies coming together for PlayFest Indy [a 2024 play-reading event led by the New Harmony Project and involving multiple local theaters]. I’m excited that we will be partnering with the New Harmony Project on the next one.
Is working with other local theater companies a shift as well?
All of us benefit from more theater happening in the city. I see the IRT as being an important part of the ecosystem that creates healthy theater on so many different levels. I think we can all succeed by feeding that ecosystem. As the big regional theater, we have … maybe “obligation” isn’t the right word … but we are here to serve everyone and make space for people to figure out that they love theater.
What do you feel you bring to the IRT table that perhaps has been missing from the mix?
I’m so excited to be in collaboration on our next season, to push forward and respond to the times and the people we are around. I’m excited to see where we go in the next couple of years.
The work I’ve done has been deeply connected to identity. To speak about this, personally, I am the child of a Vietnamese refugee and a Baptist Appalachian. Most wouldn’t think my parents would have found each other or that my sister and I would exist. So I’m interested in what it means to be an American, what it means to be a good member of the community. Growing up on the south side, I was one of very few Asian American folks. Now there are huge Chinese, Korean, and other Asian communities. I would love to find ways to connect directly with those communities. That’s my hope for my future in this coming year. Also, my first jobs were in education so that’s part of where my heart really lies, in working with young people. In this shift and change, we are figuring out who we are next. We are very much in the beginning of that process. We are in that chrysalis. I can’t wait to see what emerges.
The confluence of the pandemic, diminished arts coverage in media, and the rethinking of equity and inclusion have left many a theater with an identity crisis. How do you hope to help IRT face these challenges?
That’s a huge question. I think it’s almost an impossible task to make one season fit for everyone. It’s a balance, figuring out how to continue to ask our audiences to engage and push themselves while also allowing people to be in a place they know and love. We, as an artistic team, are trying to find out what that balance is. There’s weight behind our new investment in our playwright-in-residence, which is an exciting commission coming up, and a commitment to celebrating a diversity of people on stage. A huge part of my work is to make a space that is more equitable and strives for safety and bravery. My hope is that it’s never too late to grow and change.
Can you share a specific example of that approach from your work so far?
In approaching A Christmas Carol, for instance, I was thinking about ways to remove unnecessarily gendered language. Similarly, I thought about the empowerment of Tiny Tim instead of him being just his disability. People with disabilities are just as much a part of their family as those without them. A Christmas Carol is about what it means to turn away from caring about other people. It’s about a man understanding that turning away from community harms himself and his community.
Theater artists have a wide range of views on criticism. We don’t have theater critics at legacy papers here in Indianapolis. What’s your take?
Personally, I love criticism. It’s important that we have dialogue around the things that we’re making. We’re not making it in a vacuum or just for people who like it. When we hear other perspectives, it helps us strive for more. And, at least in New York City, there’s momentum around younger people putting on the hat of critics themselves, inserting themselves into the narrative. All of that is important. Conversation is the only thing we have to change people’s hearts and minds. An Instagram post or a Substack can get things started.
Some years we see more local actors on the IRT stage, while others are heavy on out-of-town talent. What can we expect going forward?
On Carol, we went right down the middle with folks from here and from across the country. I’m not sure if there’s any trend for what the future holds. In my mind, the goal is to have a healthy mix.
Will you still have time to work beyond Indianapolis?
I’m lucky that the IRT wants to support my growth as a director, so time for that is built in. Right now, though, I’m just trying to get my bearings here, but I might be doing a reading in New York City in the spring.
Putting IRT needs and logistics aside, what are some plays that you would personally love to work on?
As a director, I have two modes. On one hand, I am a huge Eugene O’Neill fan. I am obsessed with the idea of doing Mourning Becomes Electra. I yearn to investigate it and make it happen. And, on the other side, I am a person who deeply loves new work. In terms of that, I really want to work with my best friend and collaborator Alex Lin on an original musical that involves aliens, outer space, and cows.
