Stepping into this role at The 5 & Dime is an absolute honor and I'm extremely grateful to the founders and the board of directors for believing in me to carry on the great work set out before us! I've long admired the great work of this company, and its ability to spark conversation to create meaningful change in Jacksonville through one of our most sacred, ancient, and shared rituals — storytelling. 

 

The founders and framers created a company that allows artists to sharpen their craft and work at a high caliber. That's important for our city's artistic growth. And during this transition, the founders have created an atmosphere for new ideas and vision to start driving the organization towards higher goals. I'm endlessly thankful to them. 

 

I saw something recently that has really stayed with me. An artist painted the words 'after the plague came the renaissance' on a building in L.A. to spread hope during this pandemic. And while nothing can take away the pain and grief felt by so many in this last year, I believe that we are just on the other side of something big! New opportunities, new stories to tell, new avenues to explore... 2021 and beyond is destined for greatness!

 

As theatremakers, we have a great responsibility to hold a mirror to society, showing that which binds us together through our shared experiences of humanity. The 5 & Dime demonstrates their commitment to that responsibility story after story, and I look forward to building upon that alongside this amazing community with every single story we tell. We'll commit ourselves to raising the stakes for theatre in Jacksonville. We'll commit to creating more fair, equitable opportunities for those voices that have historically been marginalized. We'll commit to creating safe, collaborative atmospheres for our artists to discover their voice and their impact. We'll commit to using our work to make meaningful change and spark important conversations. 

 

At its very core, I look forward to working with this exceptional community, the new artistic team, the founders, and the board of directors to challenge what theatre looks like and what theatre has the opportunity to do in Jacksonville. I cannot wait to see you at the theatre (wherever our nomadic group finds itself for that production.) Please be sure to find me, introduce yourself, and tell me your story!