When I was little, I wanted to know what all kids wanted to know: Why?

I asked my mom a lot of questions growing up. When I started reading on my own, she would tell me to look it up and discover the answers myself. Sometimes I just wanted to know the definition of words like “obtuse” or “energetic,” but as I got older, I discovered that oftentimes, what I wanted to know was people. Why do we get embarrassed when talking to the clerk at the grocery store? Why did you get upset when that man told you to smile? Why does my baby sister cry so much? Why why why?

We often joke in my family about how I got into theatre so late when I realize now I was born to be a theatre kid. I was loud, energetic (finally learned what the word meant!), a little bit of a tryhard, and to put it politely, a leader. Most importantly, from a young age, I was a storyteller. I was the one in my friend group orchestrating our recess games with grossly in-depth plots, writing short stories during class, and mimicking the scenes I watched on TV.

So when I finally started doing theatre during the summer in high school, I couldn’t help but wonder why we hadn’t put me in theatre earlier. And perhaps now the question is why is it perfect for me?

Theatre, in my opinion, is the ultimate form of storytelling. To me, art is just as much about connection as it is expression. Theatre is highly collaborative across multiple fascinating disciplines that all rely on each other to tell the stories we find meaningful. From playwright to director to actor to designer to producer to stagehand, we all get to work together on a project meant to entertain and provoke. What a beautiful thing that is! For a concept to be shared between so many people, and yet it can mean something personal for each of us.

As for me, the stories I find meaningful get at the heart of the Why. Most of my whys are still about humans and human connection. I particularly latch onto shows with strong central protagonists who must navigate complicated feelings and relationships as well as the mind-boggling world around them. Why do we put our own lives at danger for the sake of someone else? Why do we treat people badly when we know how much it hurts? Why do we keep secrets? Why why why??

And then, that story gets disseminated to audiences who can absorb the work we created together. Audience connection to me is about instilling empathy. I want people to take with them the pieces of humanity and why the show offered and distribute the pieces to others. That’s why I employ immersive elements so much- the more a person experiences something themself, the more they are going to understand that perspective and therefore find that empathy. Then they get to answer why why why???

Why do I do theatre? Because the stories we tell connect us as we all search for the answers.