A Bit About Me

I started my theatre career at the ripe age of 7 years old at the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth where I debuted with the starring role of Wikershim Brother number one in Seussical the Musical Jr. This spark of a simple childhood interest ignited a chain reaction of community building, self-expression, and creativity. I continued to perform on community theatre, high school, and competitive stages right up until the high school graduation in 2019. ​

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In the midst of college decisions, high school graduation, and celebrating my coming of age, the looming reality of climate change became increasingly unignorable on a literal mountaintop experience. I’d recently learned that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2019 that humanity has 11 years to stop all emissions before climate change is irreversible. I looked out across the forested mountains of my home state that summer and wanted to freeze time; to preserve one of the last summer moments without wildfire smoke, without heat waves, without disease. Most of all, I thought of my younger sister, Madison Hope, and future generations depending on us to protect what I have taken for granted. 

 

Since moving to Tacoma to attend Pacific Lutheran University in 2019, I’ve recounted that moment in spaces of fellow young activists, at climate protests, in front of city council, and with students in GREAN club at PLU. At the same time, a tugging at my heart reminded me I couldn't completely drop creating art. It was my parents and mentors who encouraged me to continue pursue both my passion on the field and my passion on the stage.

 

It was about halfway through my time in college when I took the course Cinema, Narrative, and Climate Change where we studied how climate change stories had the power, or were unsuccessful, in captivating audiences to inspire change. It was there that the idea to bring my two passions together for one project and write a climate-fiction story, began. I began playwriting by submitting two scripts: Mira La Mirada and Waiting on Miranda for the 2022 Spotlight production of student-written short plays called Miranda’s Cafe. Mira La Mirada was selected, and although I was abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico at the time and unable to see the final product, I was thrilled to have my work selected and produced. I felt ready to pursue the independent project. 

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Finally, while abroad I developed the script of Normalcy, A full-length climate fiction musical. Normalcy wouldn't be nearly the same without the collaboration with many talented students and local young people to develop the script, music, and design for the show over the course of just a year and a half.

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Normalcy, amongst my other short plays, are some of the works that I am most proud of during my time at PLU. I look forward to graduating from PLU in May with a BA in Theatre, a BA in Environmental Studies, and a minor in Hispanic Studies, and seeing what new heights Normalcy might fly to, and the new climate-fiction works that are yet to come.