Hello!

I am a theatre director working from a robust background in physical theater. I identify as mixed Chinese- and Irish-American and I use she/her/hers pronouns. I have experience developing new plays and musicals, re-imagining classics, site-specific work, theatre for young audiences, and producing live events—all of which sits on a bedrock of leadership through collaborative creation.

I am currently Co-Artistic Director of TUTA Theatre Chicago and a member of the Roundabout Directors Group.

To get in contact with me, click here.

Photo by Austin D. Oie

Photo by Austin D. Oie

Director

*denotes reading or workshop production

Click on bolded titles to learn more about the show.

New Plays and Musicals

  • Regretfully, So The Birds Are* by Julia Izumi, Clubbed Thumb

  • Jar of Fat* by Seayoung Yim, Northern Stage and The Yale Drama Award at The Drama Book Shop

  • untitled table play* by Jesús I. Valles, The Bushwick Starr

  • Straight Wedding* by Kaia Lyons, Clubbed Thumb

  • Hecuba* by Amanda Andrei, NY Classical Theatre

  • Throwback Island* by Ronica Reddick, The Bushwick Starr and Writing is Live Festival

  • The Frogs* by Thaddeus McCants, NYTW

  • Sisters* by Matthew Libby, Northern Stage

  • Wake: A Folk Opera by Jessica Wright Buha and Jenn Romero, The Whiskey Rebellion

  • On The Y-Axis* by Lucas Baisch, Writing is Live Festival

  • There is a House by Andrew Gombas, Brown-Trinity Rep

  • Dragon* by Han Van Sciver, Brown-Trinity Rep

  • The Brave Ones* by Jenny Nguyen Nelson, Brown-Trinity Rep

  • Akira Kurosawa Explains his Movies and Yogurt (With Live and Active Cultures)* by Julia Izumi, Writing is Live Festival

  • Montauciel Takes Flight book by James Grote, music and lyrics by Russel Coutinho, Lifeline Theatre

  • Child’s Play* by Frank Garland, Babes with Blades Theatre Company

  • Kodachrome Telephone by Jessica Wright Buha, The Whiskey Rebellion at Rhinofest

  • Sign of Rain by Jessica Wright Buha, The Whiskey Rebellion at Rhinofest

  • Tennyson Spade by Jessica Wright Buha, The Whiskey Rebellion at Rhinofest

  • The Whiskey Radio Hour by Various Writers, music by Brad Brubaker & The Crowd Goes Wild, The Whiskey Rebellion

  • In This Final Century by John Michael Manship, Theatre-Hikes

  • The Dictionary Project: One Minute Plays by Cassandra Rose, Chicago Dramatists

  • In Brautigan’s Sugar* by Andrew Bailes, Forks & Hope Ensemble at Hairpin Arts

Original Adaptations

  • A Christmas Carol adapted from Charles Dickens, Trinity Rep

  • July 4, 1912*, NYTW

  • (Medea) adapted from Euripides by the ensemble, Brown-Trinity Rep (interrupted by COVID-19)

  • The Tempest adapted from William Shakespeare with music by Gunnar Manchester and Han Van Sciver, Brown-Trinity Rep Tour

  • Ulysses adapted from James Joyce by Jessica Wright Buha and Aileen Wen McGroddy, The Plagiarists

  • Summer and Smoke adapted from Tennessee Williams, Brown-Trinity Rep

  • Gulliver* adapted from Jonathan Swift by Aileen Wen McGroddy & the ensemble, Forks & Hope Ensemble at the Greenhouse Theater Center

Extant Plays and Musicals

  • The Chinese Lady by Lloyd Suh, Kitchen Theatre and Geva Theatre Center

  • Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn, Adelphi University

  • Sense and Sensibility adapted from Jane Austen by Kate Hamill, Northern Stage

  • Airness by Chelsea Marcantel, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre

  • The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Winnipesaukee Playhouse

  • Attempts on Her Life* by Martin Crimp, TUTA

  • The Late Wedding by Christopher Chen, Brown-Trinity Rep

  • Or, by Liz Duffy-Adams, Winnipesaukee Playhouse and Portland Stage

  • The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter, Brown-Trinity Rep

  • Dani Girl book and lyrics by Christopher Diamond, music by Michael Koonan, Winnipesaukee Playhouse

  • Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical by Mo Willems, Emerald City Theatre

  • The Snowy Day by Jerome Hairston, Emerald City Theatre Tour

  • The Suitcase, The Boxer, and The Man Who Turned Into a Stick* by Kōbō Abe, TUTA

  • 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse by Don Zolidis, Theatre-Hikes

Devised Work

  • Songs for a Solstice created and performed by Jessica Wright Buha, Han Van Sciver, and Aileen Wen McGroddy, Northern Stage

  • Still, Life at Dusk* created by Lizzy Brooks and Aileen Wen McGroddy, Brown-Trinity Rep

  • Boitatá Garage #1 devised with Tatyana-Marie Carlo and Orlando Hernández for the East Rock Halloween Project

  • A Hero's Journey by Christian Stokes & the ensemble, Forks & Hope Ensemble

  • Have a Seat* devised with the ensemble, TUTA

  • The Exploration of Sound* by Austin D. Oie and the ensemble, Forks & Hope Ensemble at Hairpin Arts

Theatre Made With Young People

  • Reika and the Wolves by Aileen McGroddy, Mudlark Theatre and Trinity Rep YASI

  • The Nose adapted from Nikolai Gogol by Aileen McGroddy, Mudlark Theatre


Movement Director

***Denotes Movement and Associate Director

Watch my movement directing reel.

  • The Edge of Our Bodies by Adam Rapp, dir. Jacqueline Stone, TUTA at 59E59

  • Music Hall by Jean-Luc Lagarce, dir. Zeljko Djukic, TUTA at 59E59

  • The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll and the ensemble, dir. Josh Sobel, Forks & Hope Ensemble at Strawdog theatre, Chicago Parks Night Out, and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival

  • When They Came by MT Cozzola, dir. Jacqueline Stone, Lab@Piven Theatre

  • Gentle by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, adapted and directed by Zeljko Djukic, TUTA

  • The Jewels by Guy de Maupassant, adapted and directed by Kirk Anderson, TUTA

  • The Anyway Cabaret by Martin Marion, dir. Jacqueline Stone, TUTA

  • Robin Hood & Maid Marion*** by Alfred Lord Tennyson, dir. Matt Pierce, Forks & Hope Ensemble at Strawdog Theatre

  • The Pied Piper*** adapted by the ensemble, dir. Josh Sobel, Forks & Hope Ensemble at Strawdog Theatre

  • Best Beloved: The Just So Stories*** by Rudyard Kipling and the ensemble, dir. Josh Sobel, Forks & Hope Ensemble at Strawdog Theatre

  • The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez by Peter Handke, dir. Zeljko Djukic, Theatre Y

  • Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells by Allison Gregory, dir. Jacqueline Stone, Emerald City Theatre

  • The Snowy Day*** by Jerome Hairston, Emerald City Theatre Mainstage


Dramaturg

**denotes Assistant Director and Dramaturg

  • My H8 Letter to the Gr8 American Theatre by Diana Oh, dir. Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, The University of Chicago

  • The Belle of Amherst** by William Luce, dir. Sean Graney, Court Theatre

  • Winter Circus: Quest** written and directed by Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, The Actors Gymnasium

  • Cinderella at the Theatre of Potatoes** written and composed by Andra Velis Simon, dir. Sean Graney, The Hypocrites


Assistant Director

  • Black Dick by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, dir. Roy Alexander Weise, The O'Neill

  • Marisol by José Rivera, dir. Brian Mertes, Trinity Rep

  • An Iliad by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson, dir. Charles Newell, Court Theatre

  • The Revel by Damon Kiely, dir. Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, The House Theatre

  • Fatelessness adapted by Andràs Visky and Adam Boncz from the novel by Imre Kertész, dir. Melissa Lorraine Hill, Theatre Y

  • Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch adapted by Frances Limoncelli with music by George Howe from the book by Eileen Spinelli, dir. Ann Boyd, Lifeline Theatre


Professional Affiliations

  • SDC Full Member

  • Roundabout Directors Group 2023-2024

  • New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellow 2022-2023

  • BOLD Resident Director at Northern Stage

  • SDC Observership Class, 2017-2018

  • Directors Lab North, 2017

  • DirectorsLab Chicago, 2016

  • DirectorsLab Chicago Steering Committee 2016-2018


Education/ Training

  • Brown University - Trinity Rep MFA in Directing, 2022

    • Directing: Brian Mertes, Melissa Kievman, Curt Columbus, Raelle Myrick Hodges, Will Davis, Michael Krass, Taibi Magar

    • Acting: Brian McEleny, Rachel Christopher, Stephen Berenson, Annie Scurria

    • Movement: Shura Baryshnikov, Kali Quinn, Mycah Hogan, Angie Jepson, Jackie Davis, Michelle Bach-Coulibaly

    • Voice: Thom Jones, Josh F. S. Moser, Chantal Jean-Pierre

    • Musical Theatre: Rachael Warren

    • Theatre of the Opressed: Julian Boal

    • Intimacy Direction/Choreography: Claire Warden

    • ArtEquity Training: Carmen Morgan, Leslie Ishii, Michael Robertson

  • The University of Chicago BA with Academic Honors in Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities (Theatre, Linguistics, Creative Writing), 2010

    • Francis X. Kinahan Award for Contributions to University Theater

    • Heidi Coleman, Sean Graney, David Bevington, Ann Boyd, Frank Maugeri, Mickle Maher, Greg Allen, Coya Paz, Tom Burch

  • Trinity College Dublin Visiting Junior Sophister, 2008-2009

    • Player’s Award, Best Director for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee

    • Irish Student Drama Awards Nominated, Best Director for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee

    • David Horan, Christine Poulter, Steven Wilmer

  • Theatrical Intimacy Education

    • Best Practices: Chelsea Pace

    • Theatrical Studio Techniques, Casting, and Policy: Chelsea Pace

    • Intimacy Choreography: Laura Rikard

  • Anti-Racist Theatre

    • Nicole Brewer

  • Intimacy Directors and Coordinators

    • Intimacy Direction and Academia: Dan Granke

    • Intimacy Direction and COVID: Claire Warden

  • Sojourn Theatre Summer Institute

    • 2020: Michael Rohd, Willa Taylor

    • 2021: Bobby Bermea, James Hart, Jamie Rea, Michael Rohd, Willa Taylor, Nik Zaleski

  • Movement Theatre Studio The Ensemble Director

    • Emmanuelle Delpech

  • Pig Iron Theatre Moving/Making Workshop

    • Alex Torra, Melissa Krodman

  • Dell’ Arte Study Abroad in Bali Shadow Puppetry Focus

    • Joan Schirle, Wayan Mardhika

  • École Jacques Lecoq LEM: Les Formes du Burlesque

    • Pascale Lecoq, Jos Houben, Eric Nesci, Emmanuelle Bouyer

  • Theatre de l’Ange Fou Corporeal Mime

    • Steve Wasson, Corrine Soum

  • The Neo Futurists

    • Collaborative Creation: Greg Allen, Chloe Johnston

    • Self as Metaphor: John Pierson, Kurt Chiang

  • The Red Bastard Bouffon Workshop

    • Eric Davis

  • 500 Clown I and II: Risk and Play

    • Adrian Danzig

  • NY Clown Theatre Festival Clown Intensive

    • Christopher Bayes

  • NYSSSA Theatre Conservatory

    • Rachel Jett, Jo Twiss, Peg Denithorne, Chris Karczmar, Mai Loughran, Jane Shephard, Rick Sordelet

  • NYU Experimental Theatre Wing in Paris

    • Rosemary Quinn, Rob O'Neil, Haim Isaacs, Madeline Muravchik


Teaching Artist

I teach acting, directing, clown, devising, physical theatre, and theatre skills for non-theatre artists.

  • Adults/Professional Theatre Artists

    • TUTA Theatre

    • Strawdog Theatre

    • Forks & Hope Ensemble

    • The Wilbury Group

  • College Students

    • Brown University

    • The University of Chicago

    • Adelphi University

    • North Park University Opera Program

    • The Lir (Dublin, Ireland)

  • Youth and Teens

    • YASI at Trinity Rep

    • NIRMAN School (Varanasi, India)

    • The Little Black Pearl Arts Center

    • Redmoon Theatre

    • Emerald City Theatre

    • Mudlark Theatre

    • Des Plaines History Center

    • Skokie Park District

  • Adult Professionals

    • National Criminal Defense College

    • The Jellies (band)


Producing/ Admin

  • TUTA Theatre Chicago

    • Co-Artistic Director, 2022-Present

    • Company Member, 2014-2018

  • Writing is Live Festival at Brown University

    • Creative Producer, 2024

  • The Whiskey Rebellion Theatre

  • The Forks & Hope Ensemble

    • Artistic Director, 2016-2018

  • Physical Festival Chicago

    • Workshops Coordinator, 2018

    • Marketing Coordinator, 2017

  • Emerald City Theatre Company

    • Marketing and Events Manager, 2011-2015