2025 Year in Review

This year felt like a milestone in so many ways—new adventures, leadership growth, and a decade of directing under my belt. I’m ending 2025 feeling grateful, challenged, and inspired by the communities I’ve been able to work with.

In January, I returned to Open Book Theatre in Trenton to direct Bernhardt/Hamlet. Theresa Rebeck’s sharp, witty play explores Sarah Bernhardt’s daring choice to play Hamlet at the turn of the 20th century. I loved diving into the intersections of gender, theatre, and history with a fantastic cast and team. The play asks big questions about who gets to tell stories and how we continue to push against barriers in both art and life.

Next, I got on a plane for my first out-of-state directing contract at Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, directing Miss Nelson Is Missing: The Musical. The show opened at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead before touring to Harvey and Watford City, ultimately reaching over 5,300 students through 28 performances across 750 miles. It was a joy to work with FMCT, a theatre that calls itself “community” but operates with the talent, resources, and competence of a professional company. The care and detail invested in every element of this one-hour TYA musical reminded me how vital children’s theatre is in shaping the next generation of audiences.

At Theatre NOVA, I stepped into a new leadership role as Producing Artistic Director & Literary Manager. Since officially joining the company in 2023 (though working with them on projects since 2019), I’ve grown tremendously as an artist, and I’m thrilled to help shape NOVA’s next chapter as we round out our 11th season and start year 12.

As Producing Artistic Director, I led the world premiere of Jorge Luis Borges Gives a Lecture on Anatomy by Carla Milarch, with music by Michael Riccinto and direction by Kat Walsh. This dreamlike piece, inspired by Borges’ stories and poetry, was a magical, inventive journey into multiple universes and the search for love. It was a joy to support such a unique, imaginative new work and a stellar team of artists.

I also took clown classes with Detroit’s Fool School, which was a truly joyful adventure that took me outside my own comfort zone. 

In August, I once again had the privilege of producing the Michigan Playwrights Festival. This year we had 59 play submissions, 5 public readings, over 200 audience members, and 55 individuals involved in bringing it to life. Thanks to a microgrant from the Ann Arbor Awesome Foundation, we were able to provide additional support for the festival, and I was moved by the community that came together around new work. One audience member shared:

“I was never much of a theater fan until I started going to Theatre NOVA. They pack so much theater in the space... The manager who welcomed us at the start and facilitated the discussion is so calm, welcoming, and has a strong vision for what theater can be.”

Outside of directing and producing, I returned to performing on camera for the first time in a few years, working with the University of Michigan’s PEAR and ECRT offices on a training video about responding to sexual misconduct and harassment. It was meaningful to contribute to a project that will directly help people in their workplaces. 

I was also able to return to my personal Disneyland, the Stratford Festival in Canada, to enjoy some world-class theatre.

This fall also marked a personal milestone: 10 years since I directed my first play. At 17, I had no idea directing would become my career, but looking back now it feels inevitable. I’m grateful for the journey and all of the collaborators who have joined me along the way.

I also celebrated 6 years with Theatre NOVA this October. From freelancing, to teaching, to literary manager to associate artistic director to producing artistic director, I’m proud of both my own and Theatre NOVA’s growth these past few years. Championing bold new plays and the artists who create them is one of my greatest joys.

After six years and six productions with Flint Repertory Theatre, I had the opportunity to fulfil a dream of mine and direct a full production at one of my favorite theatres. The Rep launches its first-ever touring production, a professional show designed and rehearsed specifically to be brought out into the community. I directed the inaugural Flint Rep on the Road production of The Birds by Aristophanes, with a new adaptation by Interim Artistic Director Nicole Samsel.

Reviewer TJ Heck captured so many of the goals I had for this production beautifully:

“Flint Repertory Theatre’s traveling production of The Birds by Aristophanes is nothing short of a theatrical delight—nimble, imaginative, and bursting with life… The emphasis on clarity, inclusion, and active engagement set the tone perfectly. Audience participation was not only welcomed but woven into the performance in clever and joyful ways—inviting everyone, children and adults alike, into the beating heart of the story… To watch a 2,400-year-old satire soar in a public library on a weekday afternoon is a testament not only to the brilliance of the cast and crew but to Flint Repertory Theatre’s commitment to bringing transformative art directly into communities. The Birds is not just a play—it is an experience that invites reflection, imagination, and shared joy.”

In November, I hosted a ‘Director Mixer’ to create a  support network for local directors through shared problem solving, hiring networks, resource sharing, and making directing a little less isolating. 

On December first, submissions for the 2026 Michigan Playwrights Festival opened. I began to work on producing Kayak, coming to Theatre NOVA in 2026 as well.

With gratitude for the artists, audiences, and communities that continue to challenge and inspire me; here’s to the next 10 years of telling stories.

2025 Shows 

Bernhardt/Hamlet, Director, Open Book Theatre Company

Miss Nelson Is Missing: The Musical, Director, Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre (touring production)

Jorge Luis Borges Gives a Lecture on Anatomy, Producing Artistic Director, Theatre NOVA

Michigan Playwrights Festival, Producer, Theatre NOVAECRT training, Actress, University of Michigan PEAR office

The Birds, Director, Flint Repertory Theatre (Flint Rep on the Road)

Plays Watched

Dream Meaning, FMCT Ten Minute Play Fest

Later On We’ll Conspire, FMCT Ten Minute Play Fest

Stargazers, FMCT Ten Minute Play Fest

Nun of the Above, FMCT Ten Minute Play Fest

An Audience of One, FMCT Ten Minute Play Fest

Meet Cute, FMCT Ten Minute Play FestLegally Blonde Jr., Middle School Production

Dani Girl, FMCT

Six: Teen Edition, High School Production

Beetlejuice Jr., Middle School Production

Catch Me If You Can, Sheyenne High School

Birds of North America, Theatre B

The Pirates of Penzance, NDSU Opera

English, Tipping Point Theatre

Ripcord, Open Book Theatre

Emilia, Wayne State University

Three Needles and a Suture

Hadestown, Woodhaven Theatre Company

Slaying Holofernes, Theatre Artemnesia

Oediups, RC Rep

Radical Empathy, Theatre NOVA

I Am a Sword, Theatre NOVA

Matrescense, Theatre NOVA

These My Queens, Theatre NOVA

The Art of War, Stratford

Dangerous Liaisons, Stratford

Ransacking Troy, Stratford

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Stratford

Anne of Green Gables, Stratford

Macbeth, Stratford (TWICE)Jane Anger, Shakespeare in Detroit

Here There Are Blueberries, Detroit Public Theatre

Plays Read

I read the least amount of plays ever this year. I usually don’t include in this list what plays I read for things like the Michigan Playwrights Festival or scripts for shows I directly worked on. So, while this isn’t a complete list, it’s also a very, very short one. 

Matt and Ben, Mindy Kaling & Brenda Withers

***Primary Trust, Eboni Booth

***Neighbors: A Fair Trade Agreement, Bernardo Cubria

5 different translations of The Birds (Aristophanes, Ian Johnston, Don Zolidis, Yvette Nolan)

**Dogs Hanna Kime 

** If We Were Birds Erin Shields