Provide Wholeheartedly

“Did you swim or jump the fence to get here?” When I moved to Texas and was asked this question, I laughed. A ten-year-old Norwegian swimming an entire ocean was a joke... right? When my mamá explained this anti-Mexican remark, I discovered that in Texas it didn't matter where I was born, I was just another brown boy. I longed for the comfort of someone who looked like me. However, with a Norwegian father and no brothers or extended-family in the U.S., all I could do was flip TV channels searching for a role model who had conquered the challenges I faced. My life’s goal is to provide, with all my heart, that representation for the next generation.

I began this commitment with underrepresented artists at Cornell. While directing The Vagina Monologues, I collaborated with Student Disability Services, professors across nine languages, and 60 students to direct the first multilingual and ASL-inclusive production in Cornell’s history. For filling all 1300 seats in Cornell’s largest auditorium and raising $11,000 for the Tompkins Advocacy Center’s programs supporting sexual assault survivors, I received a Class of 2017 Award, an honor designated for those who “selflessly better the Cornell Community.” I was immensely grateful; however, the greatest reward came from seeing my abuela, who I flew in from Mexico, watch my production with dialogue that she could understand. As I held her hand through laughter and tears, my commitment evolved. Not only would I commit to providing wholeheartedly to underrepresented artists, I would also commit to audiences. By developing a diverse array of inclusive global-reaching content, I hope underrepresented people, like my abuela and children longing for role models like I once did, can see their untold stories proudly represented and gain the same healing validation that the diverse creatives I nurture attain through sharing their stories.

Outside the walls of the theatre, I aspire to create artistic and educational opportunities for the local community and young aspiring artists. I have made it a personal requirement for each production I direct to donate ticket proceeds and/or host charity events to raise funds for a local cause whose mission reflects the artistic mission of the production. I also continue to volunteer across BIPOC theatres to provide feedback to emerging playwrights. While at Cornell, my production of The Baltimore Waltz raised funds to help Cornell Gannett Health Services in their mission to educate students on preventative efforts to reduce the recent resurgence of HIV diagnoses within the college-aged demographic of the LGBTQ+ community.