Artistic Statement

As a biracial theatre maker with a curious and gregarious spirit, I create physically dynamic and emotionally resonant performances to share my humanity with the audience and invite them to interrogate how we navigate the world. As a director, I am drawn to characters who are caught between their principles and their desires, characters who must confront complex internal struggles with grace in order to manifest their dreams in the external world. In many ways, this mirrors my own lived experience, and I am interested in expressing that reality through theatrical form. I believe that strength of character is essential to navigating the struggle of existence. My work seeks to physically embody our efforts to move through life’s complexities, shaped by my perspective as a man whose identity uniquely bridges experiences that are often viewed as separate. 

 

I started out in this industry as a hungry actor and quickly realized that limiting myself to acting placed a box around the stories I could tell and how I could tell them. My introduction to storytelling comes from my grandfather, Ural Smith Jr. As a Black man moving through the world, he used storytelling to open doors, engage with community, and share his humanity. His stories were simple, filled with constantly changing details, and always ended with a hearty laugh. He was often peeling a peach at our kitchen table while recounting his greatest hits: “The Dancing Baby” and “The Bowel Movement Pills,” to name a few. 

 

My storytelling aesthetic is deeply inspired by him. I aim to create simple and effective theatrical works that can serve as a guide or a foil for the audience. I am interested in revealing theatrical conventions and packaging the production as a gift for the audience, in the same way my grandfather never stopped peeling peaches while telling his stories. I believe stories must be thematically, visually, and conceptually accessible. I want to create a dialogue, not a presentation. 

In terms of form and style, I am interested in classical adaptations, epic myths, and contemporary works. I am drawn to culturally informed plays and ensemble-based storytelling with poetic language. I am fascinated by stories about violence and how it informs human relationships in the aftermath. As a director and fight director, I see fight direction as a trusted form of theatrical spectacle that reveals the intricacies of character and story. 

 

My career is in an exciting and formative stage. I am invested in finding and nurturing community while being intentional about the community formed within the rehearsal room. I strive to preserve the joy of theatre throughout the creative process and encourage production teams to embrace the generous spirit required to cultivate a brave space for collaboration. I am passionate about my community of artists of color and intentional about seeing these talented artists represented onstage and throughout the design process. 

 

My artistic upbringing in the Atlanta theatre scene gave me a deep love for culturally expressive theatre that builds bridges within the community. As a result, I seek out community and strive to make theatre that serves as an honest reflection of the artists who made it. I am committed to the joyful rigor of theatre and facilitating an open and inclusive creative process for everyone involved. I am in love with creating in this medium and cherish the people who make every process unique.