I used to be an asshole. I got better.

Before UT, I didn’t feel like a story-maker. I was a director. Or maybe a story-interpreter. I had a desire to have authorship that extended beyond the production or the process, but I had no idea how to make that happen. Through my work on new plays with generous playwrights and close collaborations with designers, I began to see my ideas take solid form on the pages of the script and on the stage. That level of physical input and meaningful change felt both rewarding and important. It is now something I strive for in all my projects and something I value in artists with whom I choose to work. In this thesis, I will reflect on my directorial history, how that history led me to a place of authorship, and where my work stands today in my evolution from story-interpreter to story-maker.