BIOGRAPHY OF A CONSTELLATION

Direction

Lives intertwine across space and time as four individuals defy societal expectations in their pursuit of the stars: A princess yearns to leave her public life to dedicate herself to cosmic exploration; Sarah, a frustrated planetarium announcer, craves recognition for her passion; a physicist struggles to write his grandmother’s obituary while uncovering her celestial legacy; and a librarian races to reconnect with her grandson after learning of her own death.

production ORANGE TREE THEATRE writing LILA ROSE KAPLAN direction PALOMA SIERRA set / costumes / puppetry JANA LAKATOS puppetry construction EMMA MCGRATH lighting GHOTI FISHER sound SUMMER COLLIER music ABHINAV MISHRA stage management ELISABETTA PERROTTA movement and voice direction LYRA MACKENZIE intimacy direction SAM GOODCHILD dialect coach DAVID JARZEN cellist ALASDAIR LINN cast KATHLEEN IRVINE, PHOENIX EDWARDS, GRACE WALLIS, ROY MAS photography SAM TAYLOR

Received 4-star reviews from A Young(ish) Perspective and FringeReview UK.

THE LONELY LONDONERS

Assistant Direction / New Work Development

Newly arrived from Trinidad, Henry ‘Galahad’ is impatient to start his new life in London. Carrying just pajamas and a toothbrush, he bursts through Moses Aloetta’s door only to find Moses and his friends already soured on city life. Will the London fog dampen Galahad’s dreams? Or will these Lonely Londoners make a home in a city that sees them as a threat?

production JERMYN STREET THEATRE story SAM SELVON playwriting ROY WILLIAMS direction EBENEZER BAMGBOYE assistant direction PALOMA SIERRA movement direction NEVENA STOJKOV set design LAURA ANN PRICE lighting design ELLIOT GRIGGS sound design TONY GAYLE costume design ANETT BLACK stage management SUMMER KEELING casting director ABBY GALVIN cast GAMBA COLE, ROMARIO SIMPSON, TOBI BAKARE, GILBERT KYEM JUNIOR, SHANNON HAYES, CAROL MOSES, AIMEE POWELL photography ALEX BRENNER

Hailed by The Guardian as one of the "Best Theatre Productions of 2024" and a “must-see” by The New York Times; Nominated for six Offie awards, including Best Production, Direction, New Play, Ensemble, Lighting Design, and Choreography.

WELCOME TO BETTYLAND

Assistant Direction / New Work Development

As a divine, feminine utopia falls into chaos following the disappearance of its founder and a mysterious death, its inhabitants race to uncover the forces threatening their sanctuary.

production JASMIN MEARA-WALL playwriting REBECCA JADE HAMMOND direction TRISTAN FYNN-AIDUENU assistant direction PALOMA SIERRA fight direction SAM BEHAN intimacy direction RANIAH AL-SAYED movement direction GABY NIMO music direction ASHLEY DANIELS voice direction AUNDREA FUDGE set design  TARA USHER lighting design  JENNIFER GARLAND sound design SUMMER COLLIER costume design TARA USHER stage management ABHINAV MISHRA, STEPHANIE LEESON, JAMES KNIGHT cast  GABE ACEVEDO, TATEYANA ARUTURA, MANDISA BALENI, SAM BAMPOE-PARRY, BROOKE BAZARIAN, EVE COWLEY, VIKRAM GROVER, FELICITY ISON, KAI ALEXANDRA JOHNSON, YAW KYERMATENG, PEI LIN, JERRY MADISON JR, ALEXANDER MAKAR, KRISTEN MISTHOPOULOS photography ZOË BIRKBECK

IS GOD IS

Assistant Direction

When a letter arrives from the mother they thought was dead, twenty-one-year-old twins Racine and Anaia travel from the Dirty South to the California desert to avenge her past, ready to take down anyone who stands in their way.

production NIC DONITHORN, STEPH SIRAUT direction KALEYA BAXE assistant direction PALOMA SIERRA voice direction AUNDREA FUDGE movement direction YAMI LÖFVENBERG fight direction CRISTIAN CARDENAS set and costume design HELEN HEBERT lighting design AVERY ELLIOT sound design CALLUM DUNCAN stage management MAIA THOMPSON assistant stage management ACE TURNER cast RYN ALLEYNE, CRYSTAL MARSHALL, SABREE EDWARDS, TAMARRA GRAHAM, KIARA KIANDRA, SHAK BENJAMIN, KYLE NDUKUBA, NAIA ELLIOT-SPENCE

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

Assistant Direction

Thorny, funny, and deeply human, Kate and Petruchio struggle against the roles they have been prescribed by gender, class, or age. Out of place because of their honesty in a world of deception, can these two broken people find happiness where they least expect it?

production SANTA CRUZ SHAKESPEARE playwriting WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE direction ROBYNN RODRIGUEZ assistant direction PALOMA SIERRA dramaturgy SEAN KEILEN, KATIE O'HARE, ABBS LYMAN text consultant MICHAEL WARREN voice/dialect coach DAVID MORDEN fight choreography DAVE MAIER intimacy choreography NOAH LUCE stage management CLAIRE STARK, HANNAH BONER, EMILY SALCIDO scenic design MICHAEL SCHWEIKARDT props design JENNIFER BAKER lighting design MARCY BARBEAU costume design PAMELA RODRIGUEZ-MONTERO assistant costume design SAMANTHA URBAEZ sound design BARRY G. FUNDERBURG props design THOMAS BIGLEY wigs/makeup design JESSICA CARTER cast PATTY GALLAHER, JEREMY HELGESON, PETER HADRES, YAEL JESHION-NELSON, DAVID KELLY, ANNAMARIE MACLEOD, CAYDEN MCCOY, SOPHIA K METCALF, RIVER NAVAILLE, JUNIOR NYONGO, M.L. ROBERTS, KELLY ROGERS, AMY KIM WASCHKE, DERRICK LEE WEEDEN

TWELFTH NIGHT

Assistant Direction

When Viola washes up on the foreign shores of Illyria, she believes her twin brother to be dead. To survive, she disguises herself as a man named Cesario and begins working for Duke Orsino. Love-stricken, Orsino sends Viola (as Cesario) to woo Countess Olivia on his behalf. But Olivia falls for Viola, thinking she’s a man; and Viola has a secret crush on Orsino! Things get crazier when Viola’s twin, Sebastian, washes up on shore. As the town's folk confuse the twins and no one knows who's who, mistaken identities, unexpected romance, and mischief ensues.

production LAMDA SHAKESPEARE IN SCHOOLS direction DEBBIE KORLEY assistant direction / costumes design PALOMA SIERRA stage management ABHINAV MISHRA voice direction GEORGE RYAN movement direction NICOLETTA BONANNI music direction GRAEME DU FRESNE  sound design ALESSANDRO QUARANTA cast JAYLON BOLDEN, THELMA GEORGIOU, EMILY HAYMAN, DISHARI KARGUPTA, ELLIE LARKIN, NATALIA MAY, OLIVE MCHUGH, CALEB MERCER, KOFI ODOOM, MAX PINK, GAVIN RASMUSSEN, ASHNAH STRONGHEART, EMILY TIDEY, OLIVER WINN, MAGGIE ZHANG

LA BATALLA DE LOS CLÁSICOS

Three Puerto Rican composers go head-to-head, showcasing their career-defining achievements to earn the audience’s vote.

production OLGA IGLESIAS PROJECT libretto PALOMA SIERRA music JOHANNY NAVARRO direction AIDA BELÉN RIVERA piano ERNESTO BUSIGÓ cast CHRISTIAN GARCÍA, MARTÍN ALICEA, CARLOS ORTIZ RIVERA, HILDA RAMOS

Commissioned by Proyecto Olga Iglesias Project, and awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

ROSA: THE DAY OF THE DEAD

On the Day of the Dead, Rose receives an unexpected ghastly visit that unravels truths about her family, heritage, and past.

production WHITE SNAKE PROJECTS libretto PALOMA SIERRA music MARINA LÓPEZ direction LAINE RETTMER

Commissioned by White Snake Projects for Let’s Celebrate! Living Holiday Traditions in America Festival (2020).

DUGOUT (IN DEVELOPMENT)

Sharing promise and ambition, two Black Puerto Rican kids strive to play in the major leagues following Jackie Robinson’s debut. As fate and the ruthless business of baseball intervene, their careers are tragically cut short.

libretto PALOMA SIERRA  music JOHANNY NAVARRO

CLOSE (BUT NOT TOO CLOSE!)

An anxious single man dives into the world of online dating through a new app, determined to find love to broaden his horizons. Will his search for connection lead to romance or will he find himself in an unexpected scam?

book PALOMA SIERRA music DUSTY SANDERS lyrics JULIA KOYFMAN direction MICHOLE BIANCOSINO and ANDREW W. SMITH

Screened at New Ohio Theatre Indie Theatre Film Fest, performed at Project Y Theatre Company’s Women Theatre Festival, and developed with the NMI Musical Theatre Workshop. Praised by The Young-Howze Theater Journal for setting “a high bar for digital musicals from now on” and having “everything that we had been missing in musical theatre: comedy, catchy music, and irreverence.”

COLA'O: A BILINGUAL TROVA

Two lovers – each with contrary opinions about Puerto Rican national identity – uncover how to prepare “authentic” coffee.

Published by Bridge: Bluffton University Literary Journal (2019), and selected as finalist for City Theatre National Short Playwriting Award (2020). Performed with Theatre Now's Sound Bites 7.0 (2020), Nuyorican Poets Cafe (2018), WRCT 88.3FM Barrio Latino (2017), and Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Playground Festival (2016).

BUT YOUR ENGLISH IS SO GOOD

A choreopoem inspired by the phrase "BuT yOuR eNgLiSh Is So GoOd!"

Awarded a Special Drama Award at Carnegie Mellon's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Writing Awards (2020); performed with Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective (2023), Poetic Theater Productions (2019), and Carnegie Mellon (2018); featured on KDKA's Pittsburgh Today Live (2020).

SPANGLISH SH!T

Brujita, a trans Puerto Rican witch, stands trial at the Supreme Court. Her crime? Brewing up a vengeful hurricane to destroy the White House. Pleading innocence, Brujita takes us from the warm hills of Puerto Rico to the frigid suburbs of New Jersey. But there’s no escaping the guilt of her whitewashed past.

production EN GARDE ARTS book and lyrics SAMORA LA PERDIDA music MOBEY LOLA IRIZARRY, MATTHEW ZWEIBEL, JOSIAH HANDELMAN dramaturgy PALOMA SIERRA development LATINE MUSIC THEATRE LAB, BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE: THE GROUND FLOOR photography KRYSTAL CONYE

THE DAISY CHAIN

Engaging audiences with participation, music and playful commentary, Asharn Prior leads you through a slideshow of research, brought to life dynamically with stories based on lived experiences within the UK's foster care system.

production BASHEBA BAPTISTE, TRAMSHED THEATRE, JOHN LYONS THEATRE, CAMDEN PEOPLE’S THEATRE playwriting PRINCESS BESTMAN direction / dramaturgy PALOMA SIERRA stage manager LILIAN KAZDEKIAN MORA set / costumes GEORGIE LYNCH sound designer NICK BANKIYAN cast PRINCESS BESTMAN, LUCINE

THE REVOLUTION OF EVELYN SERRANO

When her outspoken grandmother moves in and the Young Lords rally the community to action, Evelyn Serrano is forced to confront her feelings about her Hispanic family, neighborhood, and heritage. As Evelyn finds herself swept up in their fight, she discovers the strength of her Latinx identity and the legacy of those who fought for change.

production NEW HAZLETT THEATER / EDINBURGH FRINGE / RE:ENCUENTRO FESTIVAL OF NEW WORK stage direction / playwriting TLALOC RIVAS music direction RICK EDINGER dramaturgy PALOMA SIERRA lighting design HARBOUR EDNEY scenic/props design BRITTON MAUK music/sound design SARTJE PICKETT sound engineering LAURA MOELLER costume design LINDSAY GORANSON stage management RACHAEL ELLIS photography RENEE ROSENSTEEL