theatre

i want to combine it all – the authenticity, the beauty, the art, the storytelling

playwriting

performed, workshopped, and/or published plays

this is not here – workshopped and published as part of a quarantine anthology “the air above washington street,” 2020
i am coming home – performed at town crier theatre festival, 2018; reading with theatre unmasked, 2021
she once again unfurls – workshop, 2021
the water grey, reflecting the sky – reading through freehold theatre, 2022; workshop, 2022
permeate – workshopping currently

a full list of plays – click a title or just check out my new play exchange profile!

the trail to dry creek – a brand new play! a young woman rents a cabin in the mountains for a tense couples retreat, talks to the kid from pizza train about the universe, and doesn’t totally know what’s real.

permeate – an abstract, surrealist story of a girl and a child and those around them. how do we heal from trauma when we’re surrounded by it?

this is not here – 3 monologues. a young woman navigates her own brain during the transition from college to not-college, but also everything is in shambles.

she once again unfurls – 10 minutes. 2 people try to pretend it’s possible to be friends after a breakup. just kidding, but?

the water grey, reflecting the sky – 10 minutes. a teenage girl wants to be a painter and her sister is worried about the older man mentoring her. it’s deeper than that though

“poems” – a one-act collage of poetry, storytelling, and catharsis. an intimate surrealist conversation between 3 actors

i am coming home – 10 minutes. two women sit near the ocean. one has been here forever and one has been gone for a long time but is back now. a little girl went missing a long time ago. one thinks she knows what happened.

"No easy answers are given, but the mystery of what time, fear, and unwanted knowledge can do to your psyche grips you tightly. And it doesn’t let go even when the play ends."
"An enthralling exploration of memory and identity, 'I Am Coming Home' captivates audiences with its poignant portrayal of the human experience. The play masterfully weaves together themes of loss, guilt, and the search for truth."
"[the play] crackles with the unspoken and throbs with the far-away ache of loneliness and longing...The stage directions, in particular, are human and spot-on descriptions of those breathing moments as everyone overthinks everything but has nothing real to say."
"A great little piece that really takes its time with the meaningful moments. I particularly like how the playwright lets all of the action and subtext tell the real story, and how it comes together in the end. Very nice play!"
"I love the way Tess crafts a counterpoint to Molly’s reality in the form of a well-meaning yet naive young man (Robbie) - and I love how Molly connects with Robbie. Interesting characters and natural dialogue complement the simple, yet impactful tale of a short holiday at a cabin. I’ll be thinking of this one for a while."

experience

select productions

stage manager & sound designer – the luckiest people – theatrefirst (site-specific production) – berkeley, ca

director – a midsummer night’s dream – kid stock (youth production) – piedmont, ca

dramaturg & music director – the penelopiad – university of puget sound – tacoma, wa

music director – narvik – university of puget sound – tacoma, wa

music direction work on peter and the starcatcher – university of puget sound – tacoma, wa

sound designer – an inheritance of light – theatre off jackson – seattle, wa

stage manager – my louisiana project – race and pedagogy national conference – university of puget sound – tacoma, wa

stage manager – the threepenny opera – university of puget sound – tacoma, wa

assistant stage manager – how i learned to drive – university of puget sound – tacoma, wa

assistant stage manager – the lady’s not for burning – university of puget sound – tacoma, wa

other relevant experience

president; company member – ubiquitous they improv

president; director; music director/arranger – curtain call musical theatre

director; marketing director – bare bones theatre collective

freelance dramaturg – currently working with several new plays and a musical in development

theatre teaching artist, ages 5-8 and 14-18, directing and dramaturging youth productions and playwriting festivals

lmda member and social media/graphic design

reader for the bay area playwrights festival

education

b.a. theatre arts, university of puget sound, 2020. courses included directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, theatre history, and acting

improv classes with unexpected productions (seattle) to the highest level

playwriting courses, including workshops and readings, freehold theatre