Artistic Director · Palm Springs, California
Building rooms
where something
alive and real
can emerge.
Chaya the Creative
Artistic Director · Palm Springs, California
Chaya the Creative
"Theatre is storytelling via creating spectacle and human introspection from those who wish to shine in the circumstance."
— Chaya the Creative
"Bringing out the best in people, versus the best people."
— Chaya the Creative
"Actors are the colors in my paint palette. I may be the brush — but no one talks about the brush. That's how it should be."
— Chaya the Creative
The Book
for directors and teachers in the field
A practical guide to improv games, devised exercises, and teaching philosophy — built from years of work in classrooms, camps, and rehearsal rooms with nothing but instinct and an idea.
Download the Guide · $10Selected Work
Production photography coming soon.
Work in progress · Summer 2026
About
I have been the Artistic Director at a Dude Ranch in Florida, on a plank of wood in the middle of a forest, building costumes out of palm fronds from the swamp. You don't have to do that. I was young. And itchy. But as the rooms grew more air conditioned, I found that the philosophy of having nothing was the petri dish from whence my pedagogy developed.
My art is intended to suggest a feeling of a thing rather than show you it. Good theatre is socially and emotionally regulatory.
If I do my job right, every element of design and every performer on stage becomes a star to shine. Let's not tell them where the laughs are. Let's just tell the story.
"I am uninspired by perfection."
"The art form of saying words. And the terror of meaning them."
"Good theatre is socially and emotionally regulatory."
Teaching
Photography
Ongoing series · Desert botanical photography
Complete series · 2024
Curriculum Vitae
SPEAK — An Evening of Short Plays is the MFA directing portfolio centerpiece. Five original short plays exploring the gap between what is said and what is meant.
Independent & Professional
SPEAK — An Evening of Short Plays
Writer, Director, Producer · Independent Production · Palm Springs, CA
Waxing Crescent
Writer & Director · Musical Theatre University Prep Program · Palm Springs, CA
One Killer Party
Writer & Director · Independent Production · Palm Springs, CA · Cast of 23
Little Red
Writer & Director · Independent Production · Palm Springs, CA
Teaching Residency
San Bernardino, CA · Students performed with Barry Manilow at The McCallum Theatre
Wonder of the World
Director · Self-Produced Developmental Reading · Simple Studios, New York City
Oklahoma! Jr.
Director · Charlotte Players · North Port, FL
Site-Specific & Camp
Teen Beach Musical
Director · Camp Cayuga · Leads departed by speedboat.
James and the Giant Peach
Director & Performer · Camp Waziyatah · Maine
Romeo and Juliet
Adapter & Director · Circle F Dude Ranch · Lake Wales, FL · Stepped in as Mercutio at curtain to preserve a student's dignity.
Academic
Dark Matters — Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Director, Costume Designer & Production Designer · Florida Southern College · Cited by department chair as the most fully realized senior capstone in his tenure.
Words, Words, Words — David Ives
Director · Florida Southern College · Outdoor Bandshell
The Mystery at Twicknam Vicarage — David Ives
Director, Performer, Costume Designer · Pinellas County Center for the Arts · Runner Up, Senior Showcase
House Management
House Manager
Ensemble Arts Philadelphia · Academy of Music · Kimmel Center · Verizon Hall
Contact
Palm Springs, California