My Art

As a Chickasaw composer, playwright, and storyteller, my work centers on reclaiming histories and voices that have too often been erased or misunderstood. I believe musical theatre has the power to reconnect audiences with emotion, empathy, and truth. In a world that often leaves people numb, storytelling can be a kind of medicine, reminding us how to feel, reflect, and heal together.

I am drawn to untold stories rooted in real people and real experiences. My work explores themes of identity, resilience, and the systems that shape women’s lives. From the true story of my Chickasaw great-grandmother in Savage – The Unconquerable Wanda Savage, to the feminist rebellion of Riot Grrrl, to the psychological landscape of Off With Your Head, I am interested in stories where characters fight to reclaim their voice. I write from the perspectives I know (as a mother, a daughter, a wife, a woman, a tribal member, and someone of mixed heritage) and I strive to create theatre that reflects the complexity of those experiences.

Music allows audiences to experience emotion in a way dialogue alone cannot.  As a composer and lyricist, I draw inspiration from many genres, blending pop, rock, jazz, and theatrical traditions to create songs that serve the story while also standing on their own. I believe musical theatre can reach new audiences when its music feels immediate, poetic, and accessible.

I am also passionate about supporting new work and amplifying underrepresented voices in theatre. After stepping away from my career to support my husband through medical school and raise my daughters, one of whom is disabled, I returned to the arts determined to help create space for other artists who may feel their time has passed. I hope to inspire mothers and women who have put their families first and wonder if it is too late to pursue their creative lives.

My Native community is deeply important to me. As a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation with Seminole ancestry, I strive to increase Native visibility in the theatre industry, where Native writers remain drastically underrepresented. Through initiatives like NativeTheatreArtists.com, I work to connect Native creatives with opportunities in professional theatre. I also donate the proceeds from my music streaming to organizations that support Native communities.

My musical Savage – The Unconquerable Wanda Savage, inspired by the life of my Chickasaw great-grandmother, embodies many of the themes that drive my work. The story explores the resilience of Native women while preserving elements of the Chickasaw language at a time when fewer than forty fluent speakers remain. Like much of the theatre I hope to create, Savage is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Ultimately, I aspire to create theatre that is honest, emotionally resonant, and unafraid to confront difficult truths. If storytelling can help us feel more deeply and understand one another more fully, then it has the power to heal.