We look to the past to shape our future. Who are you? Where are you going from here?

I’m currently bonded to the title of student. After this summer I am going to study Contemporary Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatory of Scotland for my fall semester of study abroad. There I will develop my skills as a deviser, director, and social influencer. I am in the process of writing a rock-opera that I have intentions of premiering at the Ars Nova festival in New York. After spring semester, I graduate and lose the name of student. Onto more discoveries and interdisciplinary practices!

What most excites you about being a part of TAM’s 50th Anniversary Season?

I’m most excited to see Lynn Nottage as a featured artist in our season. She has been one of the most influential upcoming playwrights in my breadth recently, and she deserves to be heard. The diversity of playwrights, genre, and ensemble in the 50th Season is a testament to the progression of contemporary theater.

We’re all about making old things new and new things classic. Why are you drawn to Classic Theatre? How do you shake it up?

I’m drawn to classic theatre because it confirms there is nothing new under the sun. What has been said, has been said, what has been thought has been thunk! We have the opportunity of telling timeless stories, but they get old, right? As an actor, I do not reset myself as the original Danish prince. I approach it from my perspective as a 21st-century, biracial, young man. Shakespeare has created a specific structure for the actors to use and benefit from, and with this structure comes security. Once I have embraced the structure, finding the freedom to express myself spontaneously through the structure adds to the live experience. It breaks the ties of textual formality, it allows for interpretation and personalization and it reminds us that each of us would react entirely differently to any circumstance- even if we are using the same words, words, words…

Who inspires you and why?

I’m most inspired by kids, because they stay available, their minds are flexible, and they follow their stream of consciousness. I respect that.

You can have dinner with any three influential people. Who are your dream guests, why them, and what is the topic of conversation?

I’m inviting Rihanna and Tech N9ne. We’re going to talk Big Brother, mindfulness, we’re going to collab, and then we’re going to use black magic to conjure Jimi Hendrix for a solo.

What recent accomplishment are you most proud of?

Turning 21!

What’s your super power?

I’m strong in the power of manifestation.