We look to the past to shape our future. Who are you? Where are you going from here?
I am Josiah. A son. A brother. A friend. A roommate. A director. An actor. A maker. A collaborator. Dallas born. Los Angeles based. Primed to explode from the cocoon of grad school and tell big stories all over the place!

What most excites you about being a part of TAM’s 50th Anniversary Season?
One, I have never set foot in Maine! I’m excited to get to know a new state and a new community.

Two, I am looking forward to seeing all of the plays in conversation with each other, to see the actors expose their different facets across multiple productions in the season.

Three, this is a very special time for the theatre. Thank you Monmouth! I feel very lucky to have been included in this landmark celebration!

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?To be complete honest, I’m not attracted to classic theatre. I do have a special place in my heart for the Greeks, but aside from that I find myself drawn to what’s being created in the present moment, what’s new, new forms, next tech, what’s next. That being said, this tension, between the past and present, is exactly why I should tackle classic text and is specifically how I’m looking at Intimate Apparel. I am constantly asking, “Why are we still doing this? Why now? Is there another way to look at this? Why do we still care? Where are we going?” If these questions are asked hard enough, it will be impossible not to shake it up.

Who inspires you and why?
Ever since being exposed to her in my first theatre class studying acting in undergrad, I have been so inspired by Pina Bausch. Her work is visceral, delicate, immediate, timeless, elemental. She has a way of sourcing stories and lived experiences from the people in her dance-theatre company and transforming them into body language with poetic accuracy. I hope to achieve that kind of sensitivity one day.

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

All people with giant hearts and vibrant world views. We could talk about the heart, the power of unity, and the points of human connection… Or just eat really good food and laugh about nothing at all.

What recent accomplishment are you most proud of?

My production of How We Got On by Idris Goodwin just opened at Brown/Trinity Rep and I couldn’t be happier with the colorful experiment of joy and confidence we created. An amazing design team and awesome actors. Truly blessed.

What’s your super power?

I can’t disclose that information to the public for fear that I would be abducted by science…

But come check out the shows this summer and I can tell you in person!