Upcoming Project: Directing PIPPIN at Westfield State University

When looking at such an incredible piece like Pippin, I can’t help but reflect on the role of art in our lives today. I believe expressing creativity is by nature a political act, and when we find ourselves in a world where art has become so commodified and subject to approval of various political ideologies, it becomes a vital act.

I imagine setting the musical in a not-so-farfetched world in which art and self-expression have been outlawed under an authoritarian system of surveillance and control. Performance exists only underground, practiced by the Band of Players as a risky, illicit act. Theatre becomes contraband — a place where human presence, imagination, and spontaneity resist regulation.

This world echoes anxieties we face today. As algorithmic systems, artificial intelligence, and constant surveillance increasingly shape our lives, we are often encouraged to optimize, conform, and perform versions of ourselves that are legible to systems of power. Creativity, unpredictability, and emotional truth can feel inconvenient — or even threatening — in such environments.

Within this context, Pippin’s search for something “extraordinary” becomes a search for authenticity. He is pulled between spectacle and substance, between curated performance and genuine human connection. The Players’ invitation to “join us” promises belonging and meaning, but it also mirrors the seductive pull of systems that offer purpose in exchange for compliance.

Pippin ultimately asks whether a life defined by optimization, attention, and spectacle can ever replace the value of being present, caring for others, and choosing responsibility over illusion. In an age of surveillance and artificial intelligence, the most radical act may be insisting on our humanity.