the pink unicorn

The Pink Unicorn was a transformative moment in my practice, as it allowed me to embrace materiality and dive into storytelling through unconventional forms. I directed this piece as the first show in the “return from COVID” at the Richmond Triangle Players, the longest running theatre dedicated to queer stories and artistry in the mid-atlantic. My work on this piece ultimately put me on the shortlist for the company, and I was later hired as their community engagement and outreach manager.

At the heart of this solo performance piece was the decision to use chalk as a performative medium—a material that evokes the playfulness and wonder of childhood through its colors and transitory nature. Chalk became our anchor, letting us shape and reshape the narrative in real-time, a symbol of impermanence and possibility that mirrored the journey of our protagonist and her evolving understanding of her nonbinary child.

As an artist navigating the constraints of the pandemic, I was intent on creating work about trans people and queer experiences, even when casting trans actors wasn’t feasible. This challenge led me to explore other forms of queer-making and knowing, focusing on the fluidity and co-creation of identity through each performance. Collaborating closely with the performer, we crafted scenes that came alive through murals she would draw around herself on stage. Each line, shape, and figure became an expression of her world, allowing her to inhabit and interact with a shifting landscape that reflected the wonder and joy of discovery. Together, we crafted a piece that didn’t just tell a story but invited audiences into a world built moment by moment, blending the spontaneity of live art-making with the resilience of queer storytelling.

A particularly powerful aspect of The Pink Unicorn was our partnership with He, She, Ze, and We, a community organization supporting parents and caregivers of trans youth. We organized a dedicated performance for these families, creating a welcoming space for those struggling to understand and care for their queer children. For this performance, we designed post-show conversations and activities, including a facilitated talkback, pronoun practice, and reflective spaces, all geared toward fostering acceptance and empathy. This experience underscored for me the profound potential of theatre as social praxis; it was a space where art met community need, which continues to be at the forefront of my artistic priorities.