Banner Photo: February 2024 Headshot taken by Adam Fontana.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

June 7-23, 2024. Roger Q. Mason's The Duat is making its world premiere under the direction of Taibi Magar at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. I'm so honored to be the play's development and production dramaturg. Click here for more info.

June 5, 2024. Directing a reading of playwright Miles Orduna's God Bless Rose for the Fresh Ground Fresh readings in NYC.

May 28-31, 2024. Dramaturging a new play-in-development The Truth Underneath for Ping Chong and Company. The play follows the life and work of 2021 Filipino Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maria Ressa, and her fight for the freedom of the press against the rise of fascism worldwide.

NEWS and HAPPENINGS

May 2024. Presented new work from their new original play Mercury Makes the Skin Glow for Liz Lerman and members of the NYTW Community. Liz led the Liz Lerman Critical Response Process herself!
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April 2024. Producing community engagement events surrounding Tectonic Theatre Project's Here There Are Blueberries at New York Theatre Workshop. Learn more here.

March 2024. Theatre 4 The People announced as one of its resident artists for Summer 2024.

ABOUT ME

My name is Gaven, rhymes with "raven." I use they/he/siya. I am a brown, first-generation, gender non-conforming, Filipinx American theatre maker based in New York City. In addition to my work as a dramaturg, director, and playwright, I am the Community Engagement Associate at New York Theatre Workshop. Theatre Communications Group named me a Rising Leader of Color in 2021.

As an artist living with Bipolar Disorder, I am an advocate for empathetic and responsible representation of persons with mental illness and neurodiversity on and off-stage. I am also an advocate for suicide prevention and healing for those affected by it.

​​I have experience with new play development, production dramaturgy, community & audience engagement, and arts administration. I am a globally conscious and interdisciplinary artist who believes that theatre is a transformative tool for underrepresented communities to imagine and create radically new inclusive worlds.

I work closely with LGBTQIA+ community leaders, neurodiverse artists, and international artists whose work focus on Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Belonging (EDIB) Initiatives. I believe in an artistic collaborative process that centers on feminist and queer concepts of radical compassion, love, empathy, and community-building. I advocate for LGBTQIA+ and feminist issues, mental health awareness, inclusive accessible theatre, and advancement of diverse representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities. I have had the honor to intern and work at various companies in various artistic, administrative, and dramaturgical positions: The Juilliard School Drama Division, Musical Theatre Factory, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, New York Theater Workshop, Ma-Yi Theatre, the TEAM, Roundabout Theatre Company, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, Playhouse on the Square, and Bremen Schaulspielhaus. B.A. American Studies, Dickinson College; M.F.A. Dramaturgy, University of Massachusetts Amherst. I am also a proud former teacher of Teach for America's Memphis Corps from 2012 to 2014. I completed a year-long professional apprenticeship in the Drama Division at The Juilliard School.

My original work has been developed by Leviathan Lab, The Shelter NYC, and Orchard Project. I am a current and former member of several writers group: Shelter NYC, Playground NYC, and Ma-Yi Writers Lab. Random fun facts: I play the ukulele and guitar, compose songs, write poetry, speak German, and I live with my 13-year-old dog!