The Juilliard School 2018, credit: Gregory Constanza.

About Me

My name is Gaven (he/him/his). My name rhymes with Raven.  I am a dramaturg, director, playwright, and (sometimes) performer living in New York City.

I have experience with new play development, production dramaturgy, audience engagement, directing, 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 continue to work closely with LGBTQIA community leaders, artists with disabilities, and international artists whose work focus on Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Belonging (EDIB) Initiatives.

My work often begins with an intellectual investigation on political, religious, racial, cultural, or social justice issues, which evolves into a mix of visual, movement, sound, and text. 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 people on and off U.S. stages.

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, Playhouse on the Square (Memphis, TN), and Bremen Schaulspielhaus. I've worked with artists Ping Chong, Talvin Wilks, Ifa Bayeza, Dustin Chinn, Yilong Liu, Michael Leibenluft, Eugene Ma, Cherry Lou Sy, and Mei Ann Teo just to name a few.

I have a B.A. American Studies from Dickinson College; an M.F.A. in dramaturgy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (under the mentorship of Dr. Priscilla Page); and a graduate certificate of Advanced Feminist Studies from the UMass Amherst Women, Gender, and Sexualities Department. I am also a proud former teacher of Teach for America's Memphis Corps from 2012 to 2014. I recently completed a year-long professional apprenticeship in the Drama Division at The Juilliard School.

​I currently reside with my 8-year-old dog Ripley in the East Village. I am the Community Engagement Associate at New York Theatre Workshop.