ABOUT ME My name is Gaven, rhymes with "Raven"... they/he/siya. I am a brown first-generation queer 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. I was a cohort member of Theatre Communications Group's Rising Leaders of Color 2021-22. As an artist living with Bipolar Disorder, I am an advocate for empathetic and responsible representation of persons with mental illness & disabilities and neurodiversity on and off-stage.
I have experience with new play development, production dramaturgy, community & audience engagement, direction, 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. 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) 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. B.A. American Studies, Dickinson College; M.F.A. Dramaturgy, University of Massachusetts Amherst; and 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 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. |