Performance turns storytelling into a shared experience. Through theater and film, I work with voice, movement, character, and collaboration to see what becomes visible to an audience — and how a story changes when it moves from the page into space.
Project 1
SDSZ Musical Union
Theater taught me that storytelling is built collectively. As president of SMU, I worked as a performer, director, and rehearsal coordinator, moving between scene work and the schedules that kept a large production running. I performed in Legally Blonde, co-directed Hadestown and the year-end Spotlight Gala, and coordinated rehearsals across casts, directors, administrators, and performance spaces.
Directing made me notice how much of a character is created by everything around them. An emotion can begin in one actor’s voice, grow through the ensemble’s movement and harmony, and change again with the set or rhythm of a scene. I became interested in how all of these choices work together to make a moment feel convincing onstage.
3major productions across performance & direction
3leadership roles — Club President, Lead Director & Rehearsal Coordinator
2years of sustained involvement
Multiplecreative teams coordinated across casts and crews
Main Productions
Spotlight Gala
Legally Blonde
Hadestown
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Project 2
Drama Festival — A Midsummer Night's Dream
Working on A Midsummer Night's Dream required me to move constantly between performing and directing. As assistant director and Hermia, I co-led a 12-member cast while developing my own interpretation of the character.
Directing changed the way I approached Hermia. Breaking down each scene and thinking through the relationships and emotions among characters helped me understand her choices more clearly. I began to see my own performance as part of a larger dramatic rhythm, which made my interpretation of Hermia more deliberate and grounded in the play as a whole.
2creative roles — assistant director & Lead Actor
12member cast co-led through rehearsal & performance
4production areas — blocking, lighting, actor coaching & scheduling
200+audience members at the school drama festival
Production Collage
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Project 3
Short Film — Your Parrot, Too
As producer and cinematographer of Your Parrot, Too, I helped turn a story about friendship into a 15-minute short film. Over two months, I coordinated an 11-member crew, managed locations, shooting schedules, and budget, and developed the film's visual language.
Filming in Beijing’s hutongs made me pay closer attention to how the camera could shape the relationship between the characters and the spaces around them. I often relied on natural light and close-ups to keep certain moments quiet and intimate, while wider shots let the neighborhood become part of the story. Through this process, I became more aware of how cinematography can guide the audience’s emotional distance from a scene.
15minute film produced & photographed
11member crew across a two-month production
2school awards — First Prize & Best Cinematography
2festival selections — BIFF Young Filmmaker Program & Ginkgo Youth Festival
