Adding Imagination to theMedia Multiverse
As artists, it is our responsibility to help shape the world with our vision. My dream is to create bold, weird, and wild theater where love, futurism, and Afrocentric themes collide.
They Tend to Themselves:
A Choreopoem
Rainbow Delicious is afraid of her own reflection. In the liminal space between past and future, she wrestles with what it means to be Black, a woman, and everything the world has tried to make her doubt about both. Drawing on Afrofuturism, ancestral wisdom, and the African diaspora, writer-performer Gabrielle Jackson weaves spoken word, movement, and music into a meditation on self-love as an act of resistance. Built around three mirrors and one woman’s body, the production weaves spoken word, movement and music into an evening of theatre that sold out multiple performances and left audiences in tears. Journey through mirrors, memory, and becoming in the unforgettable one-woman choreopoem: They Tend to Themselves.
I’m driven by a love for weird, whimsical, and deeply human storytelling.
I want to create work that surprises people, challenges them, and makes them fall in love with the performing arts all over again.
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My love for directing comes from my background as an actor, where I learned to be curious about imagined worlds as seen through a character's eyes!
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Now, I bring that curiosity and wonder into the big picture. I love pulling together all the elements of design and performance to create a world that feels fresh, exciting, and alive.
For me, directing is about creating an atmosphere where the cast and crew feel empowered to do their best work while giving the audience an unforgettable experience.
As a Director...
Gabrielle's Work
The Little Mermaid Jr.
Working with youth theatre makers is one of the most moving things in the world to me. Their joy and wonder at even the simplest things about the art form renew my excitement. I believe that artistry is a life cycle and that we, as theatre makers, have a responsibility to continue to ignite the spark for future artists. It was a joy to bring this production of The Little Mermaid Jr. to life with my students.
Born Fighter- A New Musical
By Joseph George
It's always an incredible undertaking to workshop a new theatre work, particularly a brand new musical. I was so grateful when I was tapped by a colleague, Joseph George to helm the team directing his new musical. This gave me a great opportunity to work with stage management and learn more about the ground floor experience of bringing a new work to the stage.
Crimson- A New Horror
By Kate Checkwood
I was a little intimidated when I was presented with the unique opportunity to direct a horror play. I was unfamiliar with the horror genre and had never directed anything like it. This horror story was set in a preschool, which was a bit unexpected, but the concept was made for a fun and thrilling show!
Crimson was presented through California State University Fullerton's 10-minute play festival.
Written By Kate Checkwood and Featuring Chris Suarez, Naiomi Valendia, Macy Fay, and Lorenzo Isacs
Cover image credit: Mark Ramont
Concepts
The Mountaintop
On April 3, 1968, in room 306 of the Lorraine Motel, history gives way to a surrealist dream world. My vision for The Mountaintop transforms this space into a world where the ordinary and the extraordinary collide. From snow filling the doors and windows to feathers raining from the sky during a pillow fight, the room itself becomes alive with possibility.
This isn’t a play about the myth of Dr. King; it’s about Martin and Michael, too. The many layers of a man with scuffed shoes, stinky feet, and the world's weight on his shoulders. Opposite him is Camae, a sharp, unapologetic angel of death whose humor and boldness push him to reckon with his legacy.
Through their dynamic, the play reveals King’s humanity: his fears, flaws, and fierce commitment to change. It asks us to see greatness not as perfection but as persistence in the face of imperfection.
This production invites the audience to meet Martin as a man, to feel the messy beauty of his story, and to reflect on their own role in the unfinished dream he left behind.