As a bilingual performer who has helped develop world premieres and reimagine classics, directing became a natural expansion of Christian’s artistic trajectory. He benefits from having worked closely with world class directors who left an indelible mark of leadership, kindness and clarity.
In his direction, Christian values strong dramatic structure, arresting visuals, robust use of language and a sense of poetic minimalism. His work aims to capture the complexity of human behavior while creating a theatrical experience that is lyrical, understated and elegant. Clarity of storytelling is always paramount.
Christian participated in the development of new works that received subsequent productions at Denver Center, South Coast Repertory, The Huntington, Yale Repertory Theatre, Orlando Family Stage and the International Edinburgh Fringe Festival. These experiences greatly inform his directing, which has garnered national award recognition.
LILLY & THE PIRATES
music by Brett Ryback
lyrics by John Maclay & Brett Ryback
book by John Maclay & Will Eno
based on “Lilly and the Pirates” by Phyllis Root
Lilly is a ten-year-old worrywart. To keep her concerns at bay, she diligently and fervently lists them in a worry book. Her globe-trotting scientist-parents don’t worry about anything. When they learn of a rare sighting of the frangipani fruit fly, they set sail for the fabled Shipwreck Islands. Since water is her greatest fear, Lilly stays behind with her eccentric, librarian great-uncle. Then news comes that the scientists are shipwrecked, and Lilly must overcome her fear of the sea, find the hidden island, and outsmart a bunch of treasure-hungry pirates to save her parents.
IRONBOUND
by Martyna Majok
A darkly funny, heartbreaking portrait of a woman for whom love is a luxury and a liability as she fights to survive in the United States. At once humorous and heartrending, Ironbound spans 22 years to tell the story of Darja, a Polish woman getting by on a cleaning job, aggressive pragmatism and sheer will. In this wry drama, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Martyna Majok highlights survival as, perhaps, the only means of success. Christian’s production was selected to be showcased at the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival and went on to receive 9 national awards, including Distinguished Achievement in Direction.
LETTERS FROM CUBA
by María Irene Fornés
Partly autobiographical, legendary playwright Irene Fornés uses letters written by her brother back home to create her final play, exploring themes of distance and connection. In New York City, Fran and her two roommates, hearts afire, pursue dreams of poetry, music and dance. From across the sea on a rooftop in Cuba, Luis and his family struggle under a communist regime, desperate to reunite with his sister while inextricably anchored to home. Christian’s production implemented a devised approach to both design and storytelling, aiming to create an ethereal and immersive experience that ultimately captured a longing for reunion. Emulating the avant-garde playwright’s inspiration, the cast shared personal letters written to their long distance relatives as a prologue to the play.
BLOOD WEDDING
by Federico García Lorca
translated by Langston Hughes
In a small village, a young man has decided to marry a young woman from a neighboring hamlet. However, the young woman is secretly still in love with Leonardo, a member of the Felix family, the murderers of the young man's father and brother. The wedding proceeds, but as the guests celebrate the union, passion takes over, secrets are revealed, and choices are made that create havoc and more bloodshed. Langston Hughes's rarely-performed translation is a gripping balance of romantic ideals, rich language and the magical realism that is a hallmark of Lorca's work. Christian’s production featured Tony winner Leilani Jones Wilmore as the Mother.
EL NOGALAR
by Tanya Saracho
Set amid the explosive drug wars in present-day Northern Mexico, El Nogalar is the story of the Galvan family’s struggle to hold on to their homestead—and their precarious social status—before it slips away. The play shadows the family’s housekeeper, Dunia, as she watches the family matriarch Maite and her daughters squander their money and risk losing everything to a local drug cartel. Despite warnings from friends and family, Maite ignores her dwindling fortune as stubbornly as she ignores the sinister capos simmering at her doorstep. This poignant and moving story, inspired by Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, explores the choice between adapting to the changing world or getting left behind.
JOE SCHMOE SAVES THE WORLD
by Brett Ryback
A dance-rock musical that takes place during the Arab Spring and tells the parallel stories of an indie rock duo in America and a pair of Iranian students in Tehran. With a narrative that weaves back and forth creating a dialogue across hemispheres, the music of the band connects the two couples in a surprising act of artistic collaboration. Reacting against conformity, fear and the status quo, the young women at the center of the story risk everything in an attempt to change the world through their art. Christian closely ushered the creation of Brett Ryback's musical, which was selected for the NAMT New Work Festival and the ASCAP/Dreamworks Musical Theatre Workshop. The piece received development support at the Geffen Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Wallis Annenberg Center.
