ANN KREITMAN

  ARTIST STATEMENT

​

I am a theatre director, playwright, and clown. I create original, audience-involved theatrical events to tell lesbian and queer histories and inspire queer myth-making. I followed my big red nose into the archive and have no intentions of leaving because all I’ve found is family. I’ve never been less lonely than when I am immersed in lesbian history, tracking down my own bloodline, sniffing out story after story of people who looked like me, who loved so hard their hair turned gray, expanded their sense of what a body can be, and built community to craft their utopia. In telling our history through theatre, me and my community get to spend time in a room with our ancestors and take a piece of them home with us.

 

I create this work through devising with an ensemble, writing from research, and adapting original text. In the rehearsal room, I shape the piece with the consideration of a live audience. By inviting audiences to engage with work beyond sitting quietly in the dark and watching, we are fully physicalizing metaphor, affirming their humanity, and practicing their advocacy. Like any good butch, I direct plays like coaching a sports team. Collaboration, like clown, is athletic, requires full presence and bodily commitment. With a team mindset, I strive to push everyone to their personal best and celebrate all victories, failures, and discoveries.

​