Directing.

Devon is making their Co-Directing debut with South Pacific at Paramount this spring! They are directing alongside Trent Stork.

There’s nothing quite like a golden-age musical - the grand sounds of a live orchestra, the sweeping romantic stories, the optimism and hope woven right into the plot. There is no better example of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s genre defining style than the boundless South Pacific.

Known for its musical hits - the original 1949 album was #1 in the country for a record 63 weeks, and had every household across America humming tunes like “Cockeyed Optimist” and “Some Enchanted Evening.” It’s easy to sit back and enjoy the music. What is not so apparent is that South Pacific also brings a complex story about love, war, and race to the stage. Tonight we ask that you lean in.

We hope you enjoy the music tonight, it’s some of the best you will ever hear.

We hope you take a lot more away, too.

Buy tickets HERE.

As a director I find that stories featuring magical realism, whimsical settings, queer characters, multiracial characters, AAPI+ characters, and complex child protagonists tend to be my favorite stories to tell. Extra points if the story is a musical!

New work holds the most special place in my heart because those stories are young, they are growing, and they are still learning who they want to be, and participating in that process as a director allows me to help nurture that story as it grows, and to give it the support it needs to flourish.

I believe in the power of kindness, humanity, and community. I like to create an environment that prioritizes the safety of those in it - our art should not stem from active trauma, danger, or abuse. I believe that the artists I work with have the capacity to grow and learn, and I have just as much to learn from them as they do me.

My art will always have joy running through it’s veins. My art will always be growing. My art will always be political because my existence in this world as a genderfluid, half-Japanese, queer individual is in itself political. My art will always invite people into the room. My art will be made with love, and will work to share that love with others.

Read Devon's full Artistic Statement HERE.

Click any of the show titles below for more production photos & information!

Photo by Brandii Champagne.