About the Makers

The Makers’ Collective is a playful, meaningful approach to generating new work and building community among interdisciplinary artists at Pacific Theatre. It is a group of 9 talented artists - poets, singers, playwrights and visual artists - who gather to encourage and inspire one another in the act of making new work. The collective involves storytelling, creating an artistic response to a biblical text and then sharing the collectives’ work with a broader audience. Look for a presentation of their songs, monologues, scenes, and more at a live event at Pacific Theatre in the fall of 2021.

I grew up in church. My father was the pastor. That’s right, another PK in the arts. When I was in grade six, my youth pastor named David Ryu forced us, the youth group, to create a variety show based on stories in the Bible. We called it a Coffee House. The show consisted of funny sketch commercials, serious scenes, songs and dances that we wrote and performed. I'm sure it wasn't very good but it felt great, important and the memory of gathering with others creating something artistic was magical. We did that every year. It became the highlight of our youth group. At least for me. Then, a few years ago, I felt God nudging me to reach out to a bunch of artists who were also somewhere on their Christian faith journey. Eventually I did and we got together and made stuff. Each time, it was an incredibly supportive and rewarding process. Then Covid hit. Then Kaitlin and I started talking. Then everyone got comfortable meeting online and here we are. We chose the story of Jonah because it felt like we were all swallowed up and stuck inside the belly of a pandemic. This experience has been a great source of healing and friendship.

- Ins Choi

This group of artists has been a lifeline for me this year - water in the desert. We started in January 2021. Meeting over a number of months, we hacked zoom and turned it into a way to support each other and develop a community. Most of us have never met each other in real life and yet at each (digital) gathering these artists would come bearing their gifts and vulnerability and talent. I’m ever-grateful to each of the Makers for jumping in with us. We chose the story of Jonah because it felt like we were all swallowed up and stuck inside the belly of a pandemic. It has deeply resonated and been a source for much imagination - each Maker bringing a unique response to the text. Our hope is that your creativity or imagination will be sparked as well, or at the very least you enjoy what we’ve made.

If you’re interested in joining a future Makers Collective, please email an introduction and artist portfolio to kaitlin@pacifictheatre.org

-Kaitlin Williams