Today we’d like to introduce you to Quinn Xavier Hernandez.
Hi Quinn Xavier, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been living in and around Atlanta since July of 2018, right after I got my degree in Theatre from Clemson University. It feels so strange to look at that now and see that I’ve been here three years! I feel like I’ve definitely been getting everything I possibly can out of them. I started my theatre career in Atlanta by acting in THE VIEW UPSTAIRS at Out Front Theatre Company back in the Fall of 2018. Around the same time, I joined Working Title Playwrights (WTP); it wasn’t long after that that I received my first development lab for my full-length play MOMMA through WTP. From there, it’s all kind of been one delightful, dizzying, joyous blur. I created an apprenticeship around new play development with Working Title; bounced around doing different roles on different projects at multiple different theatres–everything from direction to scenic painting to dramaturgy and more; and now, surprisingly in the pandemic, I’ve been commissioned multiple times and have recently accepted a staff position at WTP. It feels incredible and also just a tad unbelievable!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think I’ve touched on a lot of the early career struggles before, so I’ll focus this time on this past year. As I’m sure a lot of people can relate, every moment of this past year has been filled with discomfort and fear. I’ve had a lot of success and growth as a playwright and theatre artist in the past year, but I can’t say that all of the amazing opportunities have been flawless. When the pandemic first hit, I had a LOT of fear about whether or not this career was even possible anymore? I mean, shows were closing, people weren’t able to gather, everything I had known in two years had just completely fallen out from under me. During the first few weeks of lockdown, I felt like maybe it was a sign to throw the towel in. Move on. But then a group of my friends and I started to meet weekly; we shared what we had been writing and made space for each other’s fears, joy, insecurities, and anger. Those weekly sessions became a lifeline. It made everything feel more manageable and I don’t know what I would have done without it. And that continued (and continues) to be true as new opportunities and partnerships with local theatres started coming in. Because now I’m finding I’ve made it over the peak and now am careening downhill at much speed as I look at everything coming my way. It can all be a little overwhelming and I really don’t do the best job scheduling myself if I’m being honest, but I’m working on it. It helps to have a close-knit support system, which is something I would say I had pre-pandemic to an extent–it feels more secure now if that makes sense.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work primarily as a playwright, dramaturg, and director around town! A lot of my work in all three areas is centered around identity. I think out of all the recent projects I’ve gotten to do, I’m most proud of the following (most of which are available online if you want to check them out): my first commission, YOU’RE GOING TO DO AMAZING THINGS, through Actor’s Express Virtual Downstage series; joining Working Title Playwrights officially as a staff member and dramaturgical moderator for their Monday Night Development Workshops; being a part of the writing team for the CROSSROADS NEW PLAY PODCAST through Actor’s Express and NNPN; directing AND GOD FORBID IT SHOULD BE SO by Roz Sullivan-Lovett as part of the SheATL festival; writing a binaural audio play for PLW TLK with Elizabeth Jarrett through the Alliance Theatre; and, most recently, getting to return back to my home theatre (The Warehouse Theatre) in Greenville, SC to serve as the Associate Director on their remount of HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH.
I think what sets me apart as an artist is that I fully subscribe to the multi-hyphenate aspect of being an artist with multiple disciples. Everything builds on itself and the other areas of your art. I think a lot of people forget that or box themselves into being one thing. I don’t think I’ve ever really allowed myself to do that.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
For all of the networking and front-facing work I do within the new play development community, I am really much more of an introverted ambivert. Talking to new people generally intimidates me and I get way in my head about how someone new might perceive me. I also really hate talking in large groups or crowds. I think a lot of the people who know me pretty well would laugh at that and I do too sometimes. I think because I’ve subscribed to the idea of going after what you want fiercely and with 100% transparency for so long that it just makes those feelings seem silly or inconsequential.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://newplayexchange.org/users/12995/quinn-xavier-hernandez
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quinnxaviertheatremaker/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quinnxaviertheatremaker
Image Credits
Actor’s Express (Announcement Graphics); Brian Wallenberg (AND GOD FORBID IT SHOULD BE SO production still); Aaron Brakefield (Headshot)
