I was born and raised in New Orleans in a multi-racial Baha’i family. While I’m not at all religious myself, I credit my religious upbringing — as well as being half-black/half-Persian in a city that is itself a combination of countless cultures — with my current personal and professional approach to diversity and equity. I deeply believe that, in both society and theater, the more voices around the table, the better for all of us.
For undergrad, I went to Carleton College in Northfield, MN, because it snowed there. Carleton is a small liberal arts college, and the theater department was very small. It meant I was able to do a little bit of everything. But, we were also close to Minneapolis, and so I was also able to meet and work with many talented professional artists from the Twin Cities.
After college, I moved to Minneapolis where I acted, directed, devised, assisted, did carpentry, tried to figure out what I wanted to do for grad school, and got up really early to bake bagels. After two years, I decided that the kind of theater I liked to make, and the way I liked to work, and the artists I liked to work with all were telling me that academia was the right place for me. Later, I realized that they were actually telling me that dramaturgy was the right place for me, but I wouldn’t trade the path I took to get here for the world.
I got my PhD in theater at UC San Diego, in a joint doctoral program with UC Irvine. My dissertation was on the adaptation of Shakespeare into visual art. While at UCSD, I was able to continue developing my practical work through directing and dramaturgy.
After graduation, I worked in the development department at La Jolla Playhouse. As I’ve taken on more leadership roles, this experienc in “speaking donor” has proved invaluable. It was also a tremendous opportunity to be in the room for some of the best new work development in the country, and engage with top-notch community-based and site-specific theater.
In 2017, my family (including my wife, fabulous lighting designer Sherrice Mojgani) moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where I was able to refocus my career into full-time dramaturgy. This included further honing both my research and new work skills as Literary Manager at Arena Stage, and then taking on an expanded leadership role as Round House Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director.
After four seasons at Round House, helping guide the theatre through the pandemic and leading the new work program — including producing the annual National Capital New Play Festival — my family moved to my hometown of New Orleans. While I maintain a relationship with and many of my former duties for Round House, I’m excited to build new relationships and opportunities in my new‑but‑old home.
I’m a father and husband. I’m an educator. I love hip-hop, comic books, and craft beer. I’m afraid of heights. I’m a passionate editor and collaborator, and I want nothing more than to help make sure good stories are told well.
