mackenzie mann

(She/They) is an artist with roots in Houston, inspiration from Austin, and a heart in the West End. They currently study Playwriting & Dramaturgy at The University of Houston under James A. Tyler, Dr. Elizabeth Coen, Lisa D’Amor, and Martyna Majok (ma-YO-k. Say it right).

Her work focuses on the intersection of joy with pain. Vague? Purposefully. Growing up as an A.F.A.B. Southern White woman in dance, their switch to acting then to the outlet of writing is a story of privilege and, simultaneously, pain. Their discovery of her own gender fluidity, queerness, and love for life (and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of The Oppressed) led them to the conclusion that is rampant in their manifesto:

Joy is a right. Laughter is an anti-oppresive, anti-facist, and bolstering force that has the opportunity to liberate us from the things ensuring our pain.

One must wield it wisely. (By writing plays. Or whatever you do.)