We were lucky to catch up with OnWord Theatre recently and have shared our conversation below.

OnWord Theatre, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

OnWord Theatre was created by three black women with a passion for theatre. Marti Gobel, Danielle Bunch, and Jamaelya Hines have worked extensively in the theatre for many years honing their craft in all areas of theatre presentation and production. Their combined struggles and triumphs were the topic of much conversation in the dressing room as they prepared to share the stage in a production of “STEW” at Scripps Ranch Theatre. The women quickly teased out that they could add to the tapestry of San Diego theatre with their combined skill sets. But, the creation of a theatre company in the midst of the struggling theatre arts meant that they would be collectively be taking a large risk. The risk, however, wasn’t just financial…

The risk was is in presenting works that were a reflection of their artistry including but not necessarily focusing on their cultural identities.

The risk was in their intention to present a myriad of stories penned by not only playwrights of color but by drawing from the theatre canon in its entirety.

The risk was in launching their theatre company drawing from humanity and adding their unique experiences to the stories they sought to tell. And by doing so they deepened the risk by seeking to produce universal stories through specific cultures and sub-cultures.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The Artistic Leadership team, Marti, Danielle, and Jamaelya, of OnWord Theatre were all great lovers of theatre. All three studied at the university level to hone their craft and develop the muscles needed to navigate the complexities of professional performance art. Among them, they hold degrees in Performance Theater, Philosophy, Arts Administration, Dance and Accounting. They are incredibly unique in their collective willingness to study, absorb, and share gained knowledge with patrons and supporters.

Due to the knowledge found within OnWord Theatre’s Artistic Leadership team, the group came to the creative table with the tools to create immersive theatre including works from classical to contemporary plays. OnWord Theatre provides exciting productions never before presented in San Diego. The San Diego community has expressed their desire for exciting and fresh works that engender and reinvigorate a deeper appreciation for the power of theatre; OnWord Theatre is dedicated to answering to those desires. However, OnWord Theatre is most proud of their ability to collaborate with fellow artists with joy, dedication, and a fierce focus on the professionalism needed to produce a quality theatre experience for our artists and the patrons who witness our work. OnWord Theatre is driven with a focus on kindness and respect.

OnWord Theatre’s 2025 season was launched with the idea that theatre moves people to their better selves. In the selecting of their productions for their inaugural 2025 season, the women of OnWord Theatre produced a fundraising event that asked artists to explore the boundaries of their skills with “AGAINST TYPE: Roles I Could Play But Never Will.” The evening was a celebration of the incredible range found within the local talent. Guests to the event were treated to an African American woman presenting one Shakespeare’s most celebrated kings, a rock band made up entirely of 9 yr old South Asian boys, a young Caucasian individual singing from the musical “AIDA,” and more. The company then went on to present a hybrid-staged reading of “MUTHALAND” by Minita Gandhi. The one-woman show featured local artist Sutheshna Mani who beautifully told the tale of a woman torn between two cultures and the epiphanies she experienced on the heels of a life-changing traumatic event. OnWord Theatre’s most recent creative offering was “HILLARY AND CLINTON” by Lucas Hnath. In collaboration with the Alma Hotel downtown, the play was presented in an immersive style, offering the means for those who were in attendance to reimagine not only two political legends but the way in which theatre itself could be experienced.

OnWord Theatre triumphed in all three productions with little financial resources, no established venue, and no name recognition all while producing the play in-house. From directions to performing, from marketing to stage management, from patron services and costuming to props, the women of OnWord Theatre offered San Diego a new voice to great welcome.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Oh, yes. As African American women we have found that there is a constant battle redefining what it is that people think that our particular instruments can and/or should present. That is, yes we are women of color but that does not mean that we are any less qualified to approach projects outside of our ethnic and/or cultural identities. When OnWord Theatre was initially launched, the assumption was that we were looking to be San Diego’s newest African American theatre company OR San Diego’s newest female-focused theatre company. Neither is true. We desire and are capable of producing a myriad of works made all the richer because of how we present and identify. OnWord Theatre was founded with the idea that we are simply artists with a love of words. That is at the center of our creative souls, not how society wishes to pigeonhole us.

What non-creatives may struggle to understand is that this path is fraught with challenges. And though we embrace these challenges, they do exist. Through our actions and artistic activities we hope to re-wire what is expected of us. OnWord Theatre firmly believes that it is our right to produce ANY play that answers to our mission regardless of whether or not it is black-themed or female-themed. We hope to prove, by example, that the theatre arena is made richer by this approach. We hope to prove, by example, that by expanding that imagination and whimsy have no boundaries in regard to race and gender.

The struggle is found in the resistance we experience by simply asking to be included in and considered for projects outside of how we present.

We hope to ease this struggle for emerging and seasoned artists alike.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

By acknowledging and respecting the gifts we bring to society… We as a species would not be here without the experiences of telling and receiving stories. Society can support creatives like us by allowing us to work and live at a level that is reflective of our gifts to humanity. The easiest way to do that is (at a minimum) to strive to compensate us with a living wage. Being an artist is a full-time career yet there are so many artists that have to have multiple jobs in order to create. Humans of all ages are more sympathetic and empathetic when they know how to express themselves. The same philosophy can be applied to how we interact with others. We at OnWord Theatre look to the day when the term “struggling artist” is not applicable to finances but rather to the struggle of perfecting a creative offering. This begins by allowing artists of all disciplines to have the space and freedom to dream, to create, to play, to mine our creative souls, and the space to share our discoveries in a safe and welcoming society.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://onwordtheatre.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OnWordTheatre
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564057611583&sk=about

Image Credits

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