We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beatrice Owens a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Beatrice, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

You know, it’s so difficult to label any one project or experience as the “most meaningful” but I do think that the project that has been really pivotal in helping me to embrace my multi-hyphenate artistic identity was the We Are Actors’ A Night of One Acts in April 2023.

So, if we back it up, this all was ultimately possible because of my sweet friend Brie Covington. I get an email from her in March 2023 with a forwarded attachment about this festival seeking submissions and a “Would you be interested in this?”

I immediately start digging through my laptop for any of my work that might fit the brief. There isn’t a ton but I land on this one piece, boat play, which was written largely as an exercise for a writer’s room I had been a part of for a while.

I fire off the submission and think nothing of it. At this point, I have a hard time really thinking of myself as a playwright and I certainly didn’t think this silly play about drunk men in an inflatable canoe was going to stand out amongst what I imagine was a ton of brilliant submissions.

Well, shortly after I get an email that my play has been selected and could I have my cast/creative team over to them in like a week or so? This is the kind of scrappy, DIY theatre that I love BUT I am also terrified because I didn’t have anyone attached to this project and there wasn’t much time to put a team together.

I reach out to my partner-in-art, Shabbi Sharifi, and ask if she’ll join me as my Assistant Director. The intention was that playwrights would largely direct their own work but something that has always been important to me is having fresh eyes on a piece. I feel like I’m too close to it to be critical about what’s working and what isn’t. Shabbi has that eye and also an imagination that is beautiful and wacky and perfect for this kind of creative process.

Okay, so I now have a performance date and a collaborator but no boys to put in that boat.

I put out a “casting notice” on my instagram story and start texting any and all of the men I know who might be interested and available. I have friends sending me their friends and colleagues that they’d recommend (shout out to Rachel Belleman).

I suddenly have men submitting self-tapes?! I was teary eyed watching every single one. As someone who spends most of my time as a creative submitting tapes that don’t even get watched…it was a really moving experience to be on the “other side” of that table. I felt honored that people wanted to be a part of this.

I found my boat boys in the fabulously talented Mikey Fiocco and MK McManus.

And then into rehearsals we went. The imposter syndrome was REAL. Accepting the title of playwright/director was challenging. As was leading a cast of two men as a woman. The piece is about men but on a much larger scale it’s about emotional vulnerability, grief, and the power of human connection wrapped up in an absurd, magical, silly bow.

The moment that I knew the experience would change me forever was during a rehearsal. Mikey and MK were chatting and then the conversation turned to something deeply vulnerable and personal. I just sort of stepped out of myself and thought, “this is what the whole play is about and I’m watching it happen in real life, right in front of me.”

The festival was a success and we were all surrounded by friends and family. If I’m honest, though, the greatest joy of it was being in that rehearsal room with them. It was watching Mikey and MK show up with joy and openness. It was seeing Shabbi turn herself into a beer can raining cloud to solve a technical issue, creating a whole new level to the piece in the process. It was the way I was able to take ownership of my work and creative aspirations.

The piece just helped me in the process of receiving a writer’s residency spot at In Cahoots Residency in September 2025 where I’m hoping to complete my newest full-length play.

So, boat play is a gift that keeps on giving.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Of course! I’m an actor, playwright, theatre educator, multi-hyphenate, and bagel enthusiast based in Astoria, Queens.

I have a BA in Theatre Performance from James Madison University (Go Dukes) and a MA in Musical Theatre Performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

I was always so happy with my choice to attend a liberal arts university because it gave me the freedom to explore so many facets of the performing arts. I took acting classes but I also took voice lessons, playwriting classes, attended a Butoh workshop in Japan on scholarship, and general education classes that spanned from South Asian literature to a (dreaded) lab science. I really believe that in order to be a grounded performer you need to understand and explore life outside of the studio/rehearsal room/theatre and my undergrad experience helped me understand this first-hand.

My masters experience was wild and fantastic. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is one of the world’s leading performing arts education institutions. The training was unparalleled and different from many US institutions in really encouraging multi-hyphenate artists. It was at the RCS that I developed my American Bitch cabaret concept, which I have since developed into a number of professional cabaret performances.

In the city, I work as an actor, playwright, and theatre educator. The bulk of my auditions and work as an actor is in musical theatre. As a playwright, my writing is focused on lore, water, and the magic of big, messy feelings. And as a theatre educator, I work with tweens, teens, and young adults on acting and auditioning. A lot of that coaching is assisting middle school kids with their performing arts auditions for high schools. I love working with that age group and seeing how theatre helps them grow their confidence and sense of self.

Outside of creative pursuits, I wear many hats. I work as virtual administrator for mental health professionals, childcare provider, event coordinator, and so much more. I like to be busy and I like variety in my work – creative or otherwise.

The thing I’d most like people to know about me and my work is that collaboration is at the center of everything I do. I truly feel that I’m at my best when I’m working as part of a team. There is magic in community and that’s the place I want to create from, in all things.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Fund. The. Arts.

While in Scotland, a country that nationally funds the arts, I witnessed up close the positive impact that comes from funding the creative ecosystem. The importance of national funding, socialized healthcare, and guaranteed income programs for artists allows for artists to take risks in what they create. It also provides space and security with which artists can explore the full capacity of their creativity.

On a personal level, support art that is bold and edgy and maybe not within the mainstream. There are so many new works closing on Broadway for lack of an audience. Seek out emerging art and artists, it helps the industry learn that there is interest and support for work that breaks the cookie cutter commercial mold.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To connect. Everything I do within the arts is an opportunity to collaborate and connect with other people. Whether it’s booking a role or getting a play produced, it’s a vehicle for further human connection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beatriceowens.com
• Instagram: @busylittlebea

Image Credits

Shani Hadjian
Rachel Belleman
Benjamin Kapit