We recently connected with Paloma Sierra and have shared our conversation below.

Paloma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am a writer, director, and dramaturg who develops stories for theater and film. I learned to do what I do through passion, hands-on experiences, and by devouring all sorts of media.

From a young age, my passion for reading and writing (poetry) fueled my interest in storytelling. Inspired by Calderon de la Barca’s “Life is a Dream,” I first wrote poetry for the stage while in high school, and won a literary contest for it. Interested in exploring playwriting further, I took an “Introduction to Playwriting” class in my first semester at college. The experience opened my eyes to the performing arts as a medium where I could merge and explore all my interdisciplinary interests. This led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and scenic design, followed by an MFA in Dramatic Writing at Carnegie Mellon. Pursuing higher education during the isolating COVID-19 pandemic reaffirmed my love for collaborative storytelling, leading me to expand my skills to include directing, musical theater writing, translation, and performance.

To this day, I leverage my passion, training, and own experiences to support writers, composers, directors, designers, and performers in the development and production of new works across stage and film.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a writer, director, and dramaturg with new work development, arts education, and community engagement experience. I help writers, composers, directors, designers, and performers to challenge, inspire, and engage diverse communities as audiences and storytellers alike. Envisioning a future where multilingual and multicultural stories are a celebrated norm, I advocate for and give voice to stories to foster an industry that genuinely reflects the diverse, cosmopolitan societies that we live in.

I have developed new plays, musicals, and operas across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, securing development and production opportunities at renowned venues like Kiln Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe, Berkeley Rep, and the Kennedy Center. My work across stage and film has earned me a Fulbright scholarship, an appointment as the first Emerging Poet Laureate of Allegheny County, and recognition from the Dramatists Guild of America, the Writers Guild Foundation, and various film and poetry festivals.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society can best support artists, creatives, and a thriving creative ecosystem by celebrating diversity, making professional and training opportunities accessible to all, and rectifying decades of under- and mis-representation within the industry. Passionate about arts education and community engagement, I’ve written more about this topic on my Medium, with a specific focus on the Latinx community. You can read my thoughts here: https://medium.com/illumination/from-margins-to-mainstream-leveraging-latinx-talent-voices-and-stories-in-the-entertainment-2e073f7de9bf

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential?

Finding a supportive community and defining one’s personal ethos is key to navigating the ups and downs of an artistic career. Connecting with individuals who you admire, share your values and interests, and who believe in you and your work, can fuel you to learn, thrive, and grow. Likewise, defining and understanding your artistic ethos can keep you focused, intentional, and dedicated, especially during challenging times. Ever-evolving and intrinsic to each other, supportive communities and personal ethos are essential for all artists. The best way to identify both may be figuring out “what brings you joy” and building from there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pasierra.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pasierra
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pasierra
• Twitter: https://x.com/pasierrah

Image Credits

Fer Devincenzi, Athens Conservatoire, Olga Iglesias Project, Rory Chambers, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, White Snake Projects, Carnegie Mellon Playground