Artist Statement
A lifelong scribbler, my childhood creations ranged from the silly “Reindeer Droppings” song at age seven to a comedic middle school play about a disillusioned superhero in therapy. Humor still infuses my plays and musicals, but now serves to open audience members’ hearts and minds to more serious themes—such as a penguin desperate to convince Congress to combat climate change in my play Cassie Goes to Congress. My work also explores forces that constrain, shape, and liberate complex female characters. For instance, in my play There’s Always Tomorrow, protagonist Harper longs to venture beyond her conservative Southwest Virginia town but feels held back by marriage and motherhood as the years of her life slip away. I’m driven to write for theater by its power to inspire empathy, bring people together in community to share laughter and sorrow, and at its best, provoke thoughtful conversation far beyond the performance itself.
Sonya Hayden_Rehearsal of my play Cassie Goes to Congress_2022_featuring Nadia Diamond at New Perspectives Theatre