The Storyteller Studio 22-23 Cohort Portfolio
Nyasia Drye
About Me
I attended Rutgers-NJIT Theatre Arts program, where I have since obtained my BA in Theatre and English. I am currently an English teacher. When not in the classroom, I spend my time building up my craft. I am currently invested in two major projects: one stage play (Dr. Heidi & The Tales of FrankenDoll) and one animated series (Late Nights with Kiki). As a writer I like to tell stories I would have loved reading at any given point in my life so far. My work tends to focus on the growing pains of being a young, Black, nerdy girl, managing and coming to terms with mental health issues, familial dynamics within a black household and taking up space as a queer, fat Black woman. I love surrealism, fantasy and Sci-fi, this shows in my work. Some future goals of mine include graduate school and producing my two projects mentioned above.
Q+A
How would you describe yourself as an artist?
As a writer I like to tell stories I would have loved reading at any given point in my life so far. My work tends to focus on the growing pains of being a young, Black, nerdy girl, managing and coming to terms with mental health issues, familial dynamics within a black household and taking up space as a queer, fat Black woman. I love surrealism, fantasy and Sci-fi, this shows in my work.
How have you grown during your time in the Storyteller Studio?
I feel more comfortable and confident in my writing. Prior to being a member of the Storyteller Studio, I had this fear of showing my work to others yet alone putting it out there into the void. It’s one thing to say with writing comes immense failures and another thing to actively put yourself through it anyway, these days I do.
What does it mean to you to be an artist in our current moment?
Being an artist in this current moment, especially in this burgeoning age of technology and AI, means staying authentic, remaining true to myself and my integrity as a human being not just an artist or educator.
How has this program shaped your understanding of dramaturgy and collaboration?
Prior to joining the program, I looked at dramaturgy as a tool for use after the play has gone to production, but I realize now that a good dramaturg is there throughout the process from the beginning not just at the end. It has been beyond helpful making edits to my play with dramaturgs present during the meeting to ask me legit questions for consideration about logistical things about the play.
What's next for you?
Some future goals of mine include graduate school and producing my two projects Dr. Heidi and Late Nights with Kiki.
Dr. Heidi & the Tales of Frankendoll
Dr. Heidi & The Tales of Frankendoll is a story of grief, forgiveness, sacrifice and the many
faces of what love can look like. It follows the life of a young girl (Heidi) as she navigates the stages of grief, mental health, and changing familial dynamics. Heidi and her family all process the loss of the family patriarch in their own specific way and face having to either lean into family during times of hardship, or turn away into the individual psyche for self preservation. I began this project at 17 years old, it initially began as a concept of black girls enjoying “traditionally nerdy” things, pursuing scientific endeavors, getting their hands dirty, watching shows like Criminal Minds or NCIS, playing DnD, all creative pastimes that I was not allowed to enjoy without some type of backlash growing up. From that thought, I wrote a comedic one act play of the same name that explored a single moment of the titular character’s name, Heidi is in the throes of creating an evil experiment when she is hastily interrupted by her brother. During my final year of high school I produced this version of the play with my fellow alumni in New York. Since then, I have wondered what that story would look like for a girl who had a parent that allowed her to be her full, unencumbered self but then lost that parent, that lifeline abruptly and without any real closure. The story has since become not just that little girl’s story, but the story of a family. How does a family heal and get back to a place of loving, unabridged understanding and care, how does that family show up for their most vulnerable member when everyone is hurting in their own way?
I am happy to have been able to explore my play further with the NJPL Storyteller Studio as the ensemble set up of a collaborative work space is exactly what I needed to flesh out my story. The premise of this play is community, desperately trying to be there for and understand those closest to you and being in an environment where everyone comes together, everyone share’s their ideas whether they are a playwright or dramaturg really informed some of the intimate details of the play I had not considered up until now. The following excerpt is a reimagining of that very first draft of the play, a sister and her brother both grappling with the loss of their father, trying to be there for the other but failing at every turn and hurting the other in the process. A goal of mine has always been to reproduce this play with a larger cast and complete revisions, I feel I am a step closer to that goal.