Sacred Fools Artist Residency Program

We are thrilled to announce Sacred Fools Theater Company's first-ever Artists in Residence!

These artists were selected for their bold voices, deep commitment to theatre, and passion for telling stories that challenge, surprise, and connect us.

Over the coming months, they'll be developing brand-new work right here at Sacred Fools - work that wouldn't exist without the space, time, and support this residency provides.

Rachel Park is a Los Angeles-based director for live performance interested in interdisciplinary theatrical experiences and collaborative new play development. Her work has been performed at REDCAT, MOCA Los Angeles, Walker Art Center, École de la Comédie de Saint-Étienne, Edinburgh International Festival, Center for the Arts at Kayenta, The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, The Vagrancy, The Blank, The Road Theatre, Under St. Marks, Stella Adler Hollywood, Theatre Row NYC, and The New American Theatre. Additional collaborations of note include production work with Apple, Center Theatre Group, NBC Universal, Los Angeles Performance Practice, Page 73, and CalArts Center for New Performance.

In addition to her artistic practice, Rachel also works as a freelance development consultant for nonprofit arts organizations. She is currently the General Manager for Dan Froot & Company, a theater company committed to creating productions, podcasts, and community gatherings that foster dialogue around pressing social questions.

She holds an MFA in Directing from California Institute of the Arts, a BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University, and is an alumnus of Directors Lab West. Rachel was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. www.rsvpark.com

Semaj Miller, if you asked him - and we did - is many things: actor-who-sings, educator, cultural preservationist, clown, troublemaker. But at the moment, the most accurate description is his own - a bluesman cosplaying as a classically trained actor.
A graduate of lauded drama programs at Syracuse University (BFA, Acting) and the Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Washington (MFA, Acting), Semaj's regional theatre work has carried him from the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, he has played in the worlds of Alexander Dumas, August Wilson, Shakespeare, James Ijames, and others.

Yet his love affair with storytelling began long before he ever knew what theatre was.

Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Semaj first fell in love with performance by watching his relatives at the card table on Saturday nights. Anyone familiar with Southern Baptist traditions knows that everything is heightened - the music, the movement, the emotion. His family reunions were weekly Blues tent revivals, filled with dramatic reenactments, card-slapping, dark liquor, and fellowship.

This devotion to family, Chicago, theatre, community, and storytelling is chronicled in his humorous and heartfelt grant-award-winning Blues cabaret Sweet Bea's, originally workshopped and performed through the Green Show at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

If you were to ask Semaj what his job as an artist is he'd first look to August Wilson who once wrote, "The blues help you get out of bed in the morning... knowing you ain't alone. This be an empty world without the blues." Then, he'd say, that's my job... to help people feel less alone, maybe give em a lil something to make it to the next day.

Like a bluesman, Semaj has spent years as an artistic nomad - moving from town to town, hoping that a show or a song resonated with someone. Semaj is honored to be at Sacred Fools, grateful to have found an artistic home, and excited about what they can create together.

Offstage, Semaj is a tennis lover, most at peace at the Bid Whist table or in the kitchen frying catfish and swapping stories passed down through generations. It's his way of keeping tradition - and the memory of those who came before - alive.

Joie Mitchell is an actor, writer, director, singer-songwriter, and farmer. They have written, directed, and performed in works supported by Chain Theatre, Circle X Theatre Company, and HERO Theatre.

In addition to their artistic practice, Joie also works at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater and represents District 1 in the Youth Climate Commission as a Commissioner informing LA County's Board of Supervisors and departments on programs related to climate change.

Tyler Hayes Stilwill (they/them) spent most of their first life (pre-transition) bouncing from world to world, pretending to be a variety of "men." Six years as the Artistic Director of the Black Hawk Children's Theater, an actor, a writer, a tattoo artist, a singer/songwriter, an international marketing executive, an acting professor and even a few years stocking shelves at Trader Joe's. Since the rebirth in 2019, they have been working to deepen their relationship with the Trans community as an actor, an acting professor, a writer and director, focusing in on telling their incredibly compelling and often completely ignored stories. In 2023 and 2024 they directed readings for ACTNOW's Trans/Gender-Nonconforming play reading festival. Recently they've appeared in three Hollywood Fringe productions: in 2021 as the Bandit King in the award winning Gideon and the Blundersnorp, in 2024 as Shiloh Beck in the award winning This Show is Surrounded by True Events, and in 2025 as John in Fringe Award-Nominated Family Fries.

About the Program:

Our brand-new Artist Residency Program is a unique 18-month residency designed to empower mid-career theatre makers to take bold risks, deepen their practice, and create in community.

For nearly 30 years, Sacred Fools Theater Company has been committed to developing new work and being an active participant in our community through a variety of workshops, productions, and educational opportunities. Sacred Fools champions diverse voices and bold, original theatrical work. We are dedicated to equity and to pushing the boundaries of traditional theatre-making through fearless creative expression.

Each year, we will be seeking four participants who identify as actors, writers, directors, choreographers, or multidisciplinary theatre practitioners and are ready to bring original ideas (or re-imaginings of classics) into collaboration with fellow artists. Over the course of the residency, artists will develop work that culminates in a public presentation - showcasing process, experimentation, and discovery.

What Residents Receive

What Residents Give

This program is about growth, play, and shared artistry. It's a space where mid-career artists can step outside of "production mode" to reconnect with process, ignite new work, and engage with a community that thrives on curiosity and boldness. Selected participants must be local to the Los Angeles area, and be actively creating art in their chosen discipline(s).

Come join us in shaping the future of theatre!