An Update from Studio Connections

We’ve always believed that theatre is at its best when it responds to the moment it’s living in.

This season has asked us to do just that.

Earlier this year, our planned production of The White Chip was paused due to unexpected construction at the Cabaret Theatre. While disappointing, the pause created space for something more aligned with the heart of the work.

We are grateful to share that The White Chip will now be presented in May, during National Mental Health Month, with the support of St. Francis in the Foothills, as part of a broader effort to raise awareness and encourage thoughtful conversation around mental health, addiction, and recovery.

This feels like the right home for the play.

The White Chip is not a story about failure. It is a story about showing up — again and again — even when the path forward is uncertain. In that sense, the journey of this production mirrors the values that have guided Studio Connections from the beginning.

At the same time, we continue to grow our educational mission. This summer, we are planning a youth arts camp that centers creativity, mentorship, and belonging — especially for young people who may not otherwise have access to sustained arts programming. For many students, the arts offer a rare space to be seen, heard, and valued.

Taken together, these projects reflect what Studio Connections strives to do:
create theatre that serves the whole community.

We are deeply thankful to our artists, collaborators, partners, and supporters who continue to walk with us — especially during moments of transition. Your belief in this work makes it possible to keep moving forward with intention and care.

This is not a season of delay.
It is a season of alignment.

Hello and Welcome Back!

Hard to believe ten years have passed since Studio Connections, once a vibrant hub for young artists, closed its doors. Since then, I spent four years on ‘sabbatical’ in my native Philippines, where I served as a music director and touring artist with a national theatre company, mentoring young performers and bringing socially relevant productions to schools across the country. That chapter was followed by six meaningful years teaching in an Arizona public school. With that, I’m clocking in at 30 (plus?) years as a teaching artist. The journey has shaped me as much as I hope I’ve shaped others.

Exhausted with outrage over our worsening political chaos, I’m directing my attention to the one place that offers genuine clarity and solace: the theatre. My own theatre. It remains a sacred home — a space for reflection, connection, and truth. A place to breathe, to navigate creative tension, to rediscover meaning.

I know I’m not alone in feeling the weight of survival. Addiction wears many faces—alcohol, overwork, perfectionism, social media. At the root of it is a shared vexation: a need to numb or escape from an unnamed affliction. The struggle, for many of us, is a cry for help.

That’s why THE WHITE CHIP is the right story for this moment.

Written by Sean Daniels, THE WHITE CHIP is a sharp, moving, and unexpectedly funny play about one man’s journey through addiction and recovery. It’s unflinchingly honest and genuinely personal without becoming insular or self-indulgent. Daniels steers clear of moralizing, instead adopting a compassionate, often hilarious invitation into the messy realities of healing. For anyone who’s wrestled with addiction, or supported someone who has, this play speaks with clarity, humanity, and heart.

This relaunch also renews our commitment to theatre education. Teaching is in my DNA, and Studio Connections will once again be a space for mentorship, training, and nurturing the next generation of artists. There’s more to come, and I look forward to unfolding that vision with you.

So whether you’ve followed our journey from the start or you’re discovering us now, welcome. Come as you are. Bring your curiosity, your questions, your laughter, your silence.

Studio Connections is back to tell stories that matter. Stories that connect, challenge, and maybe even heal.

We begin with THE WHITE CHIP, slated for May 1-10, 2026, at St. Francis in the Foothills. More to follow! - RE

We’re Back!

After a long hiatus, Studio Connections returns—with renewed purpose. This time, we’re building something more intentional. At the intersection of theatre and education, we’re committed to telling stories that matter. Our first step: The White Chip, a powerful exploration of recovery and redemption. Stay tuned for interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and reflections on the kind of theatre that brings us together.