hey, welcome

Austen (she/her) is a many-hatted maker. She craves and cultivates spaces of creative incubation that allow for the unveiling of undercurrents and underbellies. In life and in art, she centers collaboration and community, pleasure and play. As an actor, Austen has played on Broadway, on screen, and at theaters around the country, often telling stories through song (she’s currently playing Glinda in the national tour of WICKED). She’s a big believer in the power of live theater (+ music) as a sneaky little conduit to the shared well of human experience. As a teaching artist, Austen has served as one of Arts Ignite’s longest running residents, facilitating learning spaces and devising processes in India, South Africa, and all five boroughs of New York. As a songwriter, she releases tender tunes under the name Plain Austen. As a kooky aunt and trusty pal, she has painted many murals in the homes of loved ones. Austen is a yoga student/teacher, a slow-but-avid reader, an amateur chef, and an in-process-pursuer of decolonial frameworks. She loves dreams, Butoh, David Lynch, and composting.