We recently connected with Reena Dutt and have shared our conversation below.
Reena, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Finding purpose was a gradual process that always surrounded me in subtle ways. I had a teacher in gradeschool, Ms. Kim Lilly, who taught a social studies class, and she used songs to teach us the countries of the Middle East. Taking class with her was fun, and didn’t feel like work. Then, in high school I was on the Speech & Debate team and competed in interpretative events. From Anne Sexton’s poetry and David Ives’ plays, I became more aware of suicide and breaking gender stereotypes through blocking. Considering how much fun I had performing stories containing passive education and art’s ability to create empathy, it’s no surprise those two reasons are such a large part of why I direct theatre, film and audio.
I went to college and graduated with a degree in Media Arts, and immediately after, I left for Los Angeles to be an actor. The roles I was auditioning for, specifically written for my demographic, were almost always one-dimensional. It was unnerving after having so many supportive teachers surrounding me who wanted me to explore life beyond my own skin and culture, to then be boiled down to stereotypes by casting directors. None of these roles were of interest to me, so I started writing and producing material that I was excited by. Over the years these stories have grown into opportunities to explore inclusion beyond cultural identity. It’s meaningful to make work that leads audience to think more deeply about people they have never met, or never attempted connecting with and understand them better. Being a director, I get to pick and choose the stories I elevate and make sure they are in alignment with my purpose on stage/camera and also behind the scenes.
Although I am passionate about the purpose I have grown into, I am aware that how one’s purpose shifts with time is important too, and I’m looking forward to what happens in the coming years.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a director of theatre, film and audio. The latter half of high school involved my living in the theatre department and as a young adult I got a degree in Media Arts, went from acting for over a decade to producing film for almost another decade, ultimately landing as a director.
I used to feel like I needed to define myself as one thing – how would anyone take me seriously if I didn’t? That kind of thinking doesn’t always work in today’s climate, but in the early aughts, technology also didn’t lend to people being able to explore and strengthen their multiple skills as easily. The last couple decades have not only given people more access to explore their storytelling in terms of technology, but has also proven that hyphenates who dedicate themselves to learning, building the right team, working with the right collaborators, can really manifest a dream career.
The big point of shift to becoming a director was realizing that because of my life as an actor, I knew what actors were emotionally going through, and because of my life as a producer (I had worked as a production assistant in nearly every department before I started producing) I understood what the crew was physically and creatively going through, yet I was producing for folx who didn’t always have that kind of experience, so empathy across jobs was questionable. I also started having a clear creative vision when I was reading scripts that folx wanted to me to produce for them and cringed at the missed opportunities to allow a designer to creatively explore, or an actor to think outside the box and find nuance in performance. I was also producing a handful of films that were pure entertainment for a majority demographic (there’s a place for everything), and barely scratched the surface of something deeply impactful for a more introspective audience. I was burnt out of producing content I didn’t always resonate with that also elevated the careers around me. Once projects took off, as did careers as writers/directors/actors, I felt left behind (not a great quality for a producer, since a producer’s job is selfless). Although feeling unseen and unappreciated is most certainly not intended by others, this feeling woke me up.
Now I define myself as a director – whether it be through film, theatre or audio. My personal mission statement is that I’m dedicated to new and reimagined texts that catapult polarizing conversations through unexpected stories with the bodies, voices and life experiences of the under-heard. I want people to connect through laughter, conflict, confusion alongside characters they may never seek out to meet in their own lives – and if folx leave feeling neutral after seeing my work, I feel I’ve failed. Storytelling can have impact on an audience, so I am trying my best to choose my stories wisely. In addition, the impact on the other side of the stage/camera is equally as important. I hope I am successful at running an inclusive room that feels inspired, cared for, able to dream creatively and collaborate on telling a story together.
As for upcoming work, I’ll be directing a play at CalArts in early 2024, and another local theatre company (TBA), followed by directing a short film in SoCal that I was recently hired for. It’s rare I am hired on on the West coast for work, so I feel lucky to start the year off this way.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Be curious. Be comfortable saying “I don’t know.” Surround yourself with knowledgeable people who welcome your questions. Get familiar with all the ins and outs of the individuals helping make your work happen – from the Producers to the Production Assistants. You never know when a tidbit of new information will be helpful in making their or your life easier, creatively and practically. Being a director doesn’t mean you need to have all the answers.
Communicate. Whether you’re a director, producer, designer – anyone collaborating with others – do your best to communicate well. Chances are your ideas and thoughts will affect the team. Even before you get a job, the producers are gaging your communication style from the moment they reach out to check your availability and interest in a project. Your responses, or lack of, cause a trickle down effect to everyone else whether it slows them down because they are not hearing back from you, or helps them jump ahead in their own work, so be considerate with everyone’s time through communication so that trickle down effect has a positive impact.
Stay open to change. 9 times out of 10 there will be pivots or hurdles you will need to address due to time, resources, manpower, etc. That’s just part of the process, so stay open to being a creative problem solver. Sometimes the inability to execute something you dreamed up just leads to another choice that is equally as strong or stronger, and if you choose people you trust to work with you, you’ll find it. Be kind, communicate with your folx, and be curious so perhaps a better understanding of the situation allows you to stay open to change.
I feel like without these three personality traits, I wouldn’t have allowed myself to grow into the career I currently have and love.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
The past 12 months have been a whirlwind of growth for me for a number of reasons. Working regionally, I learned how to pivot quickly when told to dream big. Most of the theatres I worked with this past year were new to me, so understanding their production values, resources and manpower was an in-process experience. Some theatres in smaller markets had huge resources through their board and community members while theatres in more saturated markets had less resources but more manpower. Knowing how to pivot in real time became essential. The one commonality is money does not buy efficiency. It’s always a gift when moving pieces come together seamlessly and that has proven to be unrelated to resources and funding.
The biggest takeaway has been understanding that different regions of theatre have a unique language and experience on important topics surrounding inclusion and gender equity. Every region has their own story of progress, and being sensitive to what those conversations have looked like in the past can help a director in my body to understand how to approach different conversations in the future. The most important part of my growth this year is owning that I’m a Lean-In person. I want people to stay at the table and talk to each other, no matter their demographic or life experience. If a person misspeaks, perhaps that’s an opportunity for all of us to grow based on how we handle it. There is no blanket way to approach difficult conversations and I hope to stay sensitive to that so we continue welcoming dialogue.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reenadutt.com/
- Instagram: reena.dutt
- Facebook: reena.dutt.92
- Linkedin: reenadutt
- Twitter: reenadutt
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@reenadutt
Image Credits
This is not a True Story produced by Artists at Play. Guards at the Taj produced by Chester Theatre, photography by Reena Dutt. Found, photography by Jeanette Li Too Many Bodies, photography by Daphne Wu Snapshot!, photography by Steven Calcote The 17th Chapel, photography by Catalin Media The Hombres, photography by Lava Alapai and Blanca Forzan (BTS)
