Meet SB Tennent

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to SB Tennent. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi SB, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Rejection is a great teacher. For every yes I’ve received, there have been a thousand nos—and I’m talking dating, work, college, grant applications, you name it. My line of work requires constant applying: for proposals, grants, programs. For me, applying has become a practice, a discipline. With every form I submit comes a chance to clarify my message, my purpose, my direction. It’s an opportunity to apply, in every sense of the word.

The hard part, of course, is facing the oh so many rejections that follow—and still continuing onward. It’s in those moments, when the door shuts (after I cry a little, sometimes—TBH), that I gain a better understanding of what I want and how this “no” fits into my story. It’s about the bigger picture, and how each new “no” becomes part of the puzzle.

How can I learn from it? Reframing rejection in this way is a big part of where my resilience comes from. That, and naps.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a first-generation Iranian-American interdisciplinary artist & director of new plays, musicals, and classics whose work has been described as “visually arresting” (ONE Magazine) and “unapologetically experimental” (Time Out NY). My practice spans multiple forms, including live performance, film, photo essays, pop-political collage, and experiential installation. I have developed work at Onassis ONX Studio, Mercury Store, BRIC, Ars Nova, New York Theatre Workshop, 3LD Art & Technology Center, The Drama League, New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, The TEAM, Prague Film & Theater Center, The Red House Center for Culture & Debate in Bulgaria, Goldex Poldex Gallery in Poland, Ikincikat Theatre in Turkey, Laguardia Performing Arts Center & others.

I am also the Co-Founder & Director of Built4Collapse, an award-winning arts collective creating highly athletic & bold new work that asks difficult questions about our current moment. We are committed to an artist-first approach, reframing systemic challenges as opportunities for innovation. Our spaces are racially, generationally, and culturally diverse, with a focus on fair pay over material expenses. Through contemporary devising, playwriting, choreography, and innovative generative practices, we have produced over 20 original theatrical works, short films, and gallery exhibitions. @built4collapse

Upcoming: IRANIAN GIRLFRIEND, Premiering September 2025 at MITU580 in Brooklyn
Written & Directed by SB Tennent

An interdisciplinary performance piece that about a 38-year-old underemployed journalist with a penchant for gin who receives an unexpected call at an airport bar that sends her on a quest to unlock her past. Blending original writing, adapted Medea scenes, and found text with immersive design, the fractured narrative explores history, mythology, and memory—personal and collective. Evolving from a solo show to an ensemble-driven multimedia experience, it invites reflection on identity, resilience, and the transformative power of storytelling. Created with artist support from New Georges’ In Collaboration With program, made possible by the Venturous Theater Fund. Additional support from NYSCA, The Puffin Foundation, and the Anna Sosenko Trust.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Collaborative thinking: The best idea in the room wins—always. Leave your ego at the door.

Exercise: Move your body. It jumpstarts your brain and helps the ideas flow.

Welcome discomfort: No one said this would be easy—or even fun. Learn to tolerate hard conversations and tough topics. It makes the discipline easier to sustain.

Everyone builds these qualities in their own way, but for me, it’s about practice, habit, and surrounding myself with friends, mentors, and colleagues who embody them.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

I used to think I had to do it all on my own; that being a leader, an artist, a director meant holding onto full creative control. I’m a perfectionist by nature, and for a long time I believed being a visionary required perfectionism. I kept racing against my own clock, convinced that if I didn’t do it fast, it wouldn’t get done at all. But a lot has shifted in the past year. I’ve made big mistakes and had to own them—and, just as importantly, forgive myself. My collective has grown rapidly, and I’ve had to make more intentional choices about how to support that expansion without burning out. The last time we scaled this quickly, I nearly shut the whole thing down. But something about the space we’ve built together continues to feel vital, not just for my current collaborators but for a new generation of incredible artists. That feels good.

Learning to give up control, or rather to balance control with generosity and trust, has been a major area of growth for me. I like to get things done, and I like them done fast. In the past, that meant staying up late, working alone to ensure everything was completed my way—the “right” way—only to revise it later after hearing my collaborators’ excellent ideas, shared during more reasonable hours.

And so, I can’t do it alone. Expanding our reach also means expanding the leadership circle. If we don’t share creative control, what’s the point of coming together? What’s in it for the group? I’ve been in situations where I was expected to fetch coffee and carry out someone else’s vision. It didn’t feel good, and I have no interest in recreating that dynamic for anyone else.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

#1 Charlie Dennis, Featuring Jessica Almasy & Tobi Jaunzemis
#2 Dave Tennent
#3 Charlie Dennis, Featuring Tobi Jaunzemis
#4 Charlie Dennis, Featuring Robert M =. Johanson
#5 Josephine Hawley, Featuring SB Tennent
#6 Unknown
#7 David Andrako
#8 Joey Liu, Featuring Vasilia Drevoba & Vincent Santvoord

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