As a director, I am most inspired by stories that cross temporal, cultural, and socioeconomic divides, which is one of the key elements that draws me to early modern theatre and opera (though I am equally passionate about new and devised theatre and ensemble work). Epic stories and stakes, while often at odds with our contemporary sense of realism, endure because they speak to something intrinsically human in all of us. They spark imagination and allow us to embrace those larger-than-life emotions in ourselves, and I believe it is vital to continue to produce such works with a focus on reimagining and recontextualizing them for the 21st century.