Origin story
Born and raised in San Francisco in a family of artists (my parents are both writers and my older brother is a playwright and director), it was expected, perhaps even inevitable, that I’d become a creative myself. I wanted to be a Broadway star. Wait, no, a pop star. Actually, an Oscar-winning actress. Wait, no, an opera singer. Or a dancer! … okay, no, definitely not a dancer. Broadway star it was.
My interest in the performing arts only deepened as I got older. I threw myself heart-first into every artistic endeavor I could find (and that my parents would drive me to). I performed trained at several amazing programs, including the San Francisco Girls Chorus and Korsa Musical Theater. I spent every waking moment outside of school singing, studying music, and rehearsing for incredible musical productions, all under the guidance of teachers and directors that I absolutely worshipped. I went on to study theater at The New School in New York City, and spent a year in London really honing my skills as an actor, studying Shakespeare with legends like Fiona Shaw and Derek Jacoby.
14-year-old Celeste in the ensemble of Anything Goes
Grown-up Celeste in her ultimate happy-place
(being silly with her dog on a Bay Area hike)
As my college journey came to an end and I contemplated how I wanted to continue my theater career, I took stock of what it was I truly loved about being a theater artist. What did I really want to do with this degree, with these skills, with this love? And I realized that at every step of my journey as a young artist, it was my teachers and mentors who made the experiences unforgettable, who opened a door to a world that I wanted to live in. Those were my heroes, the people whose careers I wanted to emulate. What I really wanted, more than anything, was to work with talented, devoted, hungry young artsy weirdos like I had been. So I returned to the Bay and got a job at my musical theater alma mater, Korsa, where I’ve been on staff since 2018. I teach classes and workshops, I cast all the shows, and I get to direct the most talented young people I’ve ever met in incredible productions. It’s very full-circle for me.
Of course, I could never turn my back on my first love: performing. I audition whenever I come across an exciting project; I perform whenever those auditions are successful! My teaching schedule keeps me pretty busy, but I will always make time to act and sing and tell stories. It’s what’s always given my life meaning and joy. I hope to be teaching and making art in the Bay Area for a long, long time.