My name is Briana Sophia Gause and I am an artist. I am an exuberant, whimsical 12-year-old, with the soul of a wise and nurturing 50-year-old mother who loves to tell stories. I was raised in white suburbia, on Chicken Soup for the Soul, and the historic tales of black excellence. As I got older, I became friends with Jesus, 90’s hip-hop, Doctor Who, and Suzan-Lori Parks. All this has brought me to this point of time where I, a radically loving, hybrid, afro-futuristic artist, can live amongst those like Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Donald Glover, and Jordan Peele. I write stories that explore the dimensions of humans and who they are and how that informs what they are capable of. In my script, Summer, I wrote a play that spoke to the child inside of each of us, the one who wants to laugh and the one who was always misunderstood. I direct work, such as Beneatha’s Place, with the intention to invite audiences to sit and get comfortable with characters they want to love or hate, but through realistic attention to details, and guiding motions,  you understand why you feel that way. I play parts from Donkey in Shrek the Musical  to Trust in An Incomplete list of All the Things I'm Going to Miss When the World is No Longer, where in new and old works I offer bold bright choices that make a performance illuminate. I capture moments on film of people who make you wonder what exactly was going through their head in that moment. I take the rhythms and tensions that flow through my body, and exert them onto my canvas of choice. I am a writer, director, performer, painter, and person who captures moments with a camera. I make work that evokes empathy in its audiences and encourages them to be more open with the rest of the world. I think everyone wants to love and to be loved and my art gives me the opportunity to fulfill my give and take with love through those who interact within my realm of creativity