Making Culture, Not Just Theater with Melory Mirashrafi

What if rehearsal room leaders considered themselves “culture workers”?

This episode is a deeply resonant conversation with theater director, cultural worker, and producer Melory Mirashrafi, and it redefines what leadership in the arts can (and should) look like.

Melory shares how their personal and artistic origin story, from growing up in Portland to adapting ancient Persian epics, shaped their approach to room leadership, inclusion, and care. With humor, insight, and grounded clarity, they explain why creating safe, collaborative spaces is not a bonus; it's a fundamental part of the job.

Together, we unpack what it means to be a culture worker in today’s theater landscape, and why soft skills aren’t soft at all. We discuss the power of live performance in an era of censorship and AI, and how intentional leadership can serve as a form of resistance, resilience, and repair.

Whether you're leading a production or just trying to survive in the arts right now, this conversation will remind you that holding space with integrity matters. It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence.

Here’s what we cover:

• What it means to be a cultural worker (and why Melory prefers that title)

• How their Persian identity shaped their path into theater

• The difference between cultural consulting and cultural holding

• What happened behind the scenes of the play English, and why it was so transformative

• The quiet power of room agreements and flexible leadership

• How to build trust across differences, even in pressure-filled rooms

• Why live theater may be one of our last tools for resistance

• The importance of slowing down and doing nothing (yes, really)

• Why soft skills are now non-negotiable for artistic leadership

• A rallying cry for rest, responsibility, and reimagining what theater can be

This episode is thoughtful, courageous, and full of heart. It’s a must-listen for anyone who believes that how we create is just as important as what we create.

I hope this conversation stays with you and perhaps even shifts the way you think about leadership, art-making, and care.

Thanks for being here. And remember, there’s no resilience without rest.

More About Melory Mirashrafi

Melory is an Iranian-American director, performer, and producer based in Portland, Oregon. Praised by the Boston Globe for drawing “fine-tuned performances that land with the impact of emotional truth,” Melory’s work spans from new plays and translations to live music and opera. Melory is a Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation Fellow (Young Americans, Pittsburgh Public Theater & Portland Center Stage), recipient of the Opera America Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize (Glück’s Orfeo), Thomas Derrah Emerging Artist Award (English, SpeakEasy Stage Company), participant in the MusaMadre Sardinia "One year for freedom of writing" residency (curated by Nassim Soleimanpour), and contributer to the Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays and Routledge’s Troubling Traditions: Canonicity, Theatre, and Performance in the US. Recent credits include Sapience (Artists Repertory Theatre), Wish You Were Here (Gloucester Stage), and English (SpeakEasy Stage).

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@artandsoulconsulting

@inclusivestages

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Thanks for joining me on this episode of Inclusive Stages! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help me reach even more theater makers, theater artists, and theater lovers who want to make our industry a better place for everyone.

Thanks to our music composer, Zachary McConnell, and our producer, Leah Bryant.

More about the Inclusive STAGES Podcast

Inclusive STAGES™ Building Healthy Arts Spaces is the podcast for theater makers, creatives, and arts leaders who believe we can build a better industry—one brave, emotionally intelligent, and trauma-informed space at a time. Hosted by Kira Troilo, founder of Art & Soul Consulting, each episode explores what it really takes to create inclusive, healthy creative environments in today’s rapidly changing performing arts landscape.

Whether you're a theater artist, an arts administrator, an educator, a creative leader, or a producer, this show will help you answer big questions like:

What is inclusive leadership in the arts, and how do I practice it?

How can performing arts organizations promote diversity and inclusion?

What does “representation matters” mean in theater and beyond?

How can venues make performances more accessible?

What tools do I need to lead with care—and still make bold, brilliant work?

Through honest conversations, industry insights, and practical tools, Inclusive STAGES™ empowers you to reduce burnout, dismantle harmful norms, and build the kinds of creative spaces where everyone can thrive.

New episodes every week. Follow now and join the movement toward healthier, more sustainable arts spaces.