Young & Emerging Leaders Forum Spotlight: Chloe Tower

YELF is jointly hosted by Creative Generation (CG) and the International Teaching Artist Collaborative (ITAC) to bring together and recognize young practitioners from across the field fostering a collaborative learning environment based in critical reflection intended to interrogate, mutually share and learn, and radically reimagine future possibilities for one’s work.

Chloe Tower is a teaching artist, director, performer, and dancer currently based in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Originally from Orlando, Florida, she graduated with her BFA in Theatre for Youth from Samford University in 2021 and is about to enter her second year as an MFA candidate in Theatre for Young Audiences at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Chloe has worked professionally as a teaching artist with Seattle Children’s Theatre and Garden Theatre, and co-created an applied theatre program in Taitung, Taiwan and Galette-Chambon, Haiti. Most recently, she assisted in devising and performing in The JoyMobile, a nonverbal clowning show, that toured through the island of O’ahu this past year. She believes in the power of play, collaboration, and social emotional learning through theatre education to empower the next generation of creative and empathetic artists.

How do you personally define leadership?

I believe that successful leadership is built on a foundation of humility and fostered through positive relationship building. Leaders are able to listen to the community in which they serve and make the decision that will best move the community forward. I personally believe that it's hard to follow the lead of someone that you don't feel a connection to. Therefore, it's paramount in any leadership role to focus on building real and authentic connections with people, and guiding them with humble, servant-leadership.

What is a driving question you have?

How can we empower the next generation to be the change they wish to see?

What titles/terms do you like to use to describe your work?

I call myself a collaborator first. All of my work comes from a place of collaboration. Other titles that I use in my work are teaching artist, educator, and director.

What is something (in your own work) you are particularly proud of and why?

Something I am proud of is the way that I have been able to bring theatre to communities who have never had access previously. I've taught students in rural communities in Alabama and Hawai'i (USA), middle school students in Taiwan, and students from an orphanage in Haiti, all of whom had never had access to the arts before. These opportunities showed me how much of a positive impact the performing arts can have on a person and a community as a whole. This instilled in my that theatre should not just be for those who can afford it; it should be for those who need it.

What makes you excited to work at the intersection of the fields of Arts, Cultural & Education?

I am excited to work at the intersection of art, culture, and education because I think that, in performing arts especially, we can get isolated into our "western" view of theatre. It can be easy to think that the "American way" of doing theatre is the only way, when in reality we have taken so much of our knowledge from other cultures. I want to educate my students on the vast, worldwide history of performing arts and show that there is so much diversity and innovation outside of the "American way" of doing theatre.

What is one change you would like to see made in our field?

Right now, I feel that we have lost a bit of our creativity, especially with the hardships of the Covid-19 pandemic. I've been seeing young people copying trends and imitating what they see on social media, instead of being the one to break out and set the trends. I would love to see young people using creativity not just for social media but for the creation of new stories, plays, and art.

If you had a superpower, what would it be and why?

If I had a superpower, I would love to have the ability to refill anything. It's definitely silly but I think about all of those times I've been sitting on the couch and almost finished my cup of coffee but I don't want to get up to make another cup. And if I had this superpower, I could have a fresh cup of coffee without having to make it. It could extend even further to being able to refill my car with gas without having to stop, refill my refrigerator when it's time to go grocery shopping, and more!