Caity-Shea Violette - Project Writer & Stories We Tell Mentor

A playwright, actress, and longtime advocate for those struggling with mental illnesses, Caity-Shea Violette is passionate about creating new work about women for the stage.

“Taking part in The Stories We Tell workshop,” she says, “validated my pain and resilience and connected me to a community of survivors and allies, many of whom have become my chosen family. It created the possibility for me to never feel alone in my story again.”

An advocate for accessibility and equality in the theatrical community and society at large, Caity-Shea worked several years at a nonprofit devoted to the healthcare and housing needs of Illinois residents struggling with mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Her award-winning drama, which has been staged in Washington D.C., New York, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Toronto, and Chicago, often explores trauma, invisible disabilities, and gender-based violence. A graduate of the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, she is a current MFA candidate at Boston University.

For Caity-Shea, art is a lens inviting us to see the world through the eyes of others. As she says, “Art that explores what is felt but not seen — such as invisible disabilities or mental illnesses, such as gender-based violence —helps build empathy in those who don’t have first-hand experiences of such things.”