ARTIST STATEMENT
My Work is so comfortable that you'll slide into bed with it and tell it all your secrets. My work is governed by truth, vulnerability, and transformation. It strives to look through the telescope of humanity and cross chasms so A can relate to B. Themes that I explore include: The desert in the land of milk and honey, love, equity, and a yearning to become whole. I enjoy my work because it allows me to be other people and those people teach me about the world. My mission is to create a space where people are released and compelled to look at themselves, glare at their scars, glance at their beauty, and recognize everyone.
BIO
Kelly Renee Armstrong is a theatre artist and writer. She was recently seen in Our War at Arena Stage. She has had the great pleasure of working with a number of wonderful theatres including Rep Stage, Studio Theatre, and Theatre J.
A proud graduate of Bowie State University, Ms. Armstrong is a recipient of a 2013 Individual Artist Award for her solo work (Testify) from the Maryland State Arts Council. She received her MFA in Performance from Catholic University of America in Washington DC. She is a learning enthusiast and educator who takes every opportunity to enhance her craft and teaching. She facilitates creative interaction as a professor and through numerous after school programs. She has trained with Studio Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Center Stage, Folger Theatre, Actor’s Arena, Penny Templeton Studios, and numerous workshops.
Kelly’s familial roots helm from New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Georgia. Kelly loves her family, her culture, and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Kelly is the proud mother of one of the most beautiful human beings she has ever known. "Every dream I chase is so someday she will know how."
“For it is here, in this secret place that we can discover one another. In the folds where my pain mingles with your jubilance and creates an aria.”
Kelly Renee Armstrong