Leia Squillace is a director, producer, and cultural organizer based in New York City. Raised in Charlottesville, Virginia with nine siblings and four parents, her upbringing instilled in her the values of communal care, collective power, and celebrating difference over homogeneity.
Across theater, film, and community organizing, Leia creates work that asks people to see one another more fully and discover unexpected commonality. She is drawn to stories and collaborations that strengthen community bonds in the face of conflict and foster healing and radical forgiveness.
Her approach to collaboration is deeply influenced by a family legacy of labor organizing and a belief that art-making and community-building are inseparable. In her efforts as a labor organizer and prison abolitionist, she is motivated by the conviction that meaningful change begins with people coming together to discover shared visions and build shared power.
Leia's work is bolstered by her passions for reading non-fiction, exploring new places through photography, and baking as an act of service.
GUIDING WORDS
"The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible."
- Toni Cade Bambara
"We often tell our students, 'The future's in your hands.' But I think the future is actually in your mouth. You have to articulate the world you want to live in first."
- Ocean Vuong
"A revolution that is based on the people exercising their creativity in the midst of devastation is one of the great historical contributions of humankind."
- Grace Lee Boggs