Kian Kline-Chilton
Pronouns: Kiki/they/he (“My friends call me Mama Kiki”)
Age: 27
Birthplace: La Mesa
Instagram: @kian.k.c.
Q: Tell us what it’s like living in America today as an LGBTQ+ artist and how it is impacting your life and your work.
A: In so many ways, this is the most important time to let my queerness be the most beautiful and important thing to me. It is so crucial that I never, at any moment, am ashamed at what makes me so unique. It is a gift to be queer and an even greater joy to be a queer artist. Despite the efforts to erase us, I know that the community is triumphant. I’m really grateful to be in a moment of transition and growth. My life is radiantly evolving every day and that is never lost on me. In a lot of ways, I have never felt more beautiful than I do now. But I know that can’t be every day. And so I let my art and my creativity be the joy and inspiration. There’s a tenacity to being a queer artist. We know that we have the power to create empathy and transform past the norm. America has asked us to shrink, and we have gotten louder and prouder. We are defiant. I am empowered by all my queer family and allies. I am resilient.
Kian Kline-Chilton at The Clark Cabaret & Bar at Diversionary Theatre, where he was recently appointed to the position of associate producer.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Q: Tell us more about yourself and/or your work.
A: The easiest way to remember how to say it is you have a KEY and you turn your car ON. I digress. I’m an early-career director residing in Southern California. I’m the newly appointed Artistic Producer artistic producer of Diversionary Theatre. It’s the third-oldest LGBTQ+ theater in the country. To say I’m honored would be an understatement frankly. There’s no real way to describe the jubilation of being in a space of dedicated and fabulous queer folxCQ. It really is one of the best team’s teams I have ever had the privilege of being on. The recently renovated space sits in the heart of University Heights, an incredible San Diego neighborhood. We produce some of the nation’s best and newest queer work ranging from Tennessee Williams to our recent hit Go-Go’s musical “Head Over Heels.” We have nine broad-reaching arts education programs that change lives and inspire queer youth to be the brightest stars they can be. And we have our gorgeous Clark Cabaret that hosts a multitude of events from karaoke, live music and “Drag Race” watch parties. I have the honor of facilitating the art that will get done here, introduce introducing San Diego to some of the best queer talent, and create creating accessibility to the arts in numerous communities. It’s a wonderful place.
Since 2021, I’ve been so fortunate to be a freelance director and develop some of the most exciting world premieres around San Diego. The focus of the work I have been a part of has been primarily assisting and associate directing in women-led rooms on pieces that explore the bridges between culture and identity. It’s been an honor to be a part of the great shift of how we tell queer and women stories and, most important for me, stories that allow young artists like myself to be seen in the work that’s being produced.
Kian Kline-Chilton at The Clark Cabaret & Bar at Diversionary Theatre, where he was recently appointed to the position of associate producer.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
It’s really important for me that the theater I make is accessible to everyone, so I work hard with community engagement departments and marketing to ensure that those who want to see the show can have access to seats or affordable tickets. I find partnerships that allow the theaters themselves to be introduced to new faces audiences.
Overall, I pride myself on being a community-based artist who strives to embrace the intersection between art and activism. I am an artist because I love to embrace and celebrate what makes us unique, especially the queer community. For me, theater is a sanctuary where we come to be a part of something. I believe that the best kind of art engages you emotionally, mentally and inspires you. I have a deep passion for pushing the boundaries of what theater can be.
I think it’s what we desperately need right now. If we can, we should always try to give our audiences transformative experiences. I love to make audiences active participants of the art they’re consuming. Whether it’s dance or even hand clapping, I love to think of the shows I do feeling like a great concert.