About Me
Writer | Theatre Artist | Musician
meet daniella
Daniella Ignacio (she/her) is a Filipina American writer, theatre artist and musician, born and raised in northern New Jersey and now based in Washington, D.C. She holds B.A.s in Journalism and Musical Theatre from American University.
Daniella aims to tell stories that embrace diversity, reveal a shared humanity and teach empathy, understanding and love. She's a multi-hyphenate artist who brings her structured writer’s brain to innovative musical theatre and journalism that champions goodness. For her, it’s all about intersections, making the world better through deeply honest and authentic work and preserving the history and memory of powerful art. Everywhere she goes, she loves being able to explore and learn more about the world through storytelling.
arts & culture journalist | theatre critic | editor | digital storyteller | copywriter
As a freelance journalist, Daniella has experience and passion for writing on many beats: arts and culture (including theatre, music and literature), lifestyle, local news, history, education, social justice (including within AAPI and BIPOC communities), "journalism about journalism," and human interest features about pockets of community and life that you may not expect to find. She's down for anything that sparks her sense of curiosity and adventure.
She has worked in nonprofit comms as Communications Manager at Ford's Theatre, Programs and Communications Coordinator at the Asian American Journalists Association, and intern at the National Press Foundation, with skills in copy editing, press relations, social media, layout design, copywriting for emails and brochures, video editing, website creation and management, publications editing and programs administration.
Recent Bylines (aka the professional journalism bio):
Washingtonian, The 51st, American Theatre Magazine, DC Theater Arts, 3Views on Theater, AAJA Defined, D.C. Theatre Scene (Day Eight D.C. Arts Writing Fellow), The Eagle (Online Managing Editor, Copy Managing Editor, Music Editor). View portfolio here.
actor | singer | teaching artist | music director (& pianist) | songwriter (& copyist)
As a theatre artist, Daniella is passionate about daring new works, reimagined classics, educational/TYA theatre and stories uplifting people of the Global Majority. Daniella grew up a musician first, playing piano, singing in church choir, cantoring and studying classical voice, and has since become a vocal chameleon, self-taught guitarist/ukulele player and budding songwriter. Her acting work is fueled by a desire to create comfort, strength and light through passionate, authentic performances. Favorite professional roles have included understudying Asian women characters finding connection and their own power. She's worked artistically with various companies in various multi-hyphenate capacities in the DMV area, finding joy and meaningful work in performing, teaching, music directing and assisting, playing piano, and more. For more on what sparks her artistic interests, explore her portfolio here.
Recent Credits (aka the professional MT bio):
DC-AREA: Rorschach Theatre: Klecksography: Unmoored, Sometimes The Rain, Sometimes The Sea; Strand Theater: AAPI Women’s Voices Theatre Festival, Man of God; Adventure Theatre MTC: Jingle in July Play Festival; Kennedy Center Page to Stage: Airquote "Ladylike" Vol. 2; Capital Fringe: Soul Redeemer; Silver Spring Stage: Peerless; Wildwood Summer Theatre: Alice by Heart, The Theory of Relativity. MUSIC: Eugene O’Neill NMTC: Soft Magical Tofu Boys, Devil’s Isle Shakespeare Co.: The Tempest, Keegan Theatre: Merrily We Roll Along, Bowie State: Ride the Cyclone, St. Mark’s Players: Love's Labour's Lost, Wildwood Summer Theatre: Head Over Heels. TEACHING: Imagination Stage, Arena Stage, Keegan Theatre.
the storytelling spiel
Across all disciplines, the kinds of stories I love to write and bring to life as a theatre artist and musician include:
"Good news," the kind of stories that lift you up, do the good service of bringing bright light to the world and are just plain fun.
Stories of people tackling great challenges, adventure and innovation.
Stories that share radical joy and childlike sense of play.
Diverse stories uplifting people of the Global Majority, that resonate due to their specificity.
Stories about the power of young people.
Stories that make me feel seen as a Filipina American woman with sensory processing challenges.
Topics related to musical theatre, education and community-building.
Comfort stories that meet me where I'm at.
Specific types of theatre I love/dream projects:
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New contemporary musical theatre bending musical genres, including pop/rock, indie/alternative, folk and classical influences
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Shakespeare/Classics and Golden Age musicals with new twists
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“Plays with poetic license” where diving into language is a delight
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Actor-musician shows and musical theatre with musical complexity
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Piano-conducting and serving on music teams for pop/rock works
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Works centering AAPI and BIPOC experiences
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TYA plays and musicals that meet young people where they are
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Geeky/nerd culture musicals (i.e., with the spirit of Team Starkid)
fun facts
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aries sun, virgo moon, cancer rising
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has SPD, and is specifically a sensory seeker
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INFP with J tendencies in pursuing her wild dreams with some structure
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type 4w3 on the enneagram
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ravenclaw
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daughter of apollo (pjo series)
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music: powerful singer-songwriters, particularly in acoustic/indie pop and folk. faves: joni mitchell, sara bareilles, dodie clark, maggie rogers, lizzy mcalpine, olivia rodrigo
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she will make a playlist for any topic and these are the songs she listens to on repeat now
