By Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine Staff
Photography courtesy of For The Birds Productions

We recently sat down with Sean Stuart, Las Vegas performance artist and Cofounder of For The Birds Productions, to discuss the philosophy of artistic expression/performance as a therapeutic/mental health process for dealing with stress and the world on a daily basis. He immediately took to the stage!

It all started in 2024 when, on my birthday, we got the news of the incoming administration. I spoke with Kelly Hawes, another cofounder, about how, over the next four years, I would love to focus on creating a positive outlet in what we knew would be hard times.

Then, in January, I heard about the Fallout Fringe Festival here in Las Vegas, so I sent it to Kelly, “Remember how we said we wanted to create art?” We met in the Arts District for a drink and to see if it was something we could actually do. We had also invited Napsugar Hegedus, another cofounder, for a drink and to bounce creative ideas off of.

Kelly and I had settled on The Birds by Aristophanes as a starting place. We wanted original music, and we thought of inviting Dina Emerson to join us with that skill as the 4th cofounder. That is how the four of us started our crazy little idea.

Following the success of The Birds, we founded our production company. We host trivia and A Brunch of Silly Gooses, a quarterly bird-themed silly brunch featuring amazing talent, including our very own Auntie Norma. We have also been featured in Sarah’s Strip, Sarah Hester Ross’ monthly variety show at The Composer’s Room.

Even though this adventure has only been about a year, we have already seen our mental and physical health improve. According to Dina, “One aspect of wellness is the healing power of community, in this case, live performance where we get to share the room with the audience in real time, experiencing the journey of the whole show or the individual number/act. It’s proven that laughter, empathy, and tears can all produce endorphins and boost serotonin. The effect is amplified when we share the experience with others.” This really ties into our strong focus on Greek theatre, which is known for creating the categories of comedy and tragedy. Catharsis is a concept from the Greeks as well: we get together and “purge” our feelings to help our mental health. We wanted to use our platform to focus on works through marginalized voices.

There were points during rehearsal, with the political climate or actions by our own city against its citizens, that we would show up, have a quick cry and hug, then jump back into rehearsal. With the stresses of work, life, and everything, we all looked forward to getting together for a few hours to work together. It was a time to close the door to the outside world, create a new world, and support each other in every way we could. Yes, it’s added-stress producing, but it’s so rewarding. Not only the process, but the actual presentation, where we finally get to share all our hard work.

I have also seen a dramatic change in my physical health. Three years ago, I had cancer surgery, the following year a torn hamstring, and then last year a torn MCL. Between that and starting a new job that was less active than the performing I had been doing for years, I was having lots of health issues. Being in rehearsal, getting up and moving, stretching, releasing endorphins, I noticed improvement in my overall feeling. Did I need my inhaler more? Absolutely. One of my favorite laughs was starting a complete run-through and being out of breath and exhausted, and Kelly pointing out we were only 12 minutes into a 70-minute show. But since we have continued to perform, I am actually breathing much better.

I look forward to every time I get to be with the amazing team. No matter what is going on in the world, it is a time when we can be with really close friends and colleagues. We respect each other so much that we challenge each other and always come out better for it. It’s always a great space to be silly with zero judgment, which is something everyone needs to be able to do.

I’m excited to see what For The Birds has for the future. I’m fortunate to have three amazing women around me. We celebrate all the highs, support each other through the lows, push each other to be the best versions of ourselves, and always love working and growing with others in the amazing theatre community of Las Vegas.

Check out @forthebirdsproductions on Instagram for upcoming productions and therapy! There is always something flocking around!

This article was originally published in the 2026 New Beginnings Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.