My first full-length play, Sunoco, was produced in 1988 at the University of Michigan by the Michigan Players, and written under the guidance of Milan Stitt. A coming-of-age tale, Sunoco established my practice of dramatizing events from my own life that culminated in the one-woman, confessional cabaret show, Kiss Me Deadly.
Nearly 40 years later, I’ve strayed far from the stage, making work in schools, shelters, and prisons. For “Siren Song,” my biggest project to date, I recruited more than 1,000 collaborators to create a massive spectacle with more than 100 performers, commissioned by Faena Art as part of the procession, Tide-by-Side. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I invited 3 to 6 people at a time into my living room, to help me perform The Perfume Lady, a participatory chamber opera made for tiny audiences.
As part of the Miami-Dade County/South Florida Theatre League Playwright Development Program, with mentor Kenny Finkle, I came back to the stage with the participatory folklore musical, The Last Songs of My Mother and Tonton.
Now I’m working on a collaboration with wild vultures, El Zopilote/The Vulture, an outdoor performance about addiction and recovery. I’m also taking The Perfume Lady to a massive scale as part of a 19-hour immersive opera on the train from New York City to Chicago, called Forever Free. Learn all about my works past, present, and future here.
Theater
Immersive
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Participatory
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Cabaret
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Proscenium
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Intimate
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Immersive ✳︎ Participatory ✳︎ Cabaret ✳︎ Proscenium ✳︎ Intimate ✳︎
The Last Songs of My Mother and Tonton →
“It was emotional, entertaining, and educational." — Little Haiti Cultural Complex Premiere, August 2026
Audience Reflections
“"There was something so tender and honest in the way the work held memory, family, grief, love, and responsibility all at once." — Little Haiti Book Festival production, May 2026
“We were basically like background singers, or a chorus, participating in the songs and rituals of the play. It was no longer just the audience passively watching or spectating—the whole experience became a shared experience." — Barry University production, January 2026
Press
“In my work, I am honoring my ancestors by way of my father, by way of my great-grandmother. Celeste, in her own way, is practicing that reverence for ancestors. She wrote a story for one of her greatest mentors, and we get to bring that story to life and share it with people.” ”
“To portray Tonton is truly an honor. He wasn’t just a famous drummer—he was someone I knew and respected deeply. He was Haitian like me, and to step into his story onstage feels like paying tribute to a part of myself, too.”