Darraugh
Maxine

performer. videographer. maker of magic.

hello there!

As kids, my mom kept my siblings and I busy. As a child of adoption with an active foster mother, us kids were always in the car being chauffeured from activity to activity. These moments were chaotic, but often the only time we were all together in the same space. My mother, also my best friend, inspired me to pursue all of my interests - gymnastics, reading, performing, music; you name it, my mom would find a way to make it happen. That shuffling around all day has followed me into my adult life.

I graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. In addition to performing, my time in SoTA helped me discover my passion for videography, intimacy coordination, and stage combat. I love having multiple passions and I love that my work keeps me busy. I enjoy working with people, creating art, and as I got older I found that theatre moved me in a way that nothing else did, and I wanted to share that with others.

In February of 2025, I had the honor of curating, writing, and directing a salon focused on the queer black artists of the Harlem Renaissance; a night of performances to complement the Stonewall National Museum & Archives exhibit, "The Harlem Renaissance: As Gay As It Was Black." As a queer Black woman, I was incredibly excited to tackle the project; and to highlight the importance that the Black queer community has had on our history and culture

In May I had the honor of playing Susanna in Prairie Fire Theatre's The Ghost in the Opera House, written by Nancy Steele Brokaw. For three weeks in May, we toured the Central IL area, performing for over 9,000 students.

This past June, I directed and performed in the Juneteenth Cultural Celebration: a night of Black Joy, produced by Coalescence Theatre Project.

I recently finished a run of The Baker's Wife with Prairie Fire Theatre, where I played Therese!

When I'm not running around, you can find me on my couch with a good book, my partner, Zach; and our pitbull, Nessa!

Thank you for stopping by!