From her earliest days, two aspects have permeated all aspect of Shanna’s life: a love of languages and always feeling a little out of place.

Born in Malaysia, she spent the first several years of her life in Singapore before moving to her family’s home state of Texas. Speaking a mix of Malay and English, with little phrases of German thrown in from her grandmother, she was met with strange looks from classmates and frequently on the receiving end of something akin to, “I don’t understand what you’re saying”.

Decades later, the seeds of that experience - and dozens more along the way - fostered in her a deep desire to generate connection and to help others to feel seen, heard, and understood.

An adolescent cancer survivor herself, she also works as a professional therapeutic healthcare clown, harnessing the universal languages of play and humor to connect with children and adults from all over the world. And with her company Act V Scholars, she brings the study of Shakespeare - one of humanities most profound communicators - to retirement communities and assisted living facilities throughout the greater Seattle Area.

Her plays have won and/or receieved distinctions from, among others, O’Neill Playwriting Conference, Ashland New Plays Festival (x2), Neukom Institute Literary Award, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, New Works Northwest, Distillery New Works Festival, Union Arts Center/Western Washington University Test Kitchen, Seattle Shakespeare New Works Program, and New Play Cafe (x2).

But to the patients, families, and staff of Seattle Children’s Hospital, she is simply Dr. So-n-So, Clown MD.

Stay Rowdy. xo