In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with actor, director, and The University of Texas at El Paso theater professor Jay Stratton for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, performance, teaching, and life in the arts. Stratton reflects on his years as a working actor in New York City, his journey from business student to theater artist, and the realities of building a career in regional theater. Along the way, the discussion expands into larger questions about storytelling, boredom, childhood imagination, academia, parenting, and the pressures of modern productivity. Thoughtful, funny, and deeply personal, the episode explores how art shapes the way we connect with community, culture, and ourselves.