Natasha Mercado is a performer, writer, and director whose work lives where vulnerability and absurdity meet. A first-generation mixed-Latina artist, she creates worlds that are heartfelt, strange, and unapologetically alive.

 

She is the visionary behind Soft Clown, a performance philosophy that treats big emotions as strength and failure as a doorway. Natasha builds immersive, character-led worlds that blur ritual, comedy, and cinema. Her pieces begin in the body and grow into scripts and scores. David Shiner, co-creator of Cirque du Soleil, once called her “fearless and completely out of her mind.”

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On screen, her performances have appeared on HBO, Adult Swim, Broadway Video, and TBS. On stage, she’s known for the award-winning solo works Tree and #1 Son, which have toured internationally from Hollywood to the Edinburgh Fringe, earning sold-out runs and critical acclaim.

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As a director and teacher, Natasha guides artists to be bravely seen. She leads workshops across the U.S. and abroad, and devises ensemble pieces through collaborative, immersive world-building. Collectively, the shows she’s directed and co-wrote have garnered over 40 awards and honors.

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Her latest film, Nina, extends her practice to the screen. It's a surreal, quietly funny exploration of invisible labor and emotional survival set against the haunting stillness of a midwestern lodge. Across mediums, her work keeps asking: How do we stay soft in a world that asks us to harden?

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Based in Los Angeles and available for collaboration, directing, and teaching projects.