About Me
I got my bite from the "theatre bug" at nine when the entire third grade had to audition for the annual Christmas play. I knew nothing about the theatre, but I found the auditions thrilling. I made it all the way down to the last handful of students before I was cut. Even at that young age, and in the face of disappointment, I had a sense of the profundity of that experience. This was for me.
Sadly, I had no idea how to navigate this new interest beyond the experiences that were afforded me in school. I got a speaking part in the sixth-grade play and then got to play Marc Antony in an abridged version of Julius Ceaser my reading class presented that same year. In middle school I performed in talent shows, show choir and eagerly awaited reading plays in English classes.
When I was 15, I found Cincinnati Young People's Theatre- a summer program for teens from all over the region. For the first time I was surrounded by other people that were as into theatre as I was. I had found my tribe. I played a passenger in Anything Goes that first summer and started to discover a natural aptitude for dance. Getting my driver's license opened up a whole new world of possibilities and I spent the rest of my high school years making up for lost time. I graduated high school a semester early so I could try and do more theatre. At one point I was performing a show with the Children's Theatre of Cincinnati in the morning, rehearsing a high school production in the afternoon and a community production in the evening.
That breakneck pace continued through college, but I was starting to get burnt out. I had had a lot of success in roles that were dance heavy and/or comedic, but I wanted to do everything. As undergrad came to a close, I started to grapple with my expectations and limitations, both real and imaginary. After graduation I stepped away.
About a year after I graduated my great-aunt passed away and left me $5000. She had been a colossal presence in my life, and one of the things I had always admired about her was her adventurous spirit. Her job with an airline had enabled her to travel widely and I saw her final gift to me as an opportunity to follow in her footsteps and experience something new. Even though I had stepped away from performing, I still felt the draw to New York City. So, I moved there.
I still loved Theatre, even if my relationship with it was changing, so I got a job in a box office and on the house staff of the Roundabout Theatre Company's off-Broadway house. Thus began my introduction to the business side of the Theatre. I am deeply grateful for my time at the Laura Pels for a multitude of reasons, chief among them the inspiration that I found by getting to observe Directors working. For a few weeks while a show was in previews the Directors would haunt the back of the house and I used to love watching them and the way they felt their show. I recognized their passion and began to see how directing may be my path forward.
My time in New York was short lived. A family situation would require me to return to Cincinnati after only a few years, but my time in the city had instilled in me a deep respect for the daily operational aspects of Theatre and a burgeoning desire to direct.
When I returned to Ohio, I found that I was creatively starved. I'd been working in the Theatre industry the entire time I was in New York, but I hadn't done anything creative. I knew transitioning from a performer to a director at this point in my life was going to take some time, so I dipped back into performing again. After a lot of no's I finally got my first directing gig. A church group called Bart's Bards put on an annual summer musical and they hired me to direct their production of Oklahoma!
It is not hyperbole to say that show launched my career, as it directly led to other work which led to other work which has amassed into a list of credits that I am extremely proud of.
Directing has become the way I communicate with and contribute to the world around me. I recognize the tremendous responsibility it is to lead a production and the impact my work can have on both those directly and indirectly involved with it. That is why I strive to make all of my productions, regardless of style or content, unique experiences that nurture talent, stimulate audiences and benefit my community.
If you haven't already, please visit my gallery to learn more about my work.
