Like most people in Chicago theater, I do not identify myself with only one aspect of the performing arts. While someone might primarily work as a lighting designer, they may have also worked as a stage manager and even directed occasionally. Yet another reason why this town is so phenomenal and I am proud to be a part of it: Ultimately it is always about story telling and we will do what we must to get it done.
I started out as an actor and still work as one....still love dancing and every once in a while you might catch me singing, but only when I am being paid!
Someone (who shall remain nameless) once told me I "was too smart for acting." (Seriously, yes, someone really did say that to me.) I still go back and forth on if I truly comprehend what that person meant, but regardless, that person gave me the courage to add a Directing focus to my already packed Acting major in undergrad. Now I do a little of both.
Another passion I found in undergrad was my love of steel and all things stage combat. It was stage combat which led me to the illustrious Babes With Blades Theatre Company and eventually to work as a professional fight choreographer as well.
The lovely ladies of the BWBTC are also what inspired me to continue studying...academically! After serving as the Marketing Coordinator for five years, I trotted off to Washington, DC for the Graduate Theatre Fellowship at American University and in 2010 I graduated with my MA in Arts Management. My knowledge of production, marketing and theater in general combined with more formal knowledge of the "Business of Theater" keeps me busy producing, consulting, grant writing, and marketing, among other things.