Hello friends, and welcome!
Though I currently call the vibrant city of Chicago my home, I hail from the San Francisco suburb of Menlo Park, CA. I received my BA in drama and dance from the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated as a Mary Gates Leadership scholar for my work devising theatre. While living in Seattle, I developed two original pieces that each debuted at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe, The Grind Show and Ithaca I'll Never See; the latter of which was devised at the Drama Collective Pontlevoy, France. At the Drama Collective, I worked with Lecoq master Jason Turner, original members of Tadeusz Kantor's company CRICOTEKA, Andrzej and Teresa Wilminski, and object-based theatre maker Andrea Cusumano. Back in Seattle, I was involved as a dancer in the premiers of dance pieces at On the Boards Northwest New Works Festival and Velocity Dance Center's Next Fest NW. I received my MFA in Acting from the University of South Carolina and studied with P3/East’s founders Robyn Hunt and Steve Pearson, masters of Suzuki training and the slow tempo work of Shogo Ohta. Simultaneously, I found deeper clarity in my work by teaching undergraduates beginning acting. After my time in the south, I spent a year as a resident acting intern at the two-time Tony Award winning theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park where I continued to perform and teach. Since then, I became a studio member of P3/East and moved to Chicago. Between 2016 and 2020, I was part of the company's inaugural ensemble acting as Education Director of Theatre Y where I led sessions in movement for actors. I also received my 200 hour yoga teacher certification from Zen Yoga Garage, further exploring the mind/body connection. My work as a choreographer and movement director developed further with companies Facility Theatre and A Red Orchid Theatre. I also began teaching acting at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI. I am now in the early stages of developing body work for patients of trauma which I offer in the greater Chicagoland region. I believe in the transformative qualities of theatre and its ability to awaken a sense of wonder within us. I understand it to be a means to connect in the present moment as well as to our deeper life story as a human species. My goal as a teaching artist is to investigate how theatre can encourage a kinder relationship with ourselves resulting in greater empathy for others and fostering space for change and growth, one breath at a time.
