When I was looking to relocate to Vermont from Seattle in 2016, one of the things that drew me to Bennington was the arts community and the live theater in the area. I’ve followed my artistic path in the theater wherever it’s led me––from stage management, to directing, to solo performance, to playwriting. It brought me to Bennington via NYC after an evening of my short plays was produced Off Broadway in 2017. And now I’m excited to be part of shaping the new Bennington Performing Arts Center—The Home of Oldcastle Theatre Company.
I’ve always lived a dual existence, working a day job and doing theater at night. I’ve worked in the hospitality point-of-sale industry for over 25 years. I actually ran, and then owned, a wholesale cash register company in the early 1990’s. During the same time I was part of three different theater companies as producer, director and performer. My day job required much travel and in Skagway, Alaska my two lives intertwined––I was installing and upgrading the Red Onion Saloon (an historic house of ill-repute) and was also hired to perform a night of stand up comedy for their winter-weary town folk before the summer tourist season began.
I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a teen, I dabbled in stand-up comedy. By the time I was 16, I could recite routines by heart. In college I performed at open mic nights. After one performance, which my parents attended, my father took me aside and stated, “You’re very funny. But you’re not going to try to make a living doing that are you?” I would soon find out that one of my talents would be my ability to memorize code…see fun facts below!
After graduating from the University of New Mexico with a BA (emphasis in Directing), I moved, en masse, with Kings’ Elephant Improvisational Theater to Seattle. I discovered improvisation during college and quickly fell in love with the form and the company. It combined my love of stand-up comedy and theater. We performed together for 10 years as a company and to date they are still my second family. My life credo is “Yes, and…”.
Fun facts about me:
• I have been to all 50 states
• I am a “scrappy” roller skater
• I can still program a Sharp cash register from memory