My Journey

I began my theatrical journey early acting in commercials at age six in Los Angeles. My parents were both actors who graduated from the famed Pasadena Playhouse where they attended classes with Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman and many others. I attended the University of Texas at El Paso where I had the opportunity to play many dream roles including Eva in Evita, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Florence in Chess.  After graduation I worked as a High School Theatre teacher in Texas and then moved to New York where I performed at Don’t Tell Mama, Theatre Works and Rose’s Turn Cabaret.  After moving to Baltimore, I worked for The Maryland Arts Festival in The World Goes Round and as Bella in Rags and played Mrs. Lindbergh in a World premiere of Lindbergh Baby Kidnapped at The Baltimore Theatre Project and the Witch in Into the Woods at Milborne Stone Theatre Delaware . I moved to the Bloomington Normal area in 2007 and received my MA in Theatre from ISU in 2011. At ISU I played Rona in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. and Antonio(a) in Two Gentleman of Verona. I have had the joy of acting in many local community theatres. At Community Players as Pennywise in Urinetown and Gretchen in Boeing Boeing. For Prairie Fire Theatre I recently appeared as the iconic Mama Rose in Gypsy, Desiree in A Little Night Music and directed The Secret Garden. Favorite roles at Heartland Theatre Company include Sarah in Time Stands Still, Beth in Tribes, Theresa in Circle, Mirror, Transformation, Miss Jane in Floyd Collins and Helen in The Electric Baby. I have appeared in the Evergreen Cemetery Walk as Emily Vecchi Noble and Susan B Anthony. In addition, I have directed twice for the 10-Minute Play Festival at Heartland Theatre and , and directed A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for Community Players Theatre. I currently work at Illinois State University as the Academic Advisor and coordinate the theatre for youth programs for The Illinois Shakespeare Festival. In addition, I am on the Board of Directors for Heartland Theatre.  Finally, I started a dream project, Nomad Theatre Company with my friend Connie Blick. I am the mother to a beautiful and talented daughter Eden and brave sailor, son Elijah.   

“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”-Oscar Wilde

“The actor should be able to create the universe in the palm of his hand.”- Lawrence Olivier

“Actors need a kind of aggression, a kind of inner force. Don’t be only one-sided, sweet, nice, good. Get rid of being average. Find the killer in you.”

― Stella Adler, The Art of Acting