That’s a picture of four-year-old me with a bunch of giant headless tuna. I grew up in my family’s fish market, which has been in operation since 1921, and it’s still going strong today. The fish biz is wild, salty, stinky, and awesome. How I became an artist is still a familial mystery.
When I was sixteen, I won a trip to perform Shakespeare at storied Lincoln Center. It was love at first sight. I went on to receive my B.A. in Theater from Fordham University at Lincoln Center, and Lincoln Center was where I made my Broadway debut. Who doesn’t love a full circle moment? (Side note: I also share a birthday with Abe Lincoln. What?!) Shortly after college, I earned my MFA from NYU’s Graduate Acting Program, and to this day, I still have to explain to my fish family why yoga and circus were mandatory classes.
At the wise ol’ age of 27, I joined the acting faculty of my alma mater, Fordham University, becoming one of the youngest professors in the school’s history. I proudly served there for nearly a decade, and most recently in the film department of Belmont University. I was also the founding Director of the Big Sky Theater Workshop in Big Sky, Montana - a program dedicated to bringing art access and excellence to rural communities.
I moved to Nashville from NYC (long before the great migration), where I unironically wear cowboy boots and big hats.
When I’m not creating, you will likely find me volunteering at Gilda’s Club or CreatiVets; two organizations near and dear to my heart.