Hometown: Canton, Ohio
Education: BA from Queens College in Drama, Theater & Dance
Favorite Credits: Cane/Japeth - Children of Eden, Bobby - Company, Tony Wendice - Dial "M" for Murder, Philip - Lion In Winter, Oscar - Sweet Charity; All Shook Up - Director; Imaginary, Princess Pals, Lonely Moon - Writer
Why theater?: Theater is loud and quiet and crazy and fun and boisterous and exciting. It can make you think something new, feel all the feelings or just entertain. It means something different to each person, and that's magical.
Tell us about Princess Pals: I have always loved fairy tales. I love asking the question, "What happens after the fairy tale?" In Princess Pals you get to see some of your favorite princesses interact with each other, finding out what they really think of each other, their princes, what it's like to live as a princess. I love to add comedic elements to a lot of my writing, even dramas. Princess Pals really lends itself to not be taken too seriously, cause we're dealing with princesses, yet to be a little serious when it comes to beloved characters, real-life situations and lessons that can be learned, as they often are, at the close of this type of story. We get to follow Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Zasha (The Princess and the Pea) as they live their daily lives after riding off into the sunset.
What inspired you to write Princess Pals?:Princess Pals was actually a project I started in my Playwriting 2 class at Queens College. I wanted to really play and have fun and express who I was as a writer with characters that people already knew, yet take them to a place no one knew about. I ended up loving it so much that I continued working on it years after college, falling even more in love with the story, and wanting to bring it to as many people as I could reach.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love theater, specifically the writing, that has great characters who we care about and who interact with each other. I love to see a script really delve into relationship, and continually explore and challenge those relationships. I am inspired by actors who fully commit to a character and allow openness and vulnerability to come through in their performance. Allowing one's self to be "ugly" on stage, and truly bare it all by allowing us in, creates a connection and experience that an audience member will never forget.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I would love to work with Stephen Schwartz. I LOVED Wicked, and Princess Pals is in that realm of what happens before/after the story we all know. I'm currently working on a musical, and I know that Princess Pals could easily be turned into a wonderful musical.
What show have you recommended to your friends?:Wicked. I have always loved the music, and I was blown away by the production. Also, Matilda. It's not just for kids. Also a fantastic show.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I envision a Matthew Perry playing me...throw in a little Matt Damon, and I think that combo will work! The movie would be called: "Try and Keep Up"
If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I really wanted to see Beauty and the Beast. I heard wonderful things, and I love the Disney movie. (I'm noticing a theme here!)
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: XBox. I LOVE video games. I'm kind of obsessed with the Fable series. In Fable 3, after you become king, the second half is about your rule. (Yep, there's a theme. I think I was born in the wrong era.)
If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Teaching. Being a kid myself, I love children. I love to see them learn and grow and find new ways to think and be. I would have loved an energetic teacher who was passionate and involved in the arts and always challenging me to be something more, especially as a very young student. I find I would break the mold and really incorporate theater into each class, making it fun and interesting and worthwhile.
What’s up next?: The fundraiser for The Center is my big project right now. I'm doing a reading of Princess Pals with an artist mixer and raffle to raise money for LGBT youth in the arts. I want to bring awareness to the LGBT community and the youth within it who need to be nurtured and inspired, all while bringing the community of artists together to network and help push their projects forward and to where even the creators didn't see where it could go. Then I want to put my musical, Lonely Moon, on Broadway and my screenplay, "Imaginary", in theaters.