hi there! you found me. allow me to introduce myself.
I'm an actor, teaching artist, clown, emcee and DJ. After growing up in Wilmington, Delaware, I migrated to the midwest to attend Northwestern University. Since receiving a BA in theatre in 2008 I've worked as an actor with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre (The House on Mango Street), Collaboraction (1001 by Jason Grote, Reverb), Redmoon Theatre (Winter Pageant 2010), 16th Street Theatre (The Beats), About Face Youth Theatre (The HOME Project tour, Fast Forward tour) and American Theatre Company (Welcome to Arroyos, 10x10 Festival 2012, The Rail Splitter reading). I studied long-form improv at iO (formerly Improv Olympic) and at the Second City Conservatory. My most extensive post-graduate training as been in clown. I have studied clown and physical theater in the US with Chicago's infamous 500 Clown, Paola Coletto, Avner the Eccentric and Eric Davis (bouffon) and abroad in Dublin with Philippe Gaulier. I've performed red-nose clown as a company member of the Dal Vivo Theatre Company (formed by students of Paola Coletto) and in various cabaret settings. My clown detective alter-ego Viola Egg can occasionally be spotted solving Chicago crimes with her partner Alfie (Nick Combs) in late-night episodic engagements called Egg & Alfie.
As a teaching artist, I'm a proud company member of Barrel of Monkeys, a theatre and education company that teaches writing workshops in Chicago public schools. Our ensemble of actor-educators then takes the students' stories and adapts them into sketches and songs and returns to the schools to perform them. I have taught improv, clown and ensemble-building workshops to teenagers and adults, synthesizing different techniques from my own training to create a unique process-based approach to the work. Other classroom experience includes workshops for high school students and faculty relating to LGBTQ issues as a performer/teaching artist with About Face Youth Theatre's outreach tour. Additionally, I spent four years working in Early Childhood Education with Bubbles Academy, an enrichment center for ages 0-7. I taught classes and created curriculum for programs in after-school yoga, pre-school preperation, music, creative movement and even a superheroes class! Through Bubbles Academy, I performed family-friendly acoustic sets at Whole Foods (weekly), birthday parties, and other local events - including a gig at the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago (in Italian!).
As a DJ/emcee for Radio Disney AM1300, I hosted family-friendly events (and danced to a LOT of Justin Bieber) in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs for several years, appearing at numerous festivals and amusement parks. I currently spin tunes for grown-ups and kids with Zeke Sulkes and our DJ duo The Bouncy Castle. Together we've made music and bumped beats for Chicago's Families in the Loop (Brunch & Boogie 2011, Spring Fling 2012), Collaboraction (Looking for Love: the Dating Game Show, Carnaval 2012), Barrel of Monkeys (Fancy Schmancy: Big Prom 2012), and just plain old PARTIES. I also honed experience djing weddings, mitzvahs and school dances with Chicago's Spinnin Discs.
I recently moved to Philadelphia to join the cast of the Sunny Side Up Show on Sprout! We're a live, hosted block of programming for preschoolers, the only one of our kind in the country!
Outside my various creative endeavors, I regularly practice yoga (hot yoga and AcroYoga!) and ride my bike as often as I can.
