More About Me:
Where are you from?
I grew up in Austin, TX. So, I have seen snow fall from the sky like one time. And I predictably love a good taco. I also married a fellow life-long Austinite, which makes ours a unicorn household. Though I meet "unicorns" all the time, so I don't know that we're all that uncommon. |
Left to right: me, my friend Lacee, and my sister Michelle performing in our groundbreaking "Bag Head" plays.
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How did you meet your husband?
In high school I participated in a youth radio program called Youth Spin on 91.7 fm. While working on this show, I met and immediately befriended Calen. Through YouthSpin we had the perfect opportunity to get to know each other, while writing about our lives and current events, interviewing bands, volunteering together at the station, and falling in love. We then went to ACC and UT and had the opportunity to study abroad together twice. |
My husband Calen and I: our first year together and ten years later
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How and when did you get involved in theatre?
I have been involved in theater since I was about five and I love performing and seeing shows. I was home-schooled my entire adolescence, so my schedule allowed me a lot of flexility to pursue my passions (which were theatre, dancing, and creative writing). I took semester-long drama classes at ZACH for much of that time and performed in over 30 productions with them by the time I graduated high school. After roughly 12 years of studying performing arts, I was eager to prove to people that I had potential for other endeavors. So I set off for college with the knowledge that I would study anything at my university of choice as long as it wasn't theatre. |
Sisterly bonding at ZACH Theatre
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What did you pick as your major in college and where did that lead you?
Spanish and Education. Upon graduating high school, I attended Austin Community College for two years, while I got my transfer credits ready for the University of Texas at Austin. Through ACC I went on my first study abroad trip (during which Calen and I began our engagement) in Lima, Peru. It was in Lima that I started to really explore my passion for the Spanish language and got an opportunity to teach for the first time. So when I transferred to UT I decided to be a Spanish Language Teaching major and I earned my Teaching Certification through the UTeach Liberal Arts program. After graduating, I put my certification to use by serving a year in Literacy First. Literacy First is an AmeriCorps program that provides one-on-one tutoring to struggling readers in low-income schools in the Austin area. As a Bilingual Literacy Tutor I got to use my Spanish skills in one of the most rewarding ways imaginable: helping children learn to read. I also got to perform Reader's Theatre plays with them, which are designed to improve their fluency, expression, and confidence (among many other benefits). This part of the job was always my favorite because I absolutely love sharing theatre with children. After my time with Literacy First, I taught Spanish and Theatre classes at Austin Tennis Academy College Prep for four years. The small class sizes, creative teaching staff, fun-loving students, and flexible curriculum was a great fit for me. I absolutely loved my time there. |
Listening to music in Lima
UTeach Liberal Arts Graduation
Literacy First End-of-Year Celebration
Team building with Austin Tennis Academy College Prep
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Where else besides Lima have you travelled?
I joined my friends on their trip to the United Kingdom and France (Oxford, London, and Paris); took a solo excursion to Spain (Madrid and Toledo); studied and taught abroad a second time with my husband in Guatemala (Antigua and Panajachel); enjoyed hiking in various parts of Ireland for our honeymoon (Dublin, Doolin, The Aran Islands, and Galway); and taught English as a Second Language to professors in México (Querétaro). In 2018 I got the chance to travel Italy with my sister, mom, and husband on whirlwind trip of Rome, Florence and Venice. I would love to see more of the world! |
On Lago Atitlán: trying to eat on the bumpiest boat
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When did you come back to theatre?
I never fully left the stage. In college, I told myself that I would take a break from theatre. Like most students, I had early morning classes and a job and I wanted to do well in school. In my case, a "break" just translated to roughly one theatre production a year. However, since graduating and pursuing more projects again, I have been humbled and delighted by how welcoming the Austin theatre community has been to me. |
One of my few college-time theatre exceptions:
Parents/Kids Dance Party at FronteraFest starring my mom, grandma and sister |
What is your favorite thing about performing?
All of the things! But seriously, my top two are: 1) Every play is an opportunity to learn something new. I have learned so much in rehearsal: projection, stage combat, dialects, Shakespearean verse, history, psychology, geography, singing, memorization techniques, different ways people overcome hardship, marketing tactics, viewpoints, stretching, empathy, golf, recipes for fake blood, you name it. 2) The sense of family and community that is built with each new play. I love the connection you make with your team and the wonderful conversations that theatre can spark with people. |
Celebrating with The Member of the Wedding boys
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What do you do when you're not on stage?
I am pursuing an ASL interpreting certification at the moment. As of 2018, I serve on the B. Iden Payne Committee, seeing and discussing roughly 10 plays a month. I also take ballet and aerial classes in my spare time. I am working on a few play adaptations (Shakespeare, Austen, Behn). And sometimes I create trailers and behind the scenes interviews for local theatre companies. |
Ballet class showcase picture with a classy filter on it
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The life of a performer can be "feast and famine" as they say, what do you do to avoid burnout?
When I am super busy: naps. So many naps. And during times when I am not getting cast, I focus more on creating art in other ways, seeing as much theatre as I can, and learning as much as I can to better myself. But also, I remain extremely grateful for what I have been given. When I make the effort to pause for a moment and really look at what my life has given me, I am filled with wonder by what a dream-come-true it is. I share a life with the funniest, kindest man in the world (no hyperbole, just provable fact); we have an adorably stoic tortoise and a unbelievably snuggly cat; I live in a city with all the dance and aerial classes I could desire; I am encouraged by my loved ones to create my own projects; and I get to work with some of the most talented, giving, fun theatre-makers in the business. Whether I am currently working on a show or not, I am always aware that I am extremely fortunate to do what I love with the people that I love. Also, did I mention naps? |
First dance as husband and wife
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Have a question you want me to answer here? Contact me below and I will probably answer you!
Have a question you want me to answer here? Contact me below and I will probably answer you!