I am the Co-Founder and a Co-Organizer of the Be An #ArtsHero Campaign. Learn more at www.BeAnArtsHero.com. I am the Co-Founder of Arts Workers United, a new 501c4 organization, actively and aggressively working on behalf of America’s 5.2 million Arts Workers and the $919 billion in value-added they bring to the U.S. eocnomy.
I was born in Topeka, Kansas. I went to school at Potwin Elementary (Go Panthers!), Robinson Middle School (Go Raiders!), Topeka High School (Go Trojans!), University of Kansas (Go JAYHAWKS!), and NYU's Graduate Acting Program (Go Bobcats!).
I came to acting in college, when, in a confluence of events, I auditioned for an improv troupe and also the fall musical. Before I knew it, I was rehearsing Sondheim’s ASSASSINS from 7-10 p.m. and playing Spolin games from 10-1 every day. Once I’d decided acting and performance was what I wanted to do with my life, I spent summers doing acting intensives in New York and at Shakespeare & Company in the Berkshires. Upon graduation, I moved to NYU to get my MFA from NYU’s Grad Acting Program, then chaired by the legendary Zelda Fichandler. I graduated in the year 2000 and have been acting professionally ever since.
I believe that acting in film, television, and theatre is the most visceral and relatable form of storytelling that humans have ever developed. Science is discovering all the time the way that stories and narratives impact our day-to-day experience, give meaning to our lives, and set the course for how we exist and understand the world around us. Stories help us make sense out of the senseless, give value and meaning to our days, and help us understand that we are all part of the same human family. A recent study showed that students who attended live theatre demonstrated more empathy and compassion than those who didn’t. http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/10/19/attending-live-theater-boosts-empathy-tolerance-in-students/76308.html This study didn't surprise me at all. When we, as human beings, expose ourselves to stories about what it means to be a human being, we realize that our triumphs and tribulations, which appear to be so unique and happening just to "us", are actually the universal fabric of living a human life. We all experience exultant joy and catastrophic grief. We all suffer from time to time. And we all succeed too. I think the more that people realize and understand that we are all in this life together, the more compassion, affection, and respect there can be in the world.
Right now the Arts are in danger in the United States. COVID-19 has shuttered theatres, music venues, museums, and performance spaces. We were the first to close and as COVID-19 continues to spread and more waves of illness and business closures appear to be inevitable, it is absolutely crucial that the federal government take direct and immediate action to make sure that our Arts organizations and the Arts Workers who empower them to succeed, survive this truly dark time in the United States. The Arts employ tens of thousands of Americans and bring billions in economic value to every single state in the union. We are too big to fail. But right now, 2.7 million Arts workers are completely unemployed. The U.S. Congress must act now to make sure that this valuable interdependent economic ecosystem does not collapse and that the people who make their livelihoods in the Arts are able to survive this crisis. I speak on behalf of all Arts Workers when I say that we love what we do, but we need help and relief to weather this storm until it is safe for us to return to work and do the work we get up every day dreaming of doing for our communities. Learn more at www.BeAnArtsHero.com
