“Dear third little pig, you were my favrite caracter. I hope you do more plays becus I want to watch you. I hope I kan be like you. Gracie.” This was the first piece of fan mail that I ever received. I’ll never forget the overwhelming joy I felt the very first time that I realized I could impact others through my passion for theatre. As a rapping pig in the sixth grade play, “The Fairytale Courtroom,” I made my first theatrical appearance. I wore overalls with one strap hanging down over my white wife-beater tank top, a 2pac bandana, headphones around my neck, and the attitude of LL Cool J (not to mention a pig snout and ears). From the beginning, I took my roles very seriously, always making sure to completely encompass my character...even when I only had four lines. I was able to transform my mind, body, and spirit into my role. In my very first performance, I remember believing I was actually an attitudinal rapping pig. I learned from a young age that my ability to keep this imagination alive would remain the essential ingredient at the core of my success. As I “became one with my character,” I was able to bring the character alive in the eyes of my audience. It was in a simple letter of appreciation from the heart of a five-year-old little girl in the audience that I realized I had the ability to bring a character alive on stage. My presence had made an impact, igniting a passion and becoming a possibility. Gracie showed me the influential power of art. This “possibility” has molded my entire life.
Below are some picture from plays I have done. I show you these to to give you an example of the character work I do. To me, creating a world and a character is what makes the entertainment great.
This picture was when I played Brooke/Vicki in Neil Simon's BRitish comedy, Noises Off!
This image is when I was in the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" and played the evil Queen, Queen Aggravain.
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