- Where you were born/where were you raised?
Born in Chicago, raised in Joliet from age 3 on. - Zodiac sign: Libra, with 4 planets in Scorpio
- What are/were the careers of your parents? My father is a doctor and my mother is a teacher.
- Do you have any Siblings? Two younger sisters
- Where were you trained? College - Illinois Wesleyan University, and tons of classes here in Chicago.
- Current favorite audition song or monologue to use: Mine are always changing. I like to do a few different Richard II pieces, and I took my most recent modern piece from an off-kilter television show. The writing just jumped out at me.
- Why did you want to be a part of Nevermore? I've always been interested in Poe, and I haven't done a musical in quite a few years.
- Current or recent show in Chicago (other than Nevermore) that you think is must-see: Fun Home. I'm so very glad I saw it.
- Favorite Edgar Allan Poe poem or story? The Tell-Tale Heart. So many of his stories have a similar arc - the narrator does something horrible and then is so anxious about getting caught that they confess. I find that quite a fascinating obsession on Poe's part. I also love the imagery with the eye, which reflected his relationship with his step-father.
- What's your favorite non-Poe scary art? Twin Peaks. It's absolutely terrifying on so many levels. I also love 80's horror films such as Hellraiser and Nightmare on Elm Street. In terms of theatre, the darker the better. Music, too. Not a big fan of major chords.
- Most played song in your music collection: Oh jeez. I listen to a LOT of music, and focus mostly on new music, so things get cycled back fairly quickly. I'm still stuck on LCD Soundsystem's new album, particularly the song, "How Do You Sleep?"
- Favorite or most memorable onstage role as a child/teenager: My first role in community theatre was the Devil. That certainly set the tone for most of my roles.
- Worst onstage mishap: Two come to mind. In high school, I was a bit overzealous with an onstage prop and caused my scene partner to have an open cut. He was gushing blood from his forehead while the audience laughed at my antics. We didn't have a fight choreographer, unfortunately. Several years ago, in Porchlight's production of Sweeney Todd, I went on as Toby for one night only (usually I was in the ensemble). I was so excited and had prepared for weeks. I had over 40 friends and family there. After entering as Toby and singing my first line, I banged on Toby's drum with the drum stick, as is custom. I broke the drum immediately. I will never forget that. The rest of the night was perfect.
- Worst costume ever: Oh dear. I've been fortunate to have some amazing costumes in the last 19 years in Chicago. I actually liked this costume, but I wouldn't want to wear it again: In Ragtime, I played Houdini and did most of the show in a rather revealing singlet, which caused quite a lot of giggling when middle school kids came en masse for a field trip. There was another incident where my costume was so ill-fitting and wrong for the character that I had to object and demand a different costume. It ended up fine, but if I'd said nothing that would have certainly been my worst costume.
- Worst job you ever had: Waiting tables at I-Hop. Worse than working at McDonalds, which would be second place for me. Not a great place for vegetarians to work, but my friend and I sang excerpts from musicals over the drive through microphones all day, which made it as fun as possible. I-Hop taught me that corporate chain restaurants are a horrible place to be, and I try not to patronize such places as a result.
Craziest audition story: Can't think of anything too crazy, but I used to get called into one of the top 5 theatres here routinely, and got a few callbacks too. The last time I auditioned there for generals, I went over time. The casting director didn't stop me, but afterward he berated me and told me off in such a way that had me sobbing in the car all the way home. Despite apologizing profusely, I've never been called in to that theatre again, and it's somewhere I always dreamed of working. So, I learned my lesson and I strictly time every audition now, usually opting for extremely short pieces.
Role(s) you’ve been dying to play: My dream roles that I haven't already played are: Salieri, Richard II, Sweeney Todd, Molina, Guido, and Iago.
- What were you afraid of as a child? Bees and wasps. Still am!