Confessions of a Single Parent (Actress)

The importance of bringing the character to life in a musical is just as vital as bringing one to fruition in a straight play with no music. The problem is that the book at times can get lost when one is learning music and choreography. If you can only comment on the movement, music, set design, and great costumes when you walk away from a musical, then the book/story has been lost in translation. I have literally scored a role after several callbacks as a result of bringing a character to life through the lyrics and lines, as opposed to just simply being an amazing singer. In other words if you want to experience longevity and take the audience on a journey, you must find the arc of your character. Even when the musical has a two-dimensional script and a repetitive score, there is richness to mine and that makes all the difference. I love musicals. I love the sweep and beauty that they bring, but I also like the unpleasantness that exists when you are able to peel back and se...

I want to live my life as an artist. This decision comes with some difficult choices. For example, as I continue to find more and more success as an actress/singer, I still grow weary of supplementing my income with other non-artistic work. Of course, I seldom complain because what good does it do. But it can be exhausting and that is what I want to share with you. Just because I am able to earn money from doing a show 7-8 times per week and twice on Sunday and Wednesday does not mean that it is not exhausting. Just because I love being on stage and in front of the camera does not mean that I do not get tired like anyone else who works a job they love or hate. Because despite the make up and the pretty costumes and the accolades, this is a job. It is even more exhausting when others assume that you are having such a great time with no struggles or trauma, simply because you are doing what you love. Well when what you love pays as inconsistent as this work does, it can make you...

I am currently in rehearsal for Lysistrata Jones at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, Michigan with an amazingly talented cast. But, this is not about what a great time I am having playing the role of Heteira, this is about the horrible panic attack I had a few evenings ago about money. Yes, I love my life as a performer, but I have a confession to make. At times I am often reminded of how stretched my finances can become. And then I begin to panic! I quickly begin to think, I should forgo joy so that I can have a healthy bank account with an actual savings. Not just simply some funds I saved thanks to an awesome opportunity to simply use when I fall short paying bills in the next few months. Or even better, I stacked enough cash to treat myself and my daughter to a wonderful staycation (that's right we stay in the city, LOL). Either way, I find that these panic attacks creep on me in the middle of the night and literally eat away at my artistic spirit. Fuck me! And fuck those...