Confessions of a Single Parent (Actress)

As I sit here always on the cliff between unemployment and what I love, I wonder and worry. This is when I write and pray. Yes. Pray. Many young artists enter this business with little to no spiritual foundation. You will crumble without it. Spirituality can exist without religious affiliation and without a belief in a higher power. Personally, my firm belief in both is what helps me stay the course. Because I have seen the impossible time and time again. This is a marathon not a race. At times you have great bursts of continuous success followed by a fucking desert. You do not wait to take care of your body, mind, heart, and spirit when everything is terrible. You must develop it on a minute to minute basis so that when the rough times hit you are prepared. I often look at my daughter and wonder if I am choosing correctly. Are my decisions selfish? Are my decisions self-centered? Should I throw it all in and move back to the house that I own as opposed to renting from charlatans? Sh...

My first teaching position in Philadelphia was at a charter school. A few years ago, the founders of it were charged with 29 counts of fraud and misuse of approximately $825,000. But, before that I worked for them as a 9th grade English teacher. My initial contract was exactly $1,000 less than my first Chicago Public School's contract when I only had a Bachelors degree and no experience. I forgot to mention that I worked for CPS nearly 11 years previous and at this time had a graduate degree in Education. Since this also came along near the first Boom, I signed the contract and started teaching. It was a project based curriculum inspired by a student centered ideology, but was mired in disorganization and a lack of continuity. In order to survive I had to observe what worked and what did not, then I went into my teacher lab and wrote a curriculum that would address the observed needs of the students and teach them some valuable skills. There also was a great need for structure an...

I planned on sleeping on my friend's floor thanks to my amazing air mattress. My life in New York City began at a job fair for prospective teachers to work for the New York Board of Education. I met with a few principals and quickly received 2 job offers. One was to be a Dean of Students for a middle school in Crown Heights. The other was for a 7th grade Language Arts position in Bedford Stuyvesant. The school in Bedstuy was housed on the second floor of an elementary school. This is a result of the school within a school plan that Chancellor Klein supported to maximize space. Imagine two separate schools with separate staff residing in the same building. I will let that resonate because you had to see it to believe it. During the first week of professional development all of the Language Arts teachers were introduced to a new writing program, which held some merit but also lessened grammatical structure. Students with very little grammar foundation will not simply become better ...

Chicago Remember that school on the West side of Chicago. The one with the abandoned section. Well that school turned out to be one of my three favorite teaching experiences. After the first year, the art department produced several student showcases throughout the year. It always included dance (modern, jazz, hip-hop, and even swing), music, and theater. One year, I wrote this play titled, What if Black History Month was outlawed? It featured a Jackson 5 medley, a speech by Malcolm X, a reading of the Letter from Birmingham, and a grandmother convincing her two grandchildren why Black history was so important. The students began to create original pieces and we always scheduled field trips for them to see professional performances. During my time there, we developed a partnership with Goodman Theater, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Art Institute, and 2 other public schools funded by an Annenberg Grant. One of the many projects included an adult community production of th...

I sent my head shots and resumes out to local agents to gain new representation since I no longer have any in NYC. I am teaching at a local charter school. (5 years later two of the founders were sentenced to 29 counts of fraud and misuse of approximately $825,000) Yes, they gave me a job. I never felt so honored. This is the same place that paid me pennies (One more reason why unions are important). But, I digress. A few months after, I finally am connected with a new agent. Without an office visit, she arranges for me to be seen by the local casting agents. Shortly after those auditions are completed, I get an audition for a new M.Night film (The Happening). I go in and get callback. Woohoo! Then I got an email that the callback needed to be rescheduled. Now I may have to call in sick on another day. Then something happened that never happened before. The casting director simply booked me for the gig based on my first audition. I never felt so good! I was excited. Until, Boom! ...

After graduation in 1996, I worked for Chicago Public Schools as a 6th grade Language Arts/Social Studies teacher at Disney Magnet School. It was a school with open walls. Each floor had several pods with 6 "classroom" sections with open space in the center for combined activities. There was also an actual room if needed in each pod. This experience proved to be a great training ground for me as a first year teacher. I was mentored simply by the fact that I could easily observe veteran educators in our open space. We worked like a team. If any of us were sick or at loss for a lesson, someone was always there to support us. I wish that more teachers had this opportunity to not feel isolated or unprepared. After this first year, I was selected to relocate to be a part of a team to go into the second lowest school in the city to provide a comprehensive art program. The principal heading this effort asked me to go and see the neighborhood, but to not go at night. Really?! Of co...

At times we make decisions with our heart and believe that it is what we truly want. So we take a leap. Before the show in New Hampshire, I started dating someone new. He was nice, supportive, and most importantly loved my daughter. After Yellowman, we all moved in together. Then I had to figure out where Maya should attend school. I settled on a local neighborhood Catholic School. To say that she found the adjustment difficult is putting it mildly. She continued to battle with her expressive and receptive speech disorder, while trying to figure out social norms. At the same time I was  trying to figure out why I had landed in Philly. I felt very isolated and unable to move forward. I wanted to get to Jersey so that I could be closer to NYC. I tried to schedule auditions locally and in NYC. But each time I attempted, Maya needed me more and more. She needed to know that I would not leave. She needed to know more structure. She also needed me to be in her corner with little to...

First, let me say that rich, meaningful, and three-dimensional roles specifically written for black females is rare. If I ask you to name some 3-dimensinal roles that did not celebrate a stereotype, you may stop after five fingers. And don't count Black musicals written by Black writers and musicians, you will fall short (Dreamgirls and Once on this Island don't count) They always tell us in actor school 102 that we should identify our type and make sure that we play to it when we approach auditions and career planning. I fully realize that I have a type and what it is. I am the sassy, funny, full - figured, black woman. Who just happens to be well versed in Shakespeare and the other emotions that exist. The last time I was moved in live theater or at a movie, it was because I just saw an amazing story where the characters spoke to my humanity and soul. Not because I saw a type in front of me. And there are black playwrights writing interestingly rich characters, but th...