I grew up surrounded by art: my mother is a high school theatre teacher and was determined to expose me to as much art and culture as possible.  I took solace with a sketchbook and pencils, I learned how to analyze portraits, and spent several late evenings discussing themes when driving home from attending a show at a local San Diego theatre.
         When I was asked as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say, “I want to be a starving artist in Paris!” I had the bench picked out in Montmartre and everything, based off some painting by Van Gogh.  The idea of a community like the Impressionists who lived to paint and shared as a together was inspiring—so theatre became a natural choice when looking for that community.
         As a theatre artist, I believe in the relevance of sharing the human condition.  It is the art of storytelling that connects us and why we feel compelled as people to continue with the path of telling those stories.  When we create a show, we build communities between designers, technicians, actors, and the audience to create a world that exists in the interface of a magical interaction.
        The honesty in these magical interactions is why when designing and creating I strive for authenticity of character; I prefer to choose a psychological and emotional path in order to bring the characters to life.  I am deeply drawn to understanding the full identity of a character so all design choices feel organic to a particular direction or production.  My passion is motivated by the need to find an empathetic understanding within any character design in hopes of deepening the audience’s connection.
        With each production I strive to learn something new or be open to trying new approaches and materials.  Theatre’s survival over the centuries is due to its adaptability to the world that surrounds it. I believe as artists we must do the same through consistently pursuing growth and development.