The Stage to Business and Back Again: A Journey of Rediscovery
As the child of a music teacher mom and an engineer dad who famously "couldn't carry a tune in a bucket", was it inevitable I would be drawn both to the excitement of musical theater and the sober rigor of business?
I attended a small rural high school and thrived in band, chorus, and plays. In college, I focused on extra-curricular activities: singing and drama, ultimately achieving my MFA in Theater. But, intent on having a family, I didn't see a financially stable path as an actor, so I went into the business world. For 30 years I worked for iconic companies in the Baltimore/Washington area.
After retirement and with time on my hands, I looked for my purpose. Because I loved coffee and dreamed of owning my own coffee shop when I was younger, I even tried working as a Starbucks barista for about seven months. Alas, that was NOT my purpose. I needed to know how it would feel to get back on stage, or maybe even try for some small TV or Film projects.
Before I knew it, I was in a community production of Guys and Dolls playing Big Jule. Then, in rapid succession, came a featured ensemble role in a production of Evita, Robert in a professional production of Proof (one of my most challenging roles ever), and the Narrator/Mysterious Man in a community production of Into the Woods. Also sprinkled in there was a lead in a student film, and a non-speaking role as the infamous "pizza bomber" in a crime recreation show on Investigation Discovery/MAX.
