When I started acting in Hollywood I believed every audition was a potential Golden Ticket. All my fortunes could change overnight based on my interpretation of a few pages of dialogue. All I had to do was learn my lines, come up with interesting behavior for the character, make bold choices, be believable, cry on cue, hit all the beats and land all the laughs. Oh, do be personable and engaging during the small talk Read more…
Twenty nine years ago this week I walked into a room in the subterranean space at 50th and 8th that is Circle in the Square Theatre School, and performed my monologue for admission. I remember a small grey space and a conference table seated with three auditors. The monologue was Lila from A Loss of Roses by William Inge. I remember my first day of school. Mother took me by the hand and I carried Read more…
I feel bad about my ‘socials’ habit. I’m told it’s not my fault. The algorithms are set up that way. Intentionally addictive. There’s always just one more. Scroll scroll scroll along, very unmerrily, and then inevitably forget the damn thing I wanted to post in the first place. I have one platform that is inactive because it overwhelms me but I want to give it a chance. I have another that I only engage with because Read more…
It’s 3:33. I think I should make a wish. And then I laugh at myself because I am a grown ass woman and I should be thinking serious thoughts. There’s a pandemic for chrissakes. For the record grown ass people are just as prone to superstitious reflexes as the gaggle of tweens walking past the window. How many does it take to make a gaggle? These are the thoughts I pause to consider. My mind Read more…
The province is going into its third lockdown. Minneapolis is in the spotlight as the George Floyd murder trial begins. Traumas are resurrected. Spring seems to have had a false start. Everyone is grieving. Even if you don’t know it. Even if you do, it might be deeper than you thought. It’s been a slow steady build, like the pandemic pounds that crept in between me and my waistband. It’s as if winter ran a Read more…
I love a list. I love the satisfaction of crossing something off it. One slash of ink and it is obliterated. Wielding lead and pen like a superpower. One stroke at a time the looming monolith of the day’s tasks is felled. I strike a hero’s pose and my metaphoric cape flaps in the breeze. Oh yes, I’m a slayer. Secret fun fact: my first and most important death defying feat of the day is… Read more…
We’re halfway through our month ladies! Have you been celebrating our incredible feats despite cruel odds? Have you celebrated your wins? We amaze me. I’ve been reflecting on the women in my personal history who’ve wittingly, and not, contributed to my journey thus far. One post isn’t enough to pay tribute to all the sisters and daughters and mothers and cousins and aunties and nieces that have blessed my life. But I’ll try. To my Read more…
Who remembers this story; a boy walking home notices another kid carrying all their books and school gear, the kid stumbles and falls (or gets pushed) and the boy offers a hand. On the walk they talk and bond and the other boy shares that he had cleared out his locker because he had planned to kill himself over the weekend. This simple act of kindness saved his life. It’s a very Chicken Soup for Read more…