How I got here:

       

After a childhood filled with playing make believe, I graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre form Oakland University SMTD in December 2020. For the last decade, since getting my first theatrically funded paycheck in high school, I have built a career in the entertainment industry and have worked professionally onstage as a as a performer and offstage as a  scenic designer, lighting designer, sound designer, projections designer, properties master, production stage manager, assistant stage manager, choreographer, and as a director. What a wild ride this life I have chosen is.

 

While my degree is in performance, and most of my technical theatre knowledge has been self taught, I have had the incredible opportunity to work under many mentors who were masters of their crafts in the design world. In grade school, my participation in theatre was mostly with underfunded rural programs that lacked the crucial resources and talent to create high level and technically advanced productions. I found that if I wanted to perform in shows with high production values, then I needed to learn how to provide those values myself. When I was in middle school, I started asking for lighting instruments for Christmas, and soon had a full model stage with an NSI console set up in my parents basement. When I was old enough to drive, I started using my equipment and knowledge learned on full sized stages with full sized productions. Today I find great fulfillment in returning to my hometown in Southern Michigan to continue to foster a love for theatre and all its components.