Skip to content

Category: Seattle

Life in the Theatre: September Skies

Published October 14, 2011

My most recent theatrical project, the world premiere of local playwright Jim Moran’s “September Skies,” closed a bit less than two weeks ago. (Hence the radio silence these last few weeks here on the blog.) It was so much more of a journey and a gift than I could have anticipated at the beginning of the process, and I for one was sad to see it go. I only wish more people had come out to see it – even getting great reviews from places like the Seattle Weekly isn’t always enough. This journey began for me in mid-July, when…

Continue reading Life in the Theatre: September Skies

1 Comment

Stage Brain

Published September 2, 2011

A few weeks ago, I walked onto the Intiman Playhouse stage to emcee TheatreSports for the first time at that location. (I’ve performed there several times, but hadn’t MCed yet.) I had done all of the requisite emcee preparation – sound check with the crew, etc – and with my whistle and stopwatch around my neck, I was ready to go. Except that for some reason, I hadn’t figured on the lights being QUITE so bright. When you’re performing, there is no need for direct eye contact with the audience except when getting suggestions – and usually at that point…

Continue reading Stage Brain

Comments closed

When Free Time Isn’t Free

Published August 27, 2011

Until recently, I had been looking forward to auditioning for the Microsoft Theatre Troupe’s fall production of “Sweeney Todd”. MSTT is all-volunteer – Microsoft covers all production costs, and all revenues go to charity (one is chosen for each production.) I was certain it’d be a huge time commitment, but with rehearsals practically across the street from my office, the blow would have been softened. But then I discovered that “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, the improvised Star Trek TOS parody I appeared in this summer, had targeted the first two weeks of November as our return – a…

Continue reading When Free Time Isn’t Free

Comments closed

Full Circle

Published August 9, 2011

As a performer and public speaker, it has been a long time since a performance situation or venue truly intimidated me. Several thousand people watching me dance in a theme park parade? No. (Even while wearing dreadful bowling costumes.) Six hundred women at a Microsoft technical conference? No. (Besides, we had microphones.) A 1500 person ballroom at a comic convention with a major celebrity? Not really. (I might have been a wee bit distracted by the knee surgery or the painkillers, but still not intimidated. Long story.) That’s one of the gifts improv gives you – all the world’s a…

Continue reading Full Circle

Comments closed

Unsettled

Published July 12, 2011

For 18 months of my life, from May 2002 – Nov 2004, I was a nomad. At one point, I had active leases on three apartments (two in CA and one in PA). It was absurd. My living situation looked something like this: Pittsburgh -> Orlando -> Pittsburgh -> Walnut Creek, CA -> Palo Alto, CA -> Redmond, WA …All within 18 months. Moving that often does things to your head. You start evaluating purchases on size and weight, and packability index. You never hang anything up because it’s not worth losing the deposit. You become ruthless about throwing everything…

Continue reading Unsettled

Comments closed