A BIT ABOUT AC

Growing up in catholic school I infuriated my teachers by using every assignment as an outlet for artistic expression. When I came home I was most excited for the lengthy production that was our Italian-American dinner. Jumpstarted by a good cup of coffee, I would finish my homework so I could start putting on shows with my sister in the living room. Not even my high school baccalaureate requirements could prevent me from turning my community service project into a performance art piece to raise money for a local art charity.

Attending Western Michigan University to pursue my BFA in stage acting meant I was no longer expected to choose between art and education. Academic theatre was my opportunity to relish in my craft. My first main-stage role as a Clown in Big Love involved extensive clowning training, followed by months of vigorous Bunraku puppeteer training for Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher, and pursuit of truth in shows ranging from Romeo and Juliet to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and my directorial approach to Auto-da-Fé. My free time was filled with apparel construction, apprenticeship to a wig master, directing, voice and body training, and family. After graduating in 2018, I understudied Christopher in a regional production of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and auditioned for graduate school. My time in college gave me comfort and courage — to come out to my family and to pick what I had wanted as a kid instead of more years in academia — to move to New York and yet again find myself searching for every opportunity to perform, create, and discuss truths we would struggle to find the courage to entertain unless we share an experience at the theatre.