From my teenage years onward, I have played guitar, sung, and written songs. I have penned over 300 musical compositions, participated in over 50 theatrical productions, and produced a dozen shows as the primary creative artist. Furthermore, I have acquired two degrees in my field: A Bachelor of Fine Arts from UT Austin in Theatre Studies, and a Master’s Degree from Towson University in Theatre with an emphasis on interdisciplinary performance and artist-as-entrepreneur.
My thesis production, SONGSCAPES, melded song composition and acting theory into a coherent approach to singing as physical action. In 2009 and 2010, I created and produced two productions in the "My Comic Valentine" series - theatrical performance events based on pre-code 1950s romance comics. In the Fall of 2017, I wrote "The Unfinished Story of Docktown", which told the story of floating home residents facing eviction at the hands of their own City Council. In more recent years, I have continued to integrate my twin passions for theatre and songwriting with a commitment to teaching, grant-writing, and service to my community.
I have committed to support my community and the families who live here by helping to raise the profile of our arts, culture, and service sector non-profits. To work with local, state, and federal granting agencies to insure that funding flows to the organizations and individuals that need it most. To assist local non-profits organizations and their Boards of Directors in meeting fundraising goals, achieving greater efficiency of operations, and increasing our capacity for sustainable growth. To cultivate a positive impact in the community by creating learning opportunities for people of all ages, and promoting the performing arts as a vehicle for personal growth.
For as long as humans have tried to speak words, other humans have tried to shut them up. If you're one of the ones who's been letting other people shut you up, I hope you receive these words like a slap in the face. If you're one of the ones telling others to shut up, I hope you receive my words like a punch to the jaw. If you've never fully utilized your freedom of speech, how can you even know what you're sacrificing? Who taught you to curb your own speech? What did that bunch of authoritarians ever know besides what an even older bunch of authoritarians told them? How dare you give such earnest respect to such flagrant bullies? If you identify with those who tell others to shut up, maybe you're the one who doesn't deserve freedom of speech.
Our program builds a stronger connection between citizens and all of those that it touches. Public events are not merely gatherings; they are opportunities for exchange between members of the same community. The book discussions represent a vital indispensable component of our programming agenda precisely for that they are the laboratories in which we practice civil discourse.