My interest in the arts and education started at an early age – painting and drawing, building, music making, storytelling and playing! I received a fantastic Dubuque K-12 education at an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound elementary school (learning through creating and doing) and participated in every variety of band, choir, orchestra, speech and theatre through Washington Jr. and Dubuque Sr. High School. While we can decide from thousands of options of what to do with our lives or who to be, the fine and performing arts (particularly, theatre arts) allowed me, at different times, a singular, focused vocational path to do and be most of them. I love how interdisciplinary, realized, and visceral the form is. Upon graduation from DSHS, I studied Theatre Performance/Acting, dabbled in Arts Administration, and minored in Music Performance & Theory/Composition, at the University of Northern Iowa.

 

In the formative years of my professional acting, directing and arts admin work, I co-founded Trainwreck Productions, a found-space nonprofit theatre, and served as artistic director for seven years while working as a feature writer and managing editor of Julien’s Journal, a local community and culture magazine, covering events, arts and entertainment, artists and entertainers. I was also actively gigging as a musician and volunteering with arts collectives and gallery boards. This was an artistic boom-time for me as I undertook a tremendous number of significant roles and productions; however, I often recall Chicago, On the Verge, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, [title of show], The Importance of Being Earnest, Reefer Madness, The Last Five Years, and The Drowsy Chaperone as personal favorites for friends I got to work with and the purpose they clarified in my work and life.

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Eventually, I pursued professional acting and directing work in New Orleans. I had the opportunity to work with some wonderful people on amazing shows, notably with companies the New Movement, the NOLA Project, and Southern Rep. Best of all, I found myself teaching in the Film & Theatre program at the University of New Orleans School of the Arts, where I also earned my Master of Fine Arts, the highest degree in Performance practice. Highlights of my theatre work from this time include Romeo & Juliet (Friar Laurence), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), Urinetown (Mr. McQueen), Hedda Gabler (Tesman), and massively successful regional/national productions of The Aliens (Evan) and The Royale (director). The latter two both receiving recognition from the Big Easy Entertainment Awards and Kennedy Center ACT Festival. This would also become a time of radical personal life changes for me. I was forced to grow, clarify who I am, what I care about, and find a way forward.

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I have returned home, Assistant Professor & Director of Theatre at Loras College. I continue to act and direct locally and regionally. Notable productions have included Around the World in 80 Days, Silent Sky, Rock of Ages, Eurydice, and Ride the Cyclone, in addition to launching the Loras College Film & Theatre program. After a term as a Commissioner and Officer for Arts & Cultural Affairs, Dubuque, Iowa, I continue to serve as a committee member of the Port of Dubuque Art on the River annual juried public sculpture exhibit. Professionally, I describe myself as an actor, director, teacher, and arts administrator. I am a scholar of Performance & Communication Arts (focused on Acting, Directing, Performance Pedagogy, Group & Interpersonal Communication) and Narrative Analysis & Interpretation (specifically Story Codes and Narrative Structures). More recently, my interests and research have grown to include self-communication and -realization (or intrapersonal communication), and I intend to expand my artistic and teaching practices into the arena of Expressive Arts Education and Leadership by offering community-based interdisciplinary arts opportunities for wellbeing and actualization. I also hope to pursue advanced education and research via a distance-EdD or -PhD program in this work.

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I love what I do and who I do it with. I am a creator, storyteller, teacher, and uplifter. I enjoy friendship, "deepdives," collaboration, dancing, coffee, walking, crossfit, meditation, and classic cars (in that order). A huge fan of transpersonal therapy and LOA practices. I am a savorer of sunshine and fresh air, silence, and the comic. I appreciate your interest in my work and story, and thank you for your time.