ARTISTIC STATEMENT

Creating and performing are dual passions of mine, and I'm happiest anywhere on the spectrum of storytelling. My goal is simply to connect with other people, to reveal and share common truths, as if we were all in on one big universal inside joke. This goal of connection, however, is not purely altruistic on my part. It's a bit selfish. When I was growing up, I would always prefer to listen to the radio, rather than play cassettes and CD's in my stereo. I felt less solitary, and more connected to the world when I was listening to the radio, knowing that there were thousands of other people out there at that same moment listening to the same thing I was listening to. I am a creator and performer for that same reason: to make myself feel less alone, to be a part of a greater collective experience, a thread in the fabric of human experience. I need to be a part of something big, just as much as an audience needs to be a part of something by going to the movies or the theatre or even YouTube.

I want my work to reflect not only this need for connecting to a larger human experience, but also the human experience itself. As an actor, I am interested in finding broad truths in the microscopic details that are unique to each person and character. I love watching people, studying body language and behavior, and challenging myself to relate to someone who is 180 degrees different from who I am (or at least who I think I am). As a creator, I want to show images that evoke a reaction in my audience, whether emotional or physical. I want to write dialogue that can only come out of that one character's mouth, yet be relatable to everyone. Ultimately, what I aspire to do is walk the line between huge and small, universal and unique; and then figure out the best way to present that balancing act to my audience... I can't imagine a better job than what a storyteller gets to do.