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Maybe happiness isn't a life where nothing goes wrong. Maybe it's learning to recognize the beautiful moments while everything else is still unfinished. Life doesn't have to be perfect before you're allowed to enjoy it. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheSigma #TheaterAndTherapy

Well, apparently I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I went BACK to the casino today and somehow WON BACK all the money I lost the other day! Even better, I got to use my newly upgraded card and brought home my “free” dinner. And yes, I realize after what I lost the first time, calling it free requires some very creative accounting, but we’re not going to talk about that. Money recovered, dinner acquired, and I actually left while I was ahead. YAAAY! Sometimes you just hav

Seeing The Phantom of the Opera the other night brought up something I wasn’t really expecting. It made me think about my dad. He took me to see Phantom three or four times when I was younger, and he always thought it was the greatest musical ever written. Sitting there last night, hearing that music again and watching the chandelier rise, I couldn’t help but think about all those times sitting in a theater with him. It’s strange how someone can live only a mile away and some

I love Big Brother. All the lying, backstabbing, alliances, friendships that last about twelve minutes, and people swearing they would NEVER do something right before doing exactly that. It’s basically real life with cameras and competitions thrown in. And somehow, every single year starts the same way. The new cast walks into the house and I’m looking at all of them thinking, “Who are these people and why do I care?” You have absolutely nothing invested in any of them. Then

So apparently the theater gods decided to smile on me because I WON the digital lottery for PHANTOM! And not just “congratulations, here’s a seat somewhere behind a chandelier” lottery seats. DEAD CENTER, ROW H! I mean, what could possibly be better? The show was absolutely PHENOMENAL, gorgeous, huge, theatrical, and everything you want The Phantom of the Opera to be. But apparently the Phantom himself decided there wasn’t quite enough drama happening onstage because there we

So I decided to head out to Barona today, because apparently I woke up and thought, “You know what sounds fun? Giving a casino some of my money.” And, well, I ended up losing, which definitely sucks. BUT I guess I played long enough that on my way home they actually called to tell me they bumped me up a card level! So did I win? No. Did I apparently achieve some sort of casino status in the process? YES. And from what I could understand on the very spotty phone call, I think

Finally leaving San Luis after a few days up here working on The Mikado, and I have to say, the set is looking AMAZING! It’s always one thing to have something living in your head and completely another to start seeing it actually come to life in front of you. There’s still plenty to do before we open, but every time I come up here, another piece of the world gets added and it starts feeling more and more like the show I envisioned. I’m really excited about where this is head

After working all morning on The Mikado set, Brian showed up and took me to lunch, and we had a really good conversation about everything moving forward. So, yes, I’m officially moving forward with The Music Man! I’m genuinely excited because creatively I have wanted to do this show from the beginning, and I already have about a million ideas running through my head. At the same time, I’m realizing more and more that I need to stand my ground on certain things and make sure t

Met up with Kristina today for drinks and a chance to catch up, and it went great! We talked about OEA, what we accomplished with Oliver!, and where we might go from here, and I think we’re going to be moving forward with a few more shows. Nothing I can announce quite yet, but there are definitely some exciting possibilities being talked about. Apparently San Luis Obispo isn’t quite finished with me yet, which means a lot more theater, a lot more creating, and probably a lot

I didn’t know if I wanted to post this, but it’s been weighing on me. Coming home after Oliver! only to find out through a form email that, after three years at SeaWorld, I wasn’t being brought back was incredibly disappointing. I gave a lot to that job. I showed up, worked hard, went beyond what was asked of me, and genuinely cared about the work I was doing and the people I worked with. I think what has made it even harder is that since then I’ve been hearing all kinds of t

Off to LA this morning! Deborah invited me to be her date for Beauty and the Beast, and I am SUPER stoked to see it again. Apparently I’ve also completely changed my plans and am now taking her back to SLO afterward, which actually works out perfectly because I need to get back up there, work on The Mikado set, and finally get everything finalized and moving forward. So what started as a quick trip to LA has somehow turned into a weekend of Disney, driving, scenic work, paint

After all the back and forth with Brian about The Music Man, I still don’t have a contract in front of me. At this point, I think I may literally write the damn thing myself today just so everything we’ve discussed is actually put down on paper and there’s no confusion later. What’s making me particularly nervous is that now there seems to be some backtracking over The Mikado set and budget—things that were already discussed, agreed upon, and included when I signed my contrac

Day two of the Great Cellular Data Mystery. My phone continues to proudly display LTE as though it has accomplished something. It has not. Everything still says Verizon, SafeLink says my balance is fine, and my phone continues behaving like mobile data is a theoretical concept rather than something I actually possess. At some point you realize you have crossed over from troubleshooting into simply pressing things and hoping one of them performs a miracle. No miracle yet. The

Today’s thrilling theatrical adventure was replaced by something even more dramatic: trying to get my damn phone to work. My SafeLink data suddenly decided it was done participating in my life. The phone says LTE. It says Verizon. My balance is good. I didn’t change anything. And yet every time I try to actually use the internet, Safari basically throws its hands in the air and tells me the server stopped responding. Nothing makes you realize how dependent you are on your pho

It’s funny how quickly my brain moves on to the next thing. Oliver! still feels incredibly recent, The Mikado is actively being built, and somehow I’m already thinking about what comes after all of that. I’ve been having conversations about theater availability for 2027. At the same time, The Music Man situation has continued to occupy a huge amount of space in my head. I really do want to direct this show, which is what made all the negotiating so difficult in the first plac

The older I get, the more I realize that a meaningful life isn't measured by how perfectly everything worked out. It's measured by the people we loved, the chances we took, the things we created, and the moments when we were brave enough to begin again. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #

Sometimes we hold onto people, places, and memories because letting go feels like admitting they didn't matter. But letting go doesn't erase what something meant to you. It simply means you're finally willing to carry the memory instead of the weight. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #Thea

Sometimes we hold onto people, places, and memories because letting go feels like admitting they didn't matter. But letting go doesn't erase what something meant to you. It simply means you're finally willing to carry the memory instead of the weight. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #Th

I’ve been going back and forth about The Music Man more than I ever expected. I was originally offered an amount that I felt seriously undervalued what I was being asked to do as both director and set designer, so I countered. That number was declined, and the offer was raised by $1,000 instead. Now I’m sitting here wondering what to do because, creatively, I really want this show. There’s definitely some FOMO involved because I know exactly what I could do with The Music Man

There’s definitely a lot going on here in Arizona, and I’m really glad I came. Crew keeps asking me what my name is, which is kind of hilarious, and apparently I need to keep reminding him who I am! It’s also so great to see Melissa and Beady doing so well. I’ve missed being around everyone, and sometimes you don’t realize how much you needed to see people until you’re actually there. And on a very important note, I absolutely cannot wait for some Lou Malnati’s pizza. Priorit