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Today's mission: paint like I've never painted before. 🎨 I'm determined to power through every last brushstroke so I can actually take the Fourth of July off for a change. There are walls to age, scenery to finish, and plenty of coffee standing between me and a day of doing absolutely nothing. If all goes according to plan, tomorrow's paintbrush will be replaced with a lawn chair. Wish me luck. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #S

There is something incredibly satisfying about watching a set that only existed as a few sketches on paper suddenly become real. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

How is it already July? #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

I'm staying at a hotel tonight. Period. 😂 #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

Some days I honestly don't think I could fit one more thing into the day if I tried. Every hour is spoken for, every list has another list attached to it, and somehow there are still emails to answer, sets to build, rehearsals to run, and problems to solve. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigm

It feels like every time one fire gets put out, another one pops up. A missing prop, a last-minute phone call, a costume that needs fixing, an email that can't wait... opening week has a way of keeping you humble. The funny thing is, this is the part no one in the audience ever sees. They just see the magic. And somehow, despite all the chaos behind the scenes, the magic always finds a way to happen. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeop

Had a great time doing a radio interview today with Dave Congalton! It was a lot of fun talking about OLIVER!, OEA Theatrical, and everything that's gone into bringing this production to life. Thanks for having me, Dave—it was a blast! #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

Feeling a little better today... and I mean a little. 😅 I'll take any improvement I can get at this point. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

Omg... of all the weeks to get sick, it has to be this one. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

OMG! I’m sick! #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

When I was 13, my family moved to San Luis Obispo and one of the first things I did was audition for Oliver! at PLOT in Pismo Beach. I was just a kid who loved theater and wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. The choreographer on that production was Jason Sumabat. Fast forward all these years later, and somehow life has come full circle. I'm directing OLIVER! and Jason is starring as Fagin. Back then, I was watching and learning from him. Now we're building thi

Lately, I feel like I'm holding together an entire musical with equal parts determination, caffeine, spreadsheets, and sheer force of will. There are costumes to fit, scenery to build, sponsors to thank, schedules to update, props to track down, and somehow I'm still expected to remember choreography and blocking. Some days it feels like I'm carrying a hundred different responsibilities at once, and yet when I look around the room, I see a show that is actually coming to life

One thing that kind of sucked this weekend was realizing that my friend Sheila was in San Luis Obispo and we never managed to connect. Life has been moving at such a ridiculous pace with OLIVER! that the days have all started to blur together, and before I knew it, the weekend was over. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulati

Today was our OLIVER! sewing day, and I am amazed by how many people showed up to help. We got a tremendous amount accomplished, and the costume racks are finally starting to look like a real show. Honestly, it's kind of crazy that we've managed to cobble together costumes for nearly 50 performers through donations, thrift stores, costume pulls, creativity, and a whole lot of determination. Community theater magic is real. Thank you to everyone who spent their day sewing, fit

Kristina called me today and suggested we might need to change the ending of Nancy's death scene. I brought it up to Emy and Colin, which somehow turned into a discussion with much of the cast. To my surprise, almost everyone agreed: leave it in. Their feeling was that it's theater, it's an important part of the story, and audiences can handle difficult moments when they're done thoughtfully. As a director, it was actually pretty great to hear so many people advocating for th

I’m a little overwhelmed ! #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople #StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

I am incredibly grateful to Opera SLO, Marcy at the Gilbert & Sullivan community, and Shannon at SOPA for their generosity, support, and willingness to help when we needed it most. When our costume plans suddenly became much more complicated than expected, each of these organizations opened doors, shared resources, offered advice, and reminded me what makes the performing arts community on the Central Coast so special. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #

Lately, life feels a little like standing in the middle of a storm holding a clipboard. There are family concerns, health concerns, theater concerns, financial concerns, and approximately 47 other concerns all competing for attention at the same time. Some days I feel like I'm carrying the entire weight of the world on my shoulders and doing everything by myself, even though the truth is that there are so many wonderful people helping me along the way. I think that's just wha

Yesterday I spent 11 hours pulling costumes for OLIVER!. Yes, eleven hours. You may be wondering why anyone would spend an entire day digging through racks of clothing, and the answer is simple: our original plan to get most of our costumes from PCPA fell through. We can still pull from them, but not until June 26, which is getting awfully close to opening night when you're trying to costume an entire musical. So I did what theater people do when faced with a problem…I starte

Yesterday felt like the longest rehearsal day yet. The room was unbelievably hot, everyone was tired, and by the end of the day we had been going for what felt like forever. But somehow this cast just keeps showing up and giving everything they have. Despite the heat and exhaustion, we successfully ran two entire sections of the show, and seeing those pieces finally come together was pretty amazing. There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but moments like yesterday remind m