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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

I am absolutely exhausted. Not the kind of tired that a good night's sleep fixes, but the kind that settles into your bones after weeks of rehearsals, emails, fundraising, costume hunting, set building, problem solving, and carrying a hundred little details around in your head at all times. There are moments when it feels like I'm juggling an entire production with one hand while trying not to drop everything else in my life with the other. And yet, every time I walk into reh

As we continue building OLIVER!, I find myself thinking about how grateful I am that I reached out to the Herman family and encouraged them to audition. From the very beginning, they were thoughtful, enthusiastic, and incredibly kind. Before auditions, they asked if we could do a group phone call so they could learn more about the production. They came prepared with questions, and it was immediately clear that this was a family that cared deeply about theater and wanted to be

One of the things I love most about the theater community is how people show up for one another when it's needed most. For the last few weeks, I've been quietly stressing about costumes for OLIVER! and trying to figure out how we were going to make everything work. Today, I got some wonderful news: Marcy from Gilbert & Sullivan has graciously agreed to let us borrow some costumes, which takes a huge weight off our shoulders. It's amazing how quickly a situation that feels ove

Today’s small-town adventure involved spending far too much time searching for my keys. I checked the shop, my rehearsal bag, every pocket I could think of, and was starting to wonder if I was slowly losing my mind. After a lengthy investigation worthy of a detective novel, I finally discovered the keys exactly where I had left them….in the ignition. Apparently they had been there long enough to drain the battery completely. So not only had I found my missing keys, but I had

I want to give a special shout-out to Debora and Larry Bolef, who have been such a bright spot during my time back in San Luis Obispo. One of the unexpected gifts of returning is getting to reconnect with people who make you feel like you've never been away. Larry is our master carpenter and the creative force helping bring the world of OLIVER! to life. Every time I walk into the shop, I'm amazed by what he's built. His talent, craftsmanship, and willingness to tackle whateve

There's something very Gilmore Girls about being back in San Luis Obispo. You run into Target for one thing, just one thing, and somehow 45 minutes later you've seen your third former cast member, a parent from a show you directed ten years ago, someone you worked with at a theater, and a person who asks, "Wait... are you still doing productions?" In a bigger city, you can disappear into a crowd. In SLO, a quick trip to Target turns into a reunion tour. It's funny how a place

Today I had lunch with one of my favorite people in the world, Sandy Schwarer. There are some people who come into your life and make it better simply by being themselves, and Sandy is one of those people. I absolutely adore this woman. She has always been so kind, supportive, thoughtful, and full of wisdom. Spending time with her is like getting a warm hug for your soul. She's like a grandmother to me, and I treasure every conversation, every laugh, and every moment we get t

Well, apparently at some point while working at the scene shop, I stepped on a nail. I could barely walk last night and was convinced I was headed for some sort of dramatic medical emergency. This morning, however, we're staging choreography for Oliver! and, as they say, the show must go on. Several people immediately told me I needed to get a tetanus shot. I was preparing for a full blown crisis, except my mother, the former ICU nurse who somehow still knows everything, remi

We've built the cast, started rehearsals, learned music, blocked scenes, painted scenery, created schedules, and poured countless hours into bringing OLIVER! to life. The show is shaping up to be something really special, but now comes the part that every producer worries about: raising the money to pay for it all. The reality is that ticket sales cover less than half of the production costs, and without sponsors, donations, and program advertisers, all of this wonderful craz