Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Credits: The Countess in Countess Dracula!, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Trinculo in Tempest, Katherine in Taming of the Shrew, various roles in A Fifth Dimension: An Unauthorized Twilight Zone Parody
Why theater?: It’s literally the only thing I’ve wanted to do since I was about 8 years old. I saw Footloose on Broadway and fell in love with theater. Ever since then, I’ve been acting, directing, producing, and have just started to write my own shows. I’m so happy one of them – my second original show EVER – got accepted into the FRIGID Festival!
Tell us about CSI: Mayberry – An Unauthorized Parody: It’s this weird mashup between "CSI: Miami" and "The Andy Griffith Show", in which a string of murders crop up in the town of Mayberry. Since Andy and Barney aren’t, well, the most competent law enforcement officers in the world, it goes about as well as you think it would. I threw in a bunch of in jokes from the original Andy Griffith episodes, but I also did my best to make sure those who aren’t very familiar with either TV show would be able to enjoy it.
What inspired you to create CSI: Mayberry?: Well, the idea came about after my co-producer, Chris Weigandt, and I were exhausted and punchy after finishing up a children’s show that we directed and produced last August, and we came up with this weird idea on the subway ride from the theater headed back home. I was filling out the application for the FRIGID Festival a few days later, and I decided to put in this show as a bit of a “Hey, we’re never gonna get in anyway!” type of deal, and since I only had to submit a plot, not a script, I just kinda made stuff up as I went along. About an hour after submitting to the festival, I got an email stating that CSI: Mayberry was in. After that, I really had no choice on the matter!
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Oh, comedy all the way! I’m such a dork, and while I can direct/act in dramatic pieces, they’re not the most fun things for me. For instance, my theater company, Sour Grapes Productions, put on a Halloween show last October that I directed and acted in. We specifically picked a drama that was written so poorly that the only way it could be done would be to do it as a farce. I mean, the last line was “And now, a marriage in hell!” How is THAT supposed to be taken seriously? The cast had a blast with it, and the audiences loved it. What mostly inspires me to be an artist at this point is the Hate Fire™ that has been building inside of me from an early age. I was bullied a whole lot in school, I had a lot of bad relationships growing up, unsupportive family members, teachers that would tell me that this industry is too hard (duh) and that I would instantly change my mind (opposite of duh). While this is the only career that makes me feel whole, what drives me to keep going past the brink of exhaustion and insanity is the fact that I need to make a lot of people eat their words.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Anyone off of the Harry Potter franchise, because I’m in love with those stories. Also Seth Rogan, because I have the same weird sense of humor as that weirdo.
What show have you recommended to your friends?: When Rock of Ages was still on Broadway, I saw it 10 times – I’m not even exaggerating! I was CONSTANTLY dragging friends to go see that play. I also really love Something Rotten and The Fantasticks. I’ve also heard some GREAT things about this FRIGID Festival show called CSI: Mayberry, although I’ve also heard that the playwright is kind of conceited.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I would insist on playing myself because I’m narcissistic trash, and it would be called "Vanity, Thy Name is Genevieve".
If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Heathers – I was way too busy to go see it when it was out, and I have regretted it ever since it closed.
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Nickelodeon shows. Yeah, I still watch. FIGHT ME.
If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Depressed, probably.
What’s up next?: Well, I’m currently in the process of (AKA procrastinating) writing an LGBTQ version of Romeo and Juliet, and I’m submitting a bunch of shows to various festivals. I’m also working on getting this show, as well as my last original show, A Fifth Dimension: An Unauthorized Twilight Zone Parody published.
For more on Sour Grapes Productions, visit www.sourgrapesproductions.com and www.facebook.com/sourgrapesproductions. For tickets to CSI: Mayberry, visit horsetrade.info.
