Hometown: Bellerose (Queens) NY
Education: BA in English Literature, Binghamton University Acting education: The Barrow Group School, NYC, Playhouse West (Meisner Technique), LA
Select credits: One woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (Cape May Stage, Cape May, NJ); The Goddess (Looking Glass Theater Company); Expecting Isabel (The Barrow Group Theater); In Darfur (WAM Theater Co. in Lenox, MA); Unrepeatable Moment (The Barrow Group Theater)
Why theatre?: Theater offers a connection like nothing I've experienced before. To me it is church, in the best sense of the word. It is a communion that occurs between the actors and the audience. It is a living, breathing organism that changes from night to night and moment to moment. Theater teaches compassion, it hits people on a soul level, it strips away our ideas and titles and brings us back to our basic humanity. It is a reminder of our true nature and our reason for being--joyful
expression and connection, a truthful sharing of who we are.
Who do you play in Kyle?: I play Crystal, Jack's girlfriend.
Tell us about Kyle: Kyle is the story of a man whose life is swallowed up by his cocaine addiction, until all the things he holds dear--his relationship with Crystal, his job, his ability to write, his friendship and working relationship with Reggie--fall away. It's also the story of his decision to rise from the ashes and reclaim his life, once he has hit his rock bottom.
What is it like being a part of Kyle: It's been a joyful process, being a part of Kyle. There's a lot of fun and levity in the room, along with a lot of clarity of ideas and careful, respectful communication. There has also been room to play and explore different choices for each scene. That's a great combination to have in a rehearsal room.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: The kind of theater that inspires me: truthful, gut punch, grappling with the big questions, tackling murky, touchy topics, with a sense of the sacred or a sense of us being part of a bigger whole. I grew up reading and watching plays written by John Patrick Shanley and Stephen Adly Guirgis, and they spoke to me, both as a New York native, and as a lapsed Catholic. The language, the melody of the way New Yorkers speak is beautiful to me, urban blue collar, underrepresented stories are beautiful to me, a sense of life being sacred, while organized religion is often manipulative and damaging, and the conflict that causes in us, is interesting and beautiful to me.
Any roles you’re dying to play?: I have two playwright friends who have written full length plays that I'm dying to do: Stefanie Zadravec wrote Colony Collapse and Lindsay Joy wrote The Cleaners. I've participated in readings of both, but neither have been staged in NY. It'd be a dream come true to play these three dimensional, flawed, dealt a shit hand but trying their hardest courageous characters onstage.
What’s your favorite showtune?: "Cool" from West Side Story if I feel like dancing; "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables if I feel like sobbing
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: American: Mark Ruffalo British: Olivia Colman from the TV show Broadchurch
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Maya Rudolph. Called: "She Persisted"
If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Philip Seymour Hoffman in Death of a Salesman
What show have you recommended to your friends?: Play: The Flick. Movie: "Arrival." TV Show: "Happy Valley" and "Broadchurch"
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Fashion Magazines
Whats up next?: I'm singing in a show on April 1st at Ryan's Daughter, a bar on the upper east side. I'm performing some of my writing at Naked Angels' reading series called Tuesdays at 9 at the beginning of April, and I'm in the midst of writing a one woman show, hopefully to be produced in the fall/winter of 2017.
For more on Kyle, visit www.HotTrampProductions.com.
