Sheesh. It has been a long time since I’ve sat down to write a blog post. I mean a loooong time. So first, let me catch you up. In the last 3 years I had a baby, followed by raising a toddler, and (in a surprise twist) picked up and moved to Western Massachusetts unexpectedly. All the while trying to figure out how to continue being a performing artist. Needless to say, life and career look different for me these days than I ever imagined.
Two discoveries I’ve made about being a performer outside of New York thus far:
- Without the daily grind of life as an actor in NYC, there is space, and breath, and room for creative juices to flow. While it’s true that there are far fewer year-round theater opportunities outside of major markets, especially as an Equity actor, I find that the work is there if you know how to drum it up and are willing to get your hands dirty. Often times in New York, you can begin to feel like you are a professional audition-er and not an artist. The slower pace of country living means things don’t always have to be about the end goal. They don’t always have to be about adding a line to your résumé or getting seen by that casting director. Sometimes they can just be about creating for the sake of putting something meaningful out into the world (and hopefully supporting yourself doing it). Which is what we artist want to be doing all the time everywhere, but it’s hard to make that happen when you are balancing 3-a-day auditions, rehearsals, classes, your side job, and maybe even a relationship.
- Talented, passionate artists exist everywhere. In my year and half of living in Western Mass, I have met inspiring and accomplished artists. I have had the great privilege of collaborating with many of them. The number of talented people living in my 10 mile radius is astonishing. It is really easy to feel like New York is the center of the universe especially as a theater-maker. (I am speaking for myself here.) And it’s for good reason, of course. I mean, Broadway y’all! But New York is not for everyone. And therefore, some people choose to pick up their bushels of talent and take them to greener pastures…literally. So when people like me unexpectedly arrive on the scene feeling completely lost and missing New York, those wonderfully warm creative-types scoop us up and introduce us to this new way of living life and being creative at the same time.
So with those discoveries in mind, here is a smattering of what I’ve been up to here in the country over the past year and half:
- “Look Mom, I’m on TV! (and radio, and billboards, and newspapers…)” I was in a commercial campaign. Like, a big campaign for a local bank here. I went to the audition on a whim. I found out about it on a Facebook group for local professional actors. I’ve never really pursued on-camera work, so this was very much a “I am going to try my hand at whatever opportunities come my way” sort of thing. And I booked it! Here are some of the results:
![Florence Bank billboard]()
Florence Bank billboard
- Lot’s of playwriting. I’ve had an original work produced. I’ve served as script advisor and assistant director for a new play written by make-up designer super-star Joe Dulude II. I participate in a local playwrights’ lab, and I study playwriting with the incomparable Len Berkman (look him up!)
- Collaborations with mama-artists. I’m a part of a fabulous collective of creative women, mostly fellow mother-artists, and we are working together to create a special piece which we will likely self-produce under the Equity Member’s Project Code. It’s going to be fantastic! I am also dancing again, after years away, thanks to Broadway Vet, and fellow New York transplant, Lori Holmes Clark. (Performances of our current piece start tomorrow.)
- I started a music duo called Golden Bird with guitarist Kevin Dee. This collaboration has been vital for me. I was missing music. I was missing singing. I wasn’t finding opportunities to do it here. So I made my own. After years of primarily making music in the context of theater, it is incredible to step outside of the box.
- I’ve expanded my voice over studio. Because it’s quieter out here in the country, I can produce higher quality work at a larger volume. Business is booming!
- I’m learning to play the Ukulele! This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and I finally feel like I have the brain space to do it. Being proficient in an instrument opens up a world of opportunities in music and theater. Plus, I just feel super accomplished that I am teaching myself something new.
All of this is to say that, I have found a way to make this new life work. It looks completely different from what I expected. But perhaps that’s a good thing. I’m feeling more creative than ever. I am meeting and working with phenomenal people. I don’t know what’s next. Maybe I’ll move back to New York again full-time one day; maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll be in some major summer stock production in the Berkshires that gets a Broadway transfer. Maybe I’ll churn out new plays and stick around so that I can produce and star in them here. For now, I am simply enjoying making my own work and being an artist every day.
