Get to know me 

Hello! If you know me, you know that I love musical theatre. And I mean LOVE. I've been doing it practically forever (since third grade as a dog in 101 Dalmations), and I've kept performing close to my heart for as long as I remember. 

High school was a whirlwind for me full of rich academics and theatrical expeditions both through my school and through my local community theatre. I took several AP classes and was a "practically perfect" student, singing my heart away in musicals after school, and working as a stage manager at an amusement park. On the outside, I looked incredibly well-rounded and accomplished all while I was at a constant struggle with myself to keep caught up in my advanced maths classes while memorizing two or more shows at once. I hardly slept through high school and often found myself at my desk at 3 or 4 am staring at lines, scores, or physics textbooks. Going to college felt like a continuation of high school, where I had been accepted to UC Santa Cruz as a Biology BA and Theatre Arts BA to be a double major. Academic validation has always been a comfort for me, acing tests and doing all I could to get extra credit and be top of my class. Unfortunately, in collegiate studies, being a double major in two completely different fields can feel like you're becoming two entirely different beings, being tugged on from both directions, never feeling fulfilled in either of them, and always feeling like you could do better. I continued the way I did in high school for my first two years, doing my best in both degrees, getting praise from faculty, peers, and my family, but knowing that it was unsustainable and I wasn't doing what I wanted- what I needed. My junior year of college rolled around, and I found myself in the worst mental health state I had ever been in, still getting As, and still performing a version of myself to my peers. Until I couldn't. Despite my best efforts, that quarter in school became a huge turning point for me where I did all the things I never expected myself to do, and got myself completely out of my comfort zone. I dropped several classes, quit my job, and found myself finally having time to do something I had been wanting to my whole life. Music. 

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Music was life changing for me. I had always done musical theatre so I had exposure to it, but I wasn't a musician by any means. I had never looked at sheet music before, I had never had proper music training, I barely knew my way around a piano. Taking collegiate voice lessons at UCSC with Emily Sinclair threw me into a world of theory, performing, friendships, piano, emotional connection, love, loss, and so so much more than I could ever describe. I was truly swept off my feet. I soon discarded my Biology BA after many tears and talks with my family, and picked up a Western Art Music minor. Engaging in musical studies has been one of the best life path decisions I've made. I struggled and trudged my way through music theory in order to support my desire to perform musical theatre, and I am much more proud of the imperfect work I did in music theory than any perfect assignment or test I completed in STEM. The work and knowledge I'm gaining as a performer, musician, and person is more than any academic validation I've received. I was cast in my first big role as "Amahl" in Amahl and the Night Visitors which was exciting for me to be a lead in an opera and to use my classical/ legit voice in a lead role as I'm so used to musical theatre. My studies have brought me far and I intend to continue my music and theatre studies completely through my career. Of course, I'm still stressed with all the classes and still working hard as a college student, but my work is finally fulfilling and leading me on a path of performance, storytelling, and passion. 

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Finding academics within theatre and music was a huge shift for me. Being a queer person who portrays themself as feminine, it always felt powerful when I was successful in my STEM classes- it was a constant battle of pushing myself to the extreme in exchange for academic validation. However, I began finding that same joy in the academic studies of theatre after taking my first Dramaturgy position with Michael Chemers for The Artificial Woman, a musical by Kirsten Brandt. I began studying queer theatre and disability performance, finding solace and community while speaking out about queerness and disability. Now, I'm continuing the studies that give me joy and help me engage in the community I feel accepted in. Dramaturgy and research are a hugely important piece of the picture in creating a performance, and I believe that actors must have a drive to the academics supporting a show. Storytelling in a way that uplifts minority voices, teaches the audience something new, and recognizes the political climate of the world is of the utmost importance and as an actor I need to know the dramaturgical theories supporting the show I'm in. I want to inspire and create, and be a part of a team who wishes to do the same.

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