Hallowtide

I love this time of year - the chill in the breeze, the golden leaves. Growing up in CA, it was a time to grab onto those last days of summer, but here on the East Coast, it is a time to revel in the changes of the season and to make preparations for winter.


October is usually a busy month for me. Last year, I had just finished a run of Johnny On A Spot Off Broadway at the Theatre at St. Clements, and I had the immense honor of performing with F. Murray Abraham in a staged reading of Isaac Bashevis Singer's play, Sin.

This October has been just as busy. I was called in for voice over auditions to play a teenage vampire for an audio book and to play a crab for a new cartoon on HBO.

The best news is that my sweetheart and I decided to set a wedding date, and we're going to be married at the end of the year. Very very exciting stuff, and I have a ton to do, but everything has been miraculously falling into place. My Mom and I found this beautiful wedding dress at one of our favorite thrift stores! The gown is pristine, looks brand new and never worn!


One of Rob's co-workers, Annamarie, works on revamping gowns for ballroom dancing competitions, and she offered to alter the gown for me, so I'll be seeing her tomorrow.

Everything else has fallen miraculously into place! The pastor and church we wanted were available! The restaurant for the reception, the cake, the flowers, it's all coming together.

I keep saying how I want it to be a small, intimate event, but it's funny how these things seem to bloom. Guess it's like life. You can't control it. It just has to flow.

So needless to say my head has been filled with wedding bells this month! And it seems like Halloween snuck up on me.

There were also some sad tidings that have been on my mind as well. My Aunt Sharon, my Mom's sister, and my cousin JoAnn on my Dad's side, passed away. This was such shocking and heart-breaking news. I'm still processing it all. And I can't help but think of them with today and the Celtic tradition of celebrating the Final Harvest of the year. "It is still the custom in some areas to set a place for the dead at the feast, and to tell tales of the ancestors on that night."


These women were both a huge part of my childhood. My Mom's sister was always very beautiful, and it was only later in life that I learned she had patterned herself after her idol, Marilyn Monroe. I wish I had pictures of her from that time because she really was a beauty!

My cousin, Jo, on the right, was an absolute ray of sunshine. She was only 5 years older than me, and I always looked up to her. She lived in Arizona, but we would have long visits with each other almost every year, and it was such a treat, knowing I was going to be spending time with Jo. As we grew up, she got married and had kids, and I came out to the East Coast to live my dream of being a working actor. We'd still touch base with cards and what-not, and I'd see her every 5 years or so at big family functions. She was such an incredible woman, full of love and inspiration, and when we'd see each other, it felt like no time had gone by at all! I am so sad at her passing.

But I will pay my respects to these women every day by doing as they encouraged me to do, and living life to the fullest!

May your Hallowed Eve be full of many treats. Blessed be!

Class and Cartoons

I am astounded at how much can happen in a week! Is it just that whole NY minute thing? I'm not complaining, believe me! And I can tell from my friends around the country that they're zooming too!

Last week, I performed scenes from As You Like It for an NYU screen-writing class. It was really cool to meet some of the young writers afterward and talk about the shows, films, and music that's inspiring us all!

Then I jumped into the advanced monologue class with Karen Kohlhaas at the Atlantic Acting School. Man, I love that school! Just such a great vibe, and Karen's class is simply amazing! Like putting your foot on the gas to go-go-go!

One of the parts of the class focuses on goal-setting, from small (can do in a day) to medium (2 weeks to a month) to the really big deals! I tell ya, it really helps to look at things this way and to really celebrate all the steps we take towards fulfilling goals.

For example, late on Friday, I got an email to audition for a new cartoon about life in an aquarium. I was sent a scene, which was really cute, and just had to get a decent recording to send to the casting director. Thank the gods, I already had gone through the process of making MP3s for a voice over company a few months ago! So I was able to get my recordings done in a few hours and get the best ones mailed out. That felt great!

Now I'm working on a new monologue for class, and researching one for a specific audition coming up next week. I also have rehearsal with one of my classmates tonight.

I LOVE being in the groove with this great sense of moving forward! Vroooom! :)

Wild Week

My head is still spinning from all that's going on, so let me backtrack.

The readings for Got You went really well. We received a lot of positive feedback, and I was floored to have a 2-time Tony Award winning actress tell me how much she loved my work! It was such an unexpected, magical moment, and rather surreal when someone you've seen on Broadway and in film is suddenly right there in front of you. To have her say how much she enjoyed my performance was simply mind-blowing, and I felt so honored to be able to share with her how much I admired her work as well.

I love love love how theatre (and any kind of art-form really) can bring people together in unexpected ways. It is wonderful to come together and share what moves us.

Next up - I'm going into rehearsals for a guest performance as Celia in As You Like It at NYU.