It has been such a weird time. My grandmother passed away on 5/19, so I flew out to CA to be with my family. We poured over old photo albums and shared so many stories. My Dad said he would scan a lot of the black and white photos and send them to me on a disc, and I'm grateful for that. Seeing where we came from, what our families went through, it's all very eye-opening. Pictures of my Dad as a child looked just like my brother as a boy, and I found an old high school pic of my Mom that for me was like looking in the mirror.

My grandma was named Eleanor and she was born in 1918. Her mother, Leila, was a great believer in music, so she schooled all three of her girls to play an instrument, and Eleanor played the trumpet. When I first heard this, I thought it was so wild, because Eleanor had always been such a quiet, subdued person. I hope she felt great when she blew her horn.

I think it's so interesting that my brother and I came from a musically inclined family, because the arts are so essential for us both. My great-grandmother Leila would've been delighted that Sean and I are both making our livings with music and art. There's a great freedom of spirit and a lot of love.

Blessed be.

Laundry and Laughs

Last year I had the lead in a short film called Laundry, playing a high-haired laundress with a thick New "Yawk" accent. It was a fun film that had a "Clerks" (in an East Village laundromat) kind of feel to it.

We filmed in the wee hours of the night, and a great deal of it was improvised, which is interesting considering I just did some improvisational filmwork for The Onion News Network last week. Ha!

The director, Julia Suo, wanted my character to have a wild and crazy hairdo, so she brought in a hair artist to sculpt my hair each night (it's shown mid-sculpt here). It took about an hour each night and you don't even want to know how much hairspray was used! There are stills of the final 'do on my website: http://www.lauradaniel.net/laundry.htm

And for the full reel, you can catch this quirky little film on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mswi_6z_R6U

Hope you dig it. :)

So much to blog about - I hardly know where to start! These past few weeks have been full of inspiration! Friends, family, and fellow artists have been my muses. :)

First, my little brother, Sean, put out an album with one of the bands he's drumming for: SMUG. These guys are so unique and it's cool to hear my little bro rock! Check 'em out! www.smugband.com

I also saw two former "nunnies" from The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, showingcasing their own unique personal works.

Robby Stamper, the musical director for Nun, premiered one of his compositions at the York Theatre's 4@15 showcase, and it was great. What a treat to hear and see new up and coming artists. Really Phenomenal!

And then I saw Kristine Zbornik's cabaret at the Metropolitan Room. This show is beyond compare. Seriously, I have never seen anything that comes close to the hauntingly wild humor of Kris' show. It is darkly comic, outrageous and moving, a true tour de force. Simply Google Kristine Zbornik and you'll see what I'm talking about. Go see her while you can!!!!

Lastly, I got to work on a webisode of The Onion News Network last week, and it was so much fun! Those of you who know The Onion know it's very satirical, so I don't want to spoil this upcoming webisode by giving anything away. Suffice it to say that I got to work with some really awesome folks, including Miss Babs and the Kickin Boogie Band. Everyone was at the top of their game and I enjoyed getting to work in such a professional and improvisational environment. It felt like a cross between Christopher Guest's films and SNL. So much fun!!!

I just wanted to voice compassion for all effected by the VA Tech tragedy. I wish there was something I could do. My thoughts and prayers go out to all.

The properties of TYPE

I've been doing a lot of homework lately, inspired by Brian O'Neil's "Acting As a Business" and Bonnie Gillespie's Actor's Voice columns on Showfax.com. Throw Harold Guskin's "How to Stop Acting" into the mix, and I feel like I have 3 sage advisors on my team! :)

Lately, I've been exploring my "type," which can be a very effective tool for bringing clarity to one's work. I'm often cast as the quirky young heroine and have been compared to Kristin Chenoweth, Reese Witherspoon, a young Bernadette Peters and Madeline Kahn. A few friends also suggested I have a young Megan Mullally quality and another friend insists I'm a young Bette Midler. I think that's because I have this big personality and big belt voice in a tiny little package. :)

However I'm perceived, I feel a great sense of self, and I love doing what I do. It's a pleasure to sing, create and explore possibilities. I'm diggin the ride.

Springtime in the City

Even though Winter is fighting to hang onto the Big Apple with its icy grip, Spring is triumphing throughout the city. Trees are starting to bud with bright blossoms, and the newly planted daffodils in Central Park are standing defiantly against the winter winds.

I love this time of year. New York is glorious in all its seasons but I get a real charge out of the Spring.

Yesterday my guy and I walked through Central Park - a la Fred and Judy in The Easter Parade - and it was blissfully quiet (a rarity in Manhattan). When we headed home, we passed a hat shop that was stocked with fun frilly bonnets, and I just marveled at the charm of this incredible town.

My brother, who's a drummer in LA, always reminds me that we live in miracle cities, because anything can happen. Even today's Casting Corner article by Mark Sikes echoes that sentiment:

"Once a week, once a month or just whenever you need the reminder, tell yourself that you're here. Just that. You're here. You made it. No, it's not always a perfect town, but you are here and that's more than a lot of other folks can say. You're following your dreams and that alone is truly invigorating. "

Fancy Meeting You Here

A few years ago, I played the character of Rita in Lucky Stiff at the Astoria Performing Arts Center. It was such a blast and I always hoped to play Rita again. Well, Mason Street Warehouse offered me the role! I'm so excited about it. Everyone at the callbacks was so professional and at the top of their game, so I know it's going to be an incredible show.

I also had an amazing experience at an audition few weeks ago. I was auditioning for the 78th Street Lab, which is currently producing The Nibroc Trilogy. I had the pleasure of meeting the playwright, Arlene Hutton, at the audition and she was so generous with fabulous feedback on my monologue. We chatted a bit and she invited me to the show to get to know the characters of The Nibroc Trilogy, and I was absolutely enchanted. I cannot recommend this show enough! It was beautiful! There was a Tennesee Williams kind of flavor to it, but there was also so much warmth and humor that made the piece wonderfully unique. I also found the subject matter (the growth spurt the US was going through in the post-war 50s) so appropriate for today's world, for looking back to the past to see what kind of changes we need to make to create a better world today. It was about family, and I have a feeling a lot of people could relate to it. The show was haunting, charming and is sure to delight many audiences, I'm sure!

Finally, I also heard from the folks for The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, and there's good work being done there. Things are moving right along and it'll be exciting to see what develops.

Stay tuned!

Big hair and callbacks.

I have to laugh at the irony of my last two callbacks, because they both required big hair, a big voice, and big everything else.

Now the nature of callbacks can happen at ANY TIME - from immediately after the initial audition to 24-48 hours later, or sometimes even months later! As an actor, I'm asked to prep very quickly and then make changes on the fly. But it's a wonderfully fun ride.

My most recent callback was for The Onion's upcoming webcast about a fictitious country singer, and it was hysterical! I read from the script, improvised a scene with the director, then I sang a little bit of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 and received great feedback from everyone including the cameraman and an Onion worker who could hear me from outside of the audition room. It felt GREAT!

The week before that I was called in for the lead in Lucky Stiff at Mason Street Warehouse. It was lovely to be considered for the sweetly heroic Annabelle, but I've played the comedic villain, Rita, before and I have a strong understanding of that wildcard of a character. I prepped for Annabelle, went in and sang, and they liked my sweetness, but asked for something a little more whacky. Well, that was like handing me the keys to a sportscar! I bounced into a fun and feisty song and when I finished, they said, "Oh! You're more of a Rita!" :) So they gave me the script and asked me to come back.

It was so freeing to get to play such a ballsy, unbridled character like Rita again, and it was a great lesson for me to not over-think auditions, to just do what I do and embrace my own bigness. My auditions since then have yielded great feedback and interest. Directors have taken time to chat with me and have asked me to show them more of my work. It's been very cool.

For Lucky Stiff, I made it through the final round of callbacks. The director only had one request... that I go with "Big hair! Big EVERYTHING!" So I had a blast playing with my clothes, hair, and of course the script and music, and the director was absolutely delight with the results.

The lesson learned: "Your playing small doesn't serve the world." And since I'm just shy of 5' anyway, it certainly doesn't make sense for me! I've always felt larger than life, especially onstage, and that's where we can be as wild and free as we want to be. "Free your mind and the rest will follow."

And as a friend of mine used to say, "Embrace your 3 B's! You are big, bold and beautiful!"

Enjoy the ride!

It's not even Spring yet and I'm already a busy bee!

There's snow all over New York, showing that winter is reigning supreme, but my heart and spirit and schedules are more akin to Spring Fever! I've been getting so many calls for audition appointments and workshops for future productions, and it's great!

Yesterday, I recorded the lead role of "Lilly" in a demo for the new children's musical, Lilly's Big Day, and what a treat that was! The music was AWESOME and made me think of fabulous composers like Jule Styne, Irving Berlin and Stephen Sondheim. Just joyous, quality stuff! It was a delight to sing, and it was a thrill to dive into the role of a 4 year old mouse!

A producer once told me I had a great voice for cartoons, and I tell you, after yesterday's experience, I really do want to do more in the voice-over realm. SO MUCH FUN!

The neat thing about doing a recording is that you get to hear the "playback." The sound engineer plays back what you just recorded so you can assess if you need another take/recording, and so it was really neat to just hear the scenes unfold after performing them. It reminded me of voice-over work I'd done for a short film a while back: nothing done in sequence, so the scenes were all crystal clear on their own, but once it was all put together for the final product, wow! Magic!

Our music producer for Lilly's Big Day was Josh Margolis, and he was just great! Carl Danielsen, an actor of great warmth, talent and humor, composed the music and played the teacher, Mr. Slinger. The clever script, adapted from Kevin Henke's book, and the lyrics were written by the lovely Selda Sahin. She also voiced one of the students. Emily Whyte played my mom. Adam Shonkwiler and Emily/Ginger rounded out the cast, and everyone was so sweet and lovely and had such unique voices. It was a thrill to do this recording with them, and I look forward to our further adventures.

Reflections on Rock
or The Evolution of Laura Daniel

I just finished VP Boyle's Pop/Rock Workshop, and I feel absolutely reborn! The homework was awesome: listen to rock, look at rockstar style, and play play play!

I am reminded of the film, School of Rock, but this class was for musical theatre performers who needed to expand their skillset for the current explosion of pop rock musicals. It was a BLAST! I watched all of my classmates go from straight-laced musical artists to sexy soul-singers, and it was a pleasure to bloom with them.

I think the most startling realization of all was that, like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, I had the power all along. :)

I was reminded so fiercely of my early musical career where I played Dorothy in The Wiz. Unusual casting, I know, but I became known as The White Girl with Soul. And later when I was cast as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, people were astounded at the rockin roar that would come out of me.

Even recently with The Singing Nun I found myself serenading the audience with 60s pop in the midst of a dark musical comedy.

So I'm bringing "Sexy Back" to myself, and I'm having so much fun! The cherry on the cake is that my auditions have become this free-spirited raucous romp! At last Friday's RENT audition, the creative team were generous with praise and excitement about how much they liked what I did. So if people are having fun with me, I know I'm on the right path. Rock on!

What a wonderful world

It has been such an interesting month! February is known for being one of the coldest months of the year, but I have felt such a great deal of warmth and friendship and creativity.

I started the New Year with VP Boyle's Pop Rock Workshop. One of our first assignments was to create a journal and have fun decorating it. So I brought out my old paintsets and started crafting! I tell you, I felt like I was 5 years old! It was such a joyful experience, and every time I've taken this notebook out to write in it, I've felt fabulously creative!

Ironically following this positive pulse, a lot of cool projects have been coming my way. A friend asked if I'd sing the lead role in a demo for a new musical, and a producer I met from the NYMF Awards Gala has asked me to workshop another new musical.

Last night, I performed in Astoria's Playmaking Program, and the producer Taryn Drongowski already asked if I could take part in the next series. It was so much fun! The plays were written by Horace Greeley middle school students, and various actors and directors with a wealth of Broadway, Off Broadway and regional theatre experience helped bring the plays to life.

The young writers were brought onstage and sat in a director's chair while we performed their plays. You had to see the smiles on their faces! All of the kids were simply beaming and everyone had fun! There was lots of laughter and such a sense of goodwill and kindness. It was a pleasure to be a part of it.

4 auditions in one day! Gotta love it!

I remember when I first moved to the city, and I'd be in line, waiting all day to be seen for one audition, and I'd hear other actors talking about all the auditions they had lined up for the day, and I'd think, How can they do all that in one day?

Well, I now relish the opportunity to go from one audition to another.

On Monday morning, I started at the Actors Equity building and sang for Musicals Tonight. Then I changed into a stunning red dress and boogied down to the Hilton Theatre to audition for "Young Frankenstein." I jumped back into my uggs (it was 10 degrees, remember) and I trekked down to another studio to audition for "Xanadu." I've been taking a Pop/Rock workshop, so I was prepped with fun material for this upcoming Broadway show. Soon it was after 1 PM, and I had an appointment in Chelsea for the new rock version of "Carmen," so I hopped the subway and cruised down to the studios. I did another quick change into jeans and a sexy black top, and I was ready to ROCK! My audition ended at 3 with the creative team applauding for me above their heads like it was a rock concert. That felt GREAT!

And today I hit two auditions: one for the upcoming musical of Shrek and the other was a dramatic audition for The Women's Project. And I received great response from both! I feel so much freer in my auditions now, I feel good about my work, and I sense that I'm making an impact. People are really responding to my work and it feels fabulous!

And I used to wonder how it was done. :)

You know you’ve made some progress when people start asking you, “How did you do it?”

I have been the lucky recipient of this question a few times this week and it’s been a bit of a surprise. I guess it shouldn’t be, because I’m always at work on my craft, always thinking, “What else can I do to make my work better?” Whether it’s in a song or a monologue or my physical workout (since my body is my instrument I have to keep it in tune). I am often reminded that as much as I look ahead, I also need to savor the moment as well as give myself kudos for the leaps I’ve made.

This week I was at a birthday party for a dear friend who has ties to much of the Broadway world, and the party made me think very much of the NYMF gala, because the room was full of established Broadway people (from stars to directors and casting directors) as well as up-and-comers, and it was so interesting to be in the midst of all that.

A lot of people were buzzing about the work I’d done on “The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun,” and that was really cool. It was so great to meet new peeps, reconnect with old acting buddies and to share stories.

The main theme of the evening was the celebration of growth. Very fitting for a birthday party.

And as I go through my day, juggling auditions and life and work and play, I realize how fortunate I am. I have worked hard to get here and I have much farther to go, but it’s such a cool thing when people ask “How did you get to where you are?” It makes me proud of my hard work, knowing that the seeds I’ve planted have taken root and are growing.

Going Blog-Wild!

Blame it on my friend Tina. She started this. And I am SO GLAD she did! When I first heard about blogging a few years ago, I was reluctant to post "my stuff" online, but over time I've come to realize how utterly cool, inspiring, and helpful blogs can be.

Check this out: Emily Whyte, a friend of mine from VP Boyle's Musical Theatre Forum started The Ulitmate Theatre Homepage with some of her buds, and it's a great site! Lots of helpful links for NY actors: http://www.theatremafia.com/ultimatetheatrehomepage.htm

And the thing that I love most? Their BLOG! It goes hand in hand with their site very nicely and gives more in-depth, hands-on, been-there-done-that experience which is GREAT! I wish it had been around when I first came to NY.

Tina also stumbled upon this blog which she sent me, and I LOVE the little glimpse it gives into the life of a Hollywood screenwriter: http://juliegoestohollywood.blogspot.com/
Blog on, Julie!

And of course, there's Tina's blog, which I am always inspired by: http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/

It gives this New Yorker a lovely glimpse into the PA countryside, and I am always warmed by Tina's humor as well as inspired by her knowledge. Rock on, soul sister!

So put on your blog-shoes and jump into the web. It's awfully cool!

"I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends."

I feel like Ringo today, though, gods help me, my brother would cringe with that comment. He is a consummate drummer, and while he does give props to Ringo for some interesting playing, ask Sean about any Beatles album and he can list off who the actual studio drummer was. That boy knows his craft!

Which brings me to today's blog: knowing my craft and knowing that I owe so much to my friends and family who have been there for/with me on this wild acting ride. There's my Cali family, whom I just saw a few weeks ago, and boy do I miss them! And then there's my East Coast crew:

There are my friends, Carl and Michael and Ataman. It's said that in NY your friends become your family and this is especially true of my three amigos. :)

There's also my friend, Tina, who is an entrepreneur in the herb world. She started her own magazine over 5 years ago, The Essential Herbal, and I have learned so much from her! A business is a business, and show business is really no different from any other. We all have to perform in some way, shape or form, and we all need to invest and research and challenge ourselves to grow so that our products and crafts grow.

And I would be nowhere without my guy, Rob. He's my best friend, the love of my life, and a true partner in every sense of the word. Since I met him as a fellow actor, he certainly knows the ups and downs of this ride, and he's been with me every step of the way. He left the biz and went into graphic design and marketing, and LOVES it! The cool thing is that I've learned from his lessons as a bigtime marketing director, and it's helped me to see my job as an actor in a much clearer way.

I love that! I love that we all can learn from each other as we share this wild ride together. It makes it that much more fun!

I just got back from CA a few weeks ago and a friend of mine was asking me how the trip went. Well, it was lovely. The weather was perfect! Sunny Southern CA can be so glorious at times! And I had a great visit with my family. It's always so cool, knowing that my acting career will usually bounce me around between the two coasts where I have so much love waiting for me. And that got me to thinking about all the love and support I have in my life. I have people cheering me on each day as I work towards my goals, and I'm cheering for them right back!

In CA, there's my brother, Sean, who is an incredible drummer. He had broken his hand before Christmas, but instead of that deterring his career, everyone was comparing him to the one armed drummer from Def Leopard, and Sean's students (he teaches drums while he gigs) were in awe of his ability to play one-handed. "You're amazing!" one student said, and indeed, she hit the nail on the head.

My little brother amazes and inspires me. He really makes magic happen with his drums and I can see as well as hear his artistry when he plays. Truly incredible.

I also saw my parents. My Dad and his wife picked me up in San Diego and we had the yummy treat of spending the day at the beach. What a way to start the New Year!



I also had a lovely visit with my Mom and her friend Kathy. They had both come to NY to see me in "The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun," and it was great to see them again, to share in laughter and love, to talk over happy memories and to get excited about future possibilities.

It's neat to see my family growing as individuals and to feel the love when we all come together. We all learn from each other and I feel like I make so many discoveries every time I go West. :)

Happy New Year!

One of my dear friends, Tina from The Essential Herbal, and I tend to celebrate the New Year by saying, "This is our year," and indeed this has become a wonderful affirmation.

2006 was full of leaps and bounds! It started with two short films: Laundry, which put my hair through the Bride of Frankenstein test, and Divine Intervention, which allowed me to play the Goddess Aphrodite (post-op plastic surgery). Both were fun films that gave me the opportunity to work with great people.

And speaking of... I had the pleasure of working with the fabulous VP Boyle in his Musical Theatre Forum. What an incredible workshop! I cannot recommend it or VP enough!

I was inspired to write my own one woman show, based on that journey, and the result was Love in 35 Minutes, an homage to the search for love via musical theatre with everything from Irving Berlin to Charlie Smalls. It was a successful show and I played to sold-out audiences Off Off Broadway.

Zooming off from Love in 35, I landed the title role of Sister Smile in the New York Musical Theatre Festival's production of The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun. It was a dream-come-true, working with some of the best people in the industry, and I was honored with NYMF's Outstanding Individual Performance Award of Excellence.

Now with 2007 kicking off, I have some fun projects cookin. I started with a callback for a leading role in the short film, "The Winter Father," and I'll be bouncing into VP's Pop/Rock workshop this Friday. I'm really looking forward to a bright and bubbly New Year.

Two callbacks in two days!

I'm beginning to think these things come in twos for me, because on the same day I was called back for "The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun," I was also called back for "Urinetown"!

And now today I was called in for the new musical, "Tock Tick," and yesterday I was called back for one of the leads in the short film, "The Winter Father." Both pieces are richly diverse, and I am excited to get the chance to be seen for them again. :)

With a new year on the horizon, I am psyched to be launching my new and improved website: http://www.lauradaniel.net

My graphic designer did a great job, and we're still making additions. I've already had a few requests for a clip of "Suddenly Seymour" from my run as Audrey in "Little Shop of Horrors." And I have scenes to incorporate from the award-winning short film, "Sincerely Yours."

In the meantime, I've been keeping busy with auditions and have been receiving great response. I got lots of laughs from the folks at Alchemy Theatre, Gotham Stage Company, and Christian Parker of The Atlantic Theatre Company while auditioning for their upcoming comedies. On the musical front I made a strong impression with my rendition of "Be A Lion" for the new musical "Frankenstein," and they asked me to sing more.

It's great to see people physically sit up and take notice of my work. Each audition is an adventure!

The New York Musical Theatre Festival Gala - Part Two

After checking in with the gracious NYMF staff, we left the lobby and entered the theatre itself, which had been transformed into a gorgeous dining setting. Round tables covered with linen and fine place settings... everything just the picture of beauty and elegance!

We took our seats and I found my dinner mates to be absolutely delightful!

On my left were Charlie and Gary Maffei of Maffei Productions, who quickly took me under their wings. Charlie kept me laughing, because he kept comparing my picture in the program as The Singing Nun to my glitzed-up gala self. "What a transformation!" he said.

Charlie introduced me to Jeff Hiller, who was also receiving The Outstanding Individual Performance Award for his work in the musical The Children. They all were the epitome of delight, and I hope our paths cross again soon.

On my right was director Elizabeth Lucas, who was simply lovely. We discovered a mutual admiration for Janis Joplin and had plenty to chat about.

I also met the playwright and producer, JB Edwards, who was a fascinating fellow. We discussed our love for funny screen sirens of the 40s.

Once everyone was settled, Kris Stewart, the executive director of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, took to the stage to welcome everyone. Originally from Australia, Kris started NYMF three years ago and has been making great strides in the NY theatre industry. He was quite charming, and I was thrilled to meet him and his executive producer, Isaac Hurwitz (pictured below with Anthony Rapp), when they later came by our table.

After supper, I went back into the lobby to gather with the other award winners as we were guided backstage for the presentation. Anthony Rapp from RENT fame was there and I was so delighted that he would be introducing us onstage. What a lovely person!

There were a bunch of winners, some of whom were established Broadway folks, while some of us are making our way to Broadway, and there was a wonderful sense of camaraderie.

The awards show was hosted by Bob Martin from The Drowsy Chaperone, and Sutton Foster and Beth Leavel performed a song as introduction. There were also performances by the cast of [title of show] and I had to laugh because I had auditioned for the replacement cast for that show, but obviously they're still going strong.

Speaking of auditions, Franis Kelly, producer of Smoking Bloomburg, was also backstage to receive the "Best of the Fest" audience prize for that musical (Singing Nun came in 2nd), and he congratulated me, saying how he remembered me in the initial NYMF auditions.

I also received lovely kudos from Scott Brown, who won Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing (Book) for Gutenberg the Musical. He had said that he had seen The Singing Nun, which was amazing considering his busy schedule, and he said how much he enjoyed the humor, darkness and the lovely "heart" of our show. That meant a lot to me.

Once I was called onstage to receive the award for Outstanding Individual Performance, it all flew by so fast. Anthony Rapp announced all of the winners, and we received wondrous applause. Then we returned to our seats to enjoy the rest of the show.

A beautiful ballet from Common Grounds was showcased and was gorgeous! There was also a freestyle rap tribute to Kevin McCollum by In the Heights writer and star Lin-Manual Miranda, who performed with co-Freestyle Love Supreme member Chris Sullivan (Shockwave). They were phenomenal! And both pieces impressed upon me the incredible diversity of musical theatre, that any type of music can be utilized for this expressive forum.

The final performance was a special version of the song "Show Off" featuring Brian D'Arcy James (as Kevin McCollum) and the cast of The Drowsy Chaperone. It was hysterical! And then the guest of honor, Broadway producer Kevin McCollum took the stage and had some "notes" for all involved. He started his speech as a funny tongue-in-cheek sort of thing that soon blossomed into a heartfelt thanks for every artist that "shows up" to make theatre happen. That was truly inspirational.

Then the evening came to a close and we all made our way to the lobby again. I was greeted and congratulated by so many wonderful people. It was heart-warming! And my Singing Nun producer George DeMarco and composer/lyricist Andy Monroe were also there with hugs and congratulations. We bid our good-byes to Kris Stewart (pictured above with Kevin McCollum and wife Lynette) and I thanked the NYMF team, but the accolades kept coming my way until I had my coat and left the theatre.

It all was a dream-come-true!