I've been absent from the TheatreFaces for two weeks.

I've been at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for four weeks.

The EdFringe kind of kicked my butt. In all the right ways.

(Get your mind out of the gutter.)

It was an amazing experience in an amazing city, and the hectic schedule and exhaustion of travel and the confusion and melding of time and days one into the other (and inevitable illness that struck our group like a mini-plague) ultimately…

Once in a while you see a show that hits you and inspires you and makes you excited and thrilled to be an artist and makes you aspire to create work that achieves just a fraction of what you just saw. Once in a very, very great while, that work is a comedy. Once in a rare, rare, rare moment, that work is a stand up comic.

Bo Burnham was that. Absolutely incredible. He takes all of the hyperbolic language found…

This weekend, a friend of mine asked what my favorite play was. I proceeded to rattle off three little known new works - two plays by CalArts playwrights and an off-Broadway play that ran 6 weeks in a 50 seat theater in NYC. My friend then followed up with, "what about more mainstream plays or musicals? Any current favorites?"



"Not…

Today is an exciting day.

Today marks the day that Tall Grande Venti, an improv troupe composed of Sarah, Casey, and I, begin our drive from Los Angeles, California to Soldotna, Alaska.

(Follow our adventure on Twitter, Facebook, and …

I've discovered a little secret to doing great work:

TRY to do bad work.

When I first started writing, I would often obsess about each specific scene. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect. I wanted to make sure the story or the play I was working on was really great, that it was strong and interesting and would change the landscape of American theater... or at least that it would impress my playwriting 101 class.

When I was in…

I'm in a good place.

I've had lots of exciting things happen for me this year. I'm about to graduate with my masters degree. I won a few accolades for my playwriting. I am working on some very exciting creative projects. I got to work for some really cool…

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

I just got back from a week at the Kennedy Center's American Colleges Theater Festival. It was my second year attending as an award recipient for playwriting, and it was an amazing week of workshops and meeting fantastic writers and other theater artists.

But that's not why I'm overwhelmed.

I…

This week, I have a smorgasbord of random thoughts and observations. None of them make up an entire blog, so I thought I'd toss them all into the mix. (This may or may not be how I tend to cook food... to varying degrees of success.)

Always Follow Up

I've gotten to meet some awesome people over the course of my career thus far. From playwrights, to actors, to designers, I've…

Yesterday I got to take part in a student film. It was a cute little short film; I played a small supporting role. While on set, I really admired how organized, well put together and timely the whole shoot was. There were several complicated shots outdoors, through and around traffic, and there was a scene with 10+ extras. The director and director of photography successfully wrangled everything and kept the shoot moving along.

The whole project was for a community college class…

Yesterday I got to take part in a student film. It was a cute little short film; I played a small supporting role. While on set, I really admired how organized, well put together and timely the whole shoot was. There were several complicated shots outdoors, through and around traffic, and there was a scene with 10+ extras. The director and director of photography successfully wrangled everything and kept the shoot moving along.

The whole project was for a community college class…

Today, I am performing in my graduating showcase with CalArts in New York City.

Today, my graduating company and I will strut our stuff for agents, theaters, and industry folk.

And at the end of the day, some of us may have a dossier full of said agents and managers approaching us for interviews and conversations.

Some of us will also walk away empty handed.

Will I be disappointed if I get no meetings? A little, sure.

But I also know that an agent doesn't…

In performing improv, there is a key tenet: try to say Yes to everything. The concept is that by agreeing instead of denying, the scene can flow better and new information and experiences can be discovered.

As a theater artist, I have found that the ability to say yes is incredibly essential - in and outside of improv. Saying yes to new projects, new experiences, challenging and scary roles all enabled me to grow faster as an artist and person.

Saying yes can be hard. Saying…

So the Oscars just wrapped up. I didn't win the contest at my Oscar party, mainly because I got a little too Les Mis happy -- I thought it would win more of the big awards. In the end I lost by two. Oh well!

When I wanted an Oscar, I wanted it because of my acting. I also wanted a Tony for my acting. Neither of…

So the Oscars just wrapped up. I didn't win the contest at my Oscar party, mainly because I got a little too Les Mis happy -- I thought it would win more of the big awards. In the end I lost by two. Oh well!

When I wanted an Oscar, I wanted it because of my acting. I also wanted a Tony for my acting. Neither of…

How to participate in an independent, collaborative theater project:

1) Show up.

2) Show up again.

3) Show up again, again.

4) Keep showing up. It's half the battle. Stick to your commitment to the project.

5) Ask questions. There really is no such thing as a dumb question. Only dumb people who pretend they understand when they don't and then go on to mess everything up through miscommunication.

6) Check in , follow up, and remind people of rehearsals, meetings,…

Acting is a funny business.

I can't think of another career path where, if you go to college, you'll have courses that teach you what to do when -- not if -- you don't find work in your field. Often referred to as "survival jobs" or "day jobs", most actors know they will have to have a "side hustle" or some other way to make money as they work towards being a full time actor.

Acting is also one of the careers where it is easiest to get sidetracked from what…

We all have them. Funny stories, horror stories, scarring stories, inspirational stories. Part of the joy of theater-making is the amazing people and bizarre situations and exciting escapades we find ourselves in.

Here is a menagerie of some of my memorable moments and thoughts from 7 years of theater.

--

Toot Terrible to Tell

I'm in the audience of Billy Elliot on Broadway. It's reached the emotional climax of the show, where Billy is asked by…

I've been blogging for TheatreFace for over a year.

Wow. That was fast.

One of the best things about writing regularly is that you have a record of your improvements and your thoughts and aspirations.

One of the worst things about writing regularly is that you have a record of all the places you need improvement and all your crazy or weird thoughts and aspirations.…

"Networking."

Few words can cause shudders of horror and disgust to run down my spine quite like that verb. The word invokes impressions of forced interactions where you can't shake the feeling that everyone is wanting something from you, or you're trying to get something from someone.

There's this thought that to make it in the acting business, you HAVE to "network." It's all about who you know, and what and where they can get you,…