"Every movement I make is a little piece of art, I am doing it like an artist. My body is a fine instrument for producing molding movements and for creating forms. Through my body I am able to convey to the spectator my inner power and strength."
Michael Chekhov
Michael Chekhov
TECHNIQUE
teacher and student
My theatrical journey started 40 years ago when I saw my big sister perform in a production of Alice in Wonderland, and proceeded to tell my mom that I wanted to do that! As my mom would describe it, I was a painfully shy six year old and shook like a leaf throughout the entire audition for my first show, The Jungle Book. But, I did it, and was cast as a jungle girl, only to be on stage for the last five minutes of the show. That was in 1981, and theatre has played a major role in my life ever since.
Since that first show, I have gone on to step into many different roles, both on and off stage. Some of my most cherished characters I've had the chance to explore are Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Grace in Pterodactyls, Ellen in Ellen, Eileen in My Sister Eileen, Chrissy in Dancing at Lughnasa, M.J. in Inspecting Carol, Jo in Little Women, Dot in HONK!, and Mona Kent in Dames at Sea. I have also loved stepping into the role of theatre teacher and director over the past sixteen years. I started my teaching career in middle school theatre for a solid decade, and have spent these past six years running a successful high school theatre program in Frisco ISD.
I discovered the work of Michael Chekhov in the summer of 2018, when I attended a workshop taught by Meriah Sage at the International Thespian Festival in Nebraska. I fell in love with the connection between the body and the mind, the movement and the imagination, and began to dig deep into everything I could find on this technique. For three years I taught myself with books and videos and by experimenting with this technique in the classroom and rehearsal space. With the work I did with my students in the classroom and rehearsals, I began to see incredible artistic growth from both my students and myself. In June of 2021, I finally had the opportunity to receive professional training in this technique at the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium (GLMCC) at Mount Union College. I studied with incredible teachers and worked with fellow students that ranged from professional actors to college theatre professors. I had found a new artistic family, the likes of which I had not truly experienced since my days studying my craft at The College of Santa Fe. As it states above, I am both a teacher and a student of this technique, and continued my personal education at Kent State University and GLMCC in the summer of 2022 with Module 2. In the summer of 2023, I completed the program with Module 3 and earned my Teacher Certification in the Michael Chekhov Technique. I was fortunate to join GLMCC in the summer of 2024 as a member of their first Directing Module, earning my Director Certification in the Michael Chekhov Technique.
The next step in my journey is to share this amazing work with like minded artists, including teachers, actors, and students of north Texas. Beginning in the summer of 2025 I will be offering classes for student actors ages 14-17, actors ages 18-101, theatre teachers, and directors in the north Texas area. Please click on the Classes tab above for more information on specific classes being offered.
Education and Theatre Background
BFA Theatre - with an acting concentration
College of Santa Fe, 1997
Certified Director of the Michael Chekhov Technique
Great Lake Michael Chekhov Consortium, 2024
Certified Teacher of the Michael Chekhov Technique
Great Lake Michael Chekhov Consortium, 2021-2023
19 years teaching and directing theatre
- 10 years middle school theatre director
- 9 years high school theatre director
