What Crosses My Mind

  • The Three Principles

    I spend my Saturday nights exploring my thoughts with a group of similar minded people. Our meeting is based upon the three principles, a healing program created by a man named Syd Banks. The principles focus upon consciousness, mindfulness and thought and how these three keywords play a role in our lives. In the meeting…

  • Standing Still

    This is a place I find myself daily. Nothing blatant or defineable, just a state of mind, leaves me helpless and running in place. I always wake up thinking about my worth. My thoughts go immediately to my kids, and then my career. I want my kids to want me in their lives, and not…

  • Anxious Mornings

    I woke today with my wall of anxiety awaiting me. It’s a feeling that overwhelms me, some days more than others. The feeling has been with me my entire life. I remember the first time I felt some comfort in my personality, was seeing a therapist around the age of 18. My therapist gave me…

  • Why Shakespeare?

    Because acting is life. With every good playwright we find the realities we endure being played out on stage to help us understand. Without knowing the consequence, the moment needs to find reason, and if done properly, can teach all of us something. That is the beauty of theater. That is the marvel of Shakespeare.…

  • She Belonged On Stage

    At least those were her words when Becky returned to an audition after years of being away. I’ve changed her name and productions to protect her anonymity. I was first introduced to Becky in a production of Mary Poppins when she played a significant role. She was someone who came out of nowhere, they usually…

  • Directing Controversy

    When I first chose to direct A Raisin in the Sun I wanted to put the show on because I had the right students to make it happen. The demographics of the school supported an all black cast of actors, and I thought it a wonderful opportunity to put on a timely show. Lorraine Hansberry’s script…

  • Why Do I Need A Monologue?

    Years ago, when I was pursuing the stage, I was told by my mentor to always have a couple of monologues ready to go – preferably one comic and another tragic, perhaps contemporary or classical, even better always carry one of each in your back pocket and have them all memorized. Have a resource of…

  • Playing Illusions

    One of the treasures of putting a script to stage is the opportunity to play reality and leave the audience in wonder. Many playwrights spend a lifetime writing scenes that will depict society in its true and sometimes disturbing form. Arthur Miller did just that with the majority of his scripts, my favorite being The…

  • A Seriously Bad Audition ☺️

    I spoke of the moments when an audition can make or break a student’s opportunity to secure a role on stage. I suggested that students will need to be focused and do their best to perform at a high level in the audition that can characterize their effort on stage. That rule holds true for…

  • The Audition Process – One View

    An audition might well land a student on stage. Too often when looking for a part in a play, a student might focus far too much on the role and not the director’s prerogative. Any director would be willing to say their goal is always to cast someone. In fact, there is a truth that…