I was born in Ohio with a full head of hair to a couple who never attended the theatre. Which is funny because two and a half years later my folks saw the first national tour of HAIR at Memorial Hall in Dayton. I learned all the lyrics of the cast album by heart by the age of five and I would sing them for anyone, given the chance. People really took notice. Because tiny children should not sing some of those lyrics.
I attended Wright State University’s BFA Professional Actor Training Program. It was basically a conservatory education at state school prices, both of which were fine by me. After general education and core acting major requirements, I needed only one elective credit hour to complete the degree. I took canoeing.
During my undergrad tenure, I spent one summer performing in stock at Fort Peck Summer Theatre in northeastern Montana. This wasn’t the pretty, mountainous, Yellowstone part of Montana. It was the “four-hour drive through tumbleweeds and cactus to get to the nearest Big Mac” part of Montana. That was a really interesting place to do Fiddler on the Roof. And it was a heck of a summer.
After undergrad, I worked professionally for several years with the Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton where I got to play a dead body, a five-year-old girl on a Hippity Hop, the Elephant Man’s caretaker, and Ebeneezer Scrooge’s best friend. Human Race is a remarkable company. You should check out their work if you get the chance.
Life took a couple 90 degree turns after this as I pursued other career paths in bookselling, technology, and library science. (MSLIS, Simmons College.) A couple more right turns — performing annually at the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film Awards and appearing in a 2008 ad campaign for my employer, Boston Public Library — have led me back to performing on stage since 2010 with many companies in metro Boston such as Lyric Stage Company, Fresh Ink Theatre Company, Hub Theatre Company, Project: Project Theatre Ensemble, Open Theatre Project, Praxis Stage, and the longest continually operated community theatre in the nation, the Footlight Club.
Fun things I didn’t get to mention:
- I was the pronouncing judge for the Boston Center for Youth and Families Spelling Bee for over 10 years. I was the guy who says the words the kids spell. It was a pretty cool job.
- I have deep mistrust and general disgust for opaque liquid condiments.
- Growing hair is my superpower. (And yes, it’s listed as a special skill on my resume.)