Growing up in Las Vegas, my parents jokingly called me an “extremist” when I decided to move from the extreme heat of the desert to the extreme cold of Upstate New York. I was excited to try something completely different. I got to buy my first pair of snow boots and a winter coat, all while pursuing what I loved as a musical theater major at Syracuse! Three feet of snow? No problem!
I grew up with theater and fell in love with it at a very young age. After a brief elementary-school dream of becoming a marine biologist, I knew my life would be in theater. I will never forget seeing Sutton Foster in Anything Goes on Broadway and feeling completely inspired. Then, during my freshman year of high school, I was cast as "Sophie" in Mamma Mia!. Through that show, I caught the singing, dancing, and acting bug and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
As a five-year-old, I loved playing pretend and putting on costumes. Today, I love what I do more than ever.
After experiencing my first high school “heartbreak,” I turned to my trusty tenor ukulele and started singing. My first song came together in 30 minutes, and I’ve been a songwriter ever since. In college, I went through another heartbreak—this time, it was more than just a high school crush. Like any 19-year-old, I posted one of my songs on TikTok, and let’s just say the perpetrator discovered the song...
After a brutal roller coaster of far too many “second” chances, I had written 50 angry, sad, longing, loving, and hating breakup songs. I eventually decided that maybe 50 songs about the same person wasn’t healthy (lol). However, it did allow me to hone my songwriting skills. So, I took those 50 breakup songs, written during a particularly delicate time in my life, narrowed them down, and released my first album, fragile, produced by Frankie Moreno. (And yes, there is a song called “Heartbreaker.”)
After a brutal roller coaster of far too many “second” chances, I had written 50 angry, sad, longing, loving, and hating breakup songs. I eventually decided that maybe 50 songs about the same person wasn’t healthy (lol). However, it did allow me to hone my songwriting skills. So, I took those 50 breakup songs, written during a particularly delicate time in my life, narrowed them down, and released my first album, fragile, produced by Frankie Moreno. (And yes, there is a song called “Heartbreaker.”)
.jpeg "Jumping Dancer")
My Syracuse career concluded with Cinderella at Syracuse Stage, where I was part of the ensemble. The production was directed by Melissa Rain Anderson and choreographed by Jessica Chen. We closed our 50+ show run in January, and I immediately packed my bags and moved to NYC.
In addition to our evening and matinee performances, many schools from all around Upstate NY took field trips to see our shows. This was my first professional production, and I was pinching myself every second of every rehearsal. There was something magical about being in a room filled with so much joy and passion for theater.
Bleed Orange!
In addition to our evening and matinee performances, many schools from all around Upstate NY took field trips to see our shows. This was my first professional production, and I was pinching myself every second of every rehearsal. There was something magical about being in a room filled with so much joy and passion for theater.
Bleed Orange!
Performing in the Ensemble for a reading of the new musical "Chimney Town" on November 13th.
Composed by Frank Wildhorn, Lyrics by Nathan Tysen, Book by Susan Soon He Stanton, and Directed by Stafford Arima,