UPDATES |
February 2023 - I just closed a phenomenal production of the Jeff-nominated And Neither Have I Wings to Fly with First Folio. This was the very last production for First Folio, and it was an honor to share the stage with a very talented cast. In other news, I am now teaching Stage Combat at College of DuPage and Mask Performance at DePaul University. In other, other news, I am now the Development Director at Redtwist Theatre in Chicago. I submitted a grant to the City of Chicago to create and produce a solo show utilizing clown, mime and mask performance. More soon!
August 2022 - I started rehearsals for the puppeteer in Little Shop of Horrors with Citadel Theatre in a Chicago suburb. I have also been cast in the role of FREDDY for an upcoming production of And Neither Have I Wings to Fly with First Folio Theatre, also in a Chicago suburb. Finally, we are busy producing and preparing for a one-night performance of the Mime Radio Show LIVE in Chicago at Redtwist Theatre. Moving and shaking!
August 2022 - I started rehearsals for the puppeteer in Little Shop of Horrors with Citadel Theatre in a Chicago suburb. I have also been cast in the role of FREDDY for an upcoming production of And Neither Have I Wings to Fly with First Folio Theatre, also in a Chicago suburb. Finally, we are busy producing and preparing for a one-night performance of the Mime Radio Show LIVE in Chicago at Redtwist Theatre. Moving and shaking!
June 2022 - A busy month! I did a 2-week combat training with Dueling Arts International and was certified in 6 different stage combat styles. I also swung into Redtwist Theatre's production of Antigone, getting the job and the script 27 hours before I went on. I also, also created and performed a mime show and led workshops with Buffalo Grove Parks District.
May 2022 - After a long delay from COVID, Proboscis Theatre Company's performance of Queens of Infinite Space finally happened. What a wild ride! I had the joy of playing 5 characters in this rock star production (literally with a rock band on stage). This fantastic group of collaborators made something pretty great and special.
Feb 2022 - I had the incredible opportunity to substitute teach at DePaul university. I taught juggling and mime to BFA acting students and mask performance technique to MFA acting students. What a talented and generous community of artists!
Oct 2021 - I moved to Chicago! I'm excited to be in this vibrant city with such a thriving artistic community. I've been invited to be a core company member of Proboscis Theater Company, and we have a workshop production coming up in January. Stay tuned! Also, I've updated my demo reel to include new projects:
May 2021 - I graduated from Ohio University's MFA Acting program. It was a challenging 3 years, particularly during a pandemic, however the things that I learned will come with me wherever I go. I'm ready and excited to take on the next chapter.
March, 2021 - I just wrapped a thesis film production of Macbeth directed by Dustin Brown at Ohio University, along with an insanely talented and hard working production team and cast of actors, including Courtney Abbott who played my co-villain (...and who also happens to be my amazing girlfriend and partner in art!). A huge team worked tirelessly to make this production happen amidst a global pandemic. Strict safety precautions were in place, including quarantining, twice-weekly testing, contact tracing and working with a minimal crew. This meant more work for everyone involved and everyone showed up with positivity, ready to work. It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to share it with audiences near and far.
January, 2021 - As I begin my last semester at Ohio University, I am reflecting on the challenges, successes and opportunities that I've experienced here. My time in Athens, Ohio has made me a much stronger performer and educator, and I'm looking forward to bringing these skills to the professional world. I'm hungry to work with my future collaborators, whoever you are!
Also, here's a video that my dearest partner of greatness and I made about auditioning during a pandemic:
I grew up in a suburb of San Francisco as an only child, and relied heavily on my sense of imagination to keep myself occupied. I tried all sorts of sports as a young boy, and ultimately settled on Taekwon Do as my main focus. My first performances (besides Christmas Tree #3) were martial arts demonstrations when I was 9 years old. I discovered the intoxicating thrill of being in front of a live audience where anything could go wrong.
I went to UC Santa Barbara to study computer science through their College of Engineering, but quickly decided that I didn't want a career that involved me primarily spending my working hours alone behind a computer screen. So I made the obvious and sensible decision to study acting. This is where I met James Donlon, who was then head of movement at UC Santa Barbara. Through movement, I found a way to integrate my years of martial arts training with my acting work, and found a profound sense of connection to this new realm of performance.
After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, where I dabbled in film acting, teaching martial arts, producing theater, stunts, coffee service, clowning, sketch comedy, furniture sales and working at a children's weight-loss program, amongst many other other odd things. I ended up having the great fortune of landing a job with Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theater, where I worked for almost 10 years performing for at-risk communities all across Southern California, where we performed full-scale theatrical productions to promote healthy choices. I was surrounded by a talented and gracious artistic community, and I got to perform every day as I honed my personal craft of theater performance. I also co-founded several theater companies that specialized in devised theater.
I left Los Angeles to work extensively with James Donlon in Ashland, Oregon at his Flying Actor Studio. I helped to manage his training facility and his workshops, and began to learn how to teach James' pedagogy of movement for actors training, that he developed over the course of 50 years of teaching. While in Ashland, Oregon, I co-founded A Muse Zoo theater company, and we created our flag-ship physical comedy show, The Truth*, which we toured across the US and Canada to positive reviews. “An evening with the clowns of A Muse Zoo is one of anarchic joy.” (DC Metro Arts)
The decision to go back to school and work towards my MFA in acting was based on two factors. I came to the realization that I want to teach at the university level, to share the craft that I love with serious, young adults and to help them become more effective performers and story tellers. I also felt the need for a deepening of my craft, especially with regards to the emotional connection to my work.
I went to UC Santa Barbara to study computer science through their College of Engineering, but quickly decided that I didn't want a career that involved me primarily spending my working hours alone behind a computer screen. So I made the obvious and sensible decision to study acting. This is where I met James Donlon, who was then head of movement at UC Santa Barbara. Through movement, I found a way to integrate my years of martial arts training with my acting work, and found a profound sense of connection to this new realm of performance.
After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, where I dabbled in film acting, teaching martial arts, producing theater, stunts, coffee service, clowning, sketch comedy, furniture sales and working at a children's weight-loss program, amongst many other other odd things. I ended up having the great fortune of landing a job with Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theater, where I worked for almost 10 years performing for at-risk communities all across Southern California, where we performed full-scale theatrical productions to promote healthy choices. I was surrounded by a talented and gracious artistic community, and I got to perform every day as I honed my personal craft of theater performance. I also co-founded several theater companies that specialized in devised theater.
I left Los Angeles to work extensively with James Donlon in Ashland, Oregon at his Flying Actor Studio. I helped to manage his training facility and his workshops, and began to learn how to teach James' pedagogy of movement for actors training, that he developed over the course of 50 years of teaching. While in Ashland, Oregon, I co-founded A Muse Zoo theater company, and we created our flag-ship physical comedy show, The Truth*, which we toured across the US and Canada to positive reviews. “An evening with the clowns of A Muse Zoo is one of anarchic joy.” (DC Metro Arts)
The decision to go back to school and work towards my MFA in acting was based on two factors. I came to the realization that I want to teach at the university level, to share the craft that I love with serious, young adults and to help them become more effective performers and story tellers. I also felt the need for a deepening of my craft, especially with regards to the emotional connection to my work.