I performed as a part of the Box and Wine Festival in a show called "MacSpin" written by Seth Freeman. The show was directed by Micke Hayhurst, and featured Travis Stanton-Marrero, Blaine Mizer, and Julia Hays. This was a comedy mashup of Macbeth, and was all meant to be a little silly. And it was. Although it wasn't a huge production, we came second place for Audience Choice in the festival, we had a great time, and we got to play around with some of the most notable characters in the Shakespeare canon. Did it change my life, maybe not, but boy is it ever a sweet memory to enjoy. Some moments in my career have been sweet and enjoyable, and today I was taking time to enjoy the memory of working on such a light frothy piece with a talented and easy going cast. Much love as I think of them today!

And then I got the call. The feature film was crowdfunded in 24 hours. And I was going to get to play Tagi one last time. Listen here about the experience, how it went by so quickly, and how I got to say goodbye to a character I'd known for 15 years, in the best way possible.

Have you ever peed your pants onstage? I have. But I was only 8 years old, and it was an end of year school play about baseball (I think). I was a candy seller, and I was wearing white jeans, and I was completely mortified. I had this memory of this show come back to me and I couldn't figure out why that memory, or why now? I still don't know the answer but I think it has something to do with a leg injury I had overcome at the age of 7 when I broke my femur bone, and was hospitalized for a couple of months. I had to manage 3rd grade at a new school as the "girl in the wheelchair". I made it work, and I also managed to walk again, and dance again, and miraculously it didn't end my dream of being a performer. It could have, but it didn't. I'm grateful I got to have the change to perform again, physically unassisted and able bodied, even if I did pee my pants in the process.

I've had the pleasure of playing one of my favorite roles of all time, Cassie in "A Chorus Line". It played in 2004 for three weeks at Hart House Theatre in Toronto. We got rave reviews. Admittedly, I've been pretty shy about this experience and this role. I see now that I've had a really hard time accepting that I deserved to be the lead, believing that I was allowed to be excellent, and allowed to take credit for that great performance I did. But, all that self- punishing crap is over! I'm thrilled to share with you about my time in that role. From the audition, to the performance, to the things I loved, to a couple of mistakes I made, this episode is a celebration of one of my favorite roles. I'll post accompanying pictures on my Patreon!

In 2010 I recorded two small songs for the Pure Pwnage: teh TV Series show (Showcase/ Hulu). I wasn't cast in the show, but I did get a chance to see one of the main set locations, hang out with the cast and meet Melanie, and record a couple of tracks that appeared on the television series. It was always a good time getting to create with Geoff, and I loved working on the music with him, and was grateful for the chance to contribute. I attended the wrap party for the show (which coincidentally my brother had also worked on in the Locations dept.), and believe it or not, those tracks lead to me getting some other jobs. More about coming soon on the pod!

Around Valentines Day 2007 we opened Nine the Musical at Hart House Theatre in Toronto. I played a named character, but mostly was a member of the glorious chorus in this show, alongside some of my future best friends and favorite people. This show included beautiful music, gorgeous costumes, highly thematic staging and set design, and hilarious performances from my friends. This show was a pure joy to be apart of. And it's reminded me of how the creative process shoud be joyful, and that the best art that I can make should come from that childish and confidently joyful place. I'm looking forward to seeking out more of that feeling in the work I create!

In 2012 I began applying for an Acting MFA in NYC. My first time auditioning I did not get accepted (I did not even get a callback). But it began me on a year long training for the next year's audition. I studied weekly with Broadway and world renowned teachers and performers in NYC to get ready for the grad school auditions, and I learned more in that year of training than I had in the past 10 years of school. The auditions came and went, I did work I never thought I'd be capable of doing, and I got accepted to one of the most formidable programs in NYC, the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. This episode is purely about the audition process and training that I underwent to get ready to apply for American MFA programs, I'll speak more in further episodes about grad school itself.

In college I worked at a Lululemon. Of course I did. And I really liked it. I liked the people, I liked the products, and corporate seemed to care about us and our goals both inside and outside of the organization. I sold a lot of stretchy pants and made everyone's butt look good. I still love their pants. Did you know that you can exchange your old worn out pants at their store, because they have a quality promise to their customers? Honestly, I think this company is great. This isn't an endorsement, I just truly like their stuff. I learned that some of my skills are that I like people, I like helping people, and I like wearing comfortable (and kinda futuristic) clothes. However, I need to curb myself of the habit of trying to tell every employee I encounter there that I used to work there... twenty years ago. I cannot help myself, I say it every time, and each time I'm also quietly telling myself to shut up.

In 2012 I joined the producing team for a one-man show called Tenderpits that performed at Dixon Place, 59E59, and then The Underbelly in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This was a pivotable experience for me. I learned so much throughout my time on the Tenderpits team, even if the lesson was ultimately that my talents were better suited elsewhere. But please, remember that the path to self-fulfillment is not going to be linear and that these hiccups are a part of the journey. There were moments I loved, and moments I couldn't forget soon enough. I talk about most of it here on this episode.

In my last year of university around 2007ish, I worked as a hostess and waitress at a cool restaurant in the heart of Toronto. It was busy, and the hours were late, and I'm pretty sure the whole place was run by the mafia. I'm deranged enough that I thought I could befriend the (mafia) owner of the restaurant, and also the rage-fueled chef. I can assure you neither of those things happened. But I did learn how to lie to people about their wait time for their table to be ready, how to climb a ladder in to the basement which was a thing of nightmares, and how to appreciate that the person who is serving you (whether this is their profession or not) is worthy of respect and understanding because at the end of the day, we go to restaurant to enjoy in the ritual of eating delicious food with people we enjoy. And that is a beautiful thing we should remember to appreciate.