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Happy New Year, y’all!  2010 was quite the theatrical year for me, venturing to the worlds of Florence to Yonkers to the Isle of Hula Bula and beyond!  (Plus a college graduation in there somewhere…how did that happen?)  This week I’ll be making the big move to New York.  I can’t wait for the adventures 2011 will bring.

But for those of you still chillin’ in the Buckeye state, don’t forget next week is Encore Theater Company’s reading of Fear Clinic!  The folks at ETC have a wonderful program that provides valuable feedback for up and coming writers.  Composer Alex Horton and I would appreciate any pearls of wisdom you have to offer!  The reading is Tuesday, January 11th, at 7pm in the Litehouse Loft in downtown Dayton.  There is no charge for admission but you do need to RSVP to attend.

In the meantime I have to figure out how much sheet music I can fit in my carry-on…catch you in Manhattan!

Hello friends.

Good news for Fear Clinic - the musical I wrote with composer Alex Horton.  We have dates for our upcoming reading in Encore Theater Company’s Litehouse Reading Series.  Mark those calendars for January 11th.  It’ll be a rockin’ night.  It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve visited with these characters.  Very much looking forward to it.

Also, Fear Clinic‘s opening number, “Who I Am”, was featured in ETC’s recent Big Fat Concert Series.  Here’s the video – a little taste of what you might get to see on January 11th!  Enjoy.

Hello again!  After great shows in Centennial, CO and Buckley AFB, this week Angela and I are relaxing in Colorado and taking in the state’s beautiful sights!  Very soon we’ll be making the trip to Rangely, CO, to meet a brand new crew.

But even on a week off, there’s an update on my play, Reception.  Reception will be featured as part of the New Play Festival with She and Her Productions in Kansas City, MO.  Dates aren’t final yet, but mark your calendars for the second or third weekend in June.  More details to come soon.  In the meantime check out their website.  Very excited to revisit this script and to get to work with some new friends in Kansas City.

Greetings from the Southwest!  This week my new tour partner, Angela Clement, and I are in Hobbs, New Mexico, working with the kids at Hobbs Municipal Schools.  This is the second week of our tour.  We really hit the ground running, but we’re having a fantastic time and enjoying the good folks of Hobbs!

We have a show this Saturday in Tydings Auditorium.  More info on this week’s program is available here.  Looking forward to it.

The cast of The Spitfire Grill.

Don’t forget that this is the last weekend to see The Spitfire Grill in Beavercreek!  We had a great first weekend – read more about it

here.  Tickets are available at bctheatre.org.  This is a beautiful piece with some great music and fun people – come and see!

I’ll soon be trading in my apron for some fly traps.   Monday morning I’m off to Conroe, Texas, for my first day on The Frog Prince with the Missoula Children’s Theatre!  Looking forward to it.

Sydney Lanier (left) as Percy, me as Shelby, and Pam McGinnis as Hannah in The Spitfire Grill.

Don’t forget this weekend is the opening of The Spitfire Grill in Beavercreek!  Ticket info is available here.  We run tomorrow night (!!!) through September 26th.  I’ve had a great time working on this beautiful piece.

In other news, as soon as I’m done grillin’ at the Spitfire I’ll be going back on the road with the good folks at the Missoula Children’s Theatre, this time in their tour of The Frog Prince!  You can find my tour schedule here.  I’m looking forward to rejoining this great company.

Hello again, Midwest.  It’s been awhile.

I’ve returned from my adventures with the Missoula Children’s Theatre.  I did the math and I visited 20 states this summer – if you include our in-between travels – and worked with nearly 400 kids.  (I can’t be sure, but I think I sang “Friday’s Seaside Resort” a minimum of 450 times.)  What an adventure!  It was a little sad to bid farewell to Robinson Crusoe and the little red truck that took us across the country, but it feels good to be home.

So what’s next for me?  I’ve got some planning to do as these last days of summer wind down – more details to come soon.  But in the meantime, I of course have a few projects to keep me busy:

First, I’m stepping into the role of Shelby in The Spitfire Grill in Beavercreek.  I had my first rehearsal tonight and had a wonderful time.  It’s a lovely show and a great cast!  I’m very much looking forward to opening on Sept. 17th!  More info available here.

Second, Alex Horton and I are up to our old tricks…that’s right, Fear Clinic is returning to the Dayton area very soon.  We’re doing a reading as part of the Litehouse Series with our friends at Encore Theatre Company.  No specific dates yet, but we know it’ll be after the first of the year.  Details to come soon!  Alex and I are also hard at work on a new show as well…let’s just say it’s a little different from Fear Clinic…

So I’ll have lots to work on as I settle back into Midwestern life.  Here we go!

This week Noah and I are in Dublin, Georgia, hula-ing it up in Robinson Crusoe with another great group of kids.  We’ve got shows this Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 10am in Theatre Dublin.

Here’s a fun article from last week’s stop in Mount Airy, North Carolina.  It includes fun interviews with the kids, Noah, and me too!

We’re having a great time.  Next week we’re in Fort Stewart, Georgia, and we’re really looking forward to it!

Exciting news: The Dayton City Paper just named me this season’s Best Leading Actress in a Musical for The Light in the Piazza!  The show racked up quite a list of nods, including Best Musical, Best Direction (Joe Deer), and Best Supporting Actor and Actress (Blaine Boyd and Sarah Agar).  Read the full list here.

Ah, to be in Florence again...

I’m thrilled, obviously.  Seeing so many people from the Piazza cast and crew receive recognition just proves what a special experience it was to work on that show.  Lots of Wright State folk received shout-outs for their work this season, including The Pajama Game and Hello, Dolly.  Guess I’ve been running with a good crowd, eh?  Congratulations to everyone…it’s been a good year for theatre in Dayton!

Still on the road to Alabama.  While you’re waiting for more delicious updates of my adventures across America, tide yourself over with this vidja of last week’s production of Fear Clinic, the musical I wrote with composer Alex Horton.  This is the opening number, entitled “Who I Am”.

Enjoy!