I started singing as soon as I could talk. At the age of 7, I was “discovered” by ProComm Studios (singing the song “Away in a Manger”) and started recording national radio spots for companies like McDonald’s, The Walt Disney Company and Belk Department Stores – all from my hometown of Asheville, North Carolina.

Thanks to the creative education that came through such great experiences (and an unbelievably supportive family) I continued to perform and record commercials through high school. For two years I was a member of the Flat Rock Playhouse Theatre for Young People “Company” where I worked on acting, singing and dance – getting so perform on the main stage in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. My very active high school theatre career gave me a chance to be in Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver!, As You Like It, My Fair Lady, Cyrano, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Annie and The Music Man.

I studied communication at Lee University, emphasizing in marketing and entertainment media. While at Lee I toured the country for a few months with Voices of Lee and acted in Finian’s Rainbow, an experimental production of Hamlet and Antigone – with performances in several student productions, one acts and as a founding member of the Improv Group: Unscripted.

The first professional theatre company I worked for was Red Clay Theatre. This newly formed theatre group gave me the opportunity to work with exceptional directors from New York (Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with Jose Zayas and Moliere’s Tartuffe with West Hyler) and perform in a world premier play with live, onstage blue grass music (Smokin’ Devils) and a sell-out audience favorite (Forever Plaid.)

Following graduation in Tennessee, I made my way up to New York City where I’ve been living since 2007. My first job was off-off Broadway doing Shakespeare’s Othello at the Bank Street Theatre. This was quickly followed by a large-scale production of West Side Story, a joint venture of Boheme Opera New Jersey and American Repertory Ballet, performing at the War Memorial Theatre in Trenton, New Jersey. After these early successful runs I went on to my first summer stock in upstate New York with Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, doing a regional premier of Les Miserables under the direction of Christa Justus. Following shows included The Producers, another regional premier of Les Miserables, Jane Eyre: the musical (as a guest artist in my home state of North Carolina), Meet Me In St. Louis and various readings and play festivals in NYC.

In 2010, I founded Essential Theatre Group with Gillian Bell – performing in and co-producing The Last Five Years as our inaugural production. This very successful first show (performing at the Producers’ Club and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, both in Manhattan) laid the ground work for future ETG productions that will be announced in the near future! Stay tuned!