I was forever changed when I learned the word audacity. It didn’t come from winning a school spelling bee—my learning disability made sure of that!

Long before I became a theater artist, I contained multitudes. I was a Streisand devotee who watched Hello, Dolly every Sunday,  a Disney kid, an overly talented bowler, a manic child, a teacher’s pet, a baseball player, and most importantly, a writer. 

Audacity means a willingness to take bold risks. The first time I heard the word was from Barbara Streisand and later Idina Menzel. They used it to describe themselves. Hearing that filled me with confidence because I recognized that same quality within myself.  All my life, I’ve been drawn to women who embody that word because I needed help unlocking it in myself. So, it’s not coincidental that I found my way to theatre, a medium which blends storytelling, music, and visuals in a way that pierces through an audience. Whether it’s straight plays or musical theater, librettos or lyrics, I explore the multitudes not just in myself, but in others. This eccentric (i.e., me) was made for musical theater. It was born from heightened drama!

I want to touch as many hearts as I can for one reason: somewhere out there, I know some young people feel defined by neurodiversity or a learning disability. I want to show them they don’t have to be. Like Jeanine Tesori said in her Tony Award acceptance speech, “For girls, you have to see it, to be it.”  My mission is to make you cry—whether from laughing on the floor, or from something that reminds you you’re human. 

So what makes audacious one of my multitudes? When you’re diagnosed with a learning disability, the system “others” you from the start. But writing became my constant. Even when my disability threw obstacles in my path, I kept going. Twenty-plus years later, I still haven’t quit. To me, neurodiversity isn’t a weakness—it’s a strength. It makes every sensation more vivid. Because of it, I paint with feeling. I am drawn to work that gives me goosebumps when listening or watching.  The Work that is taking the medium of musical theater and doing new things that set it apart is usually the work that causes that reaction. 

My work is visceral, human, and theatrical in nature. My art explores the facets of empathy and how universal specificity connects us. All of it, in my own specifically heightened voice. All that being said, at the core of my work is heart.

The Dramatist Guild will help provide pivotal support in the early months of my postgraduate work. This could be a launching platform, and I would be beyond grateful to have the support of my peers and fellow fellows. 

“I am large, I contain multitudes.”

WALT WHITMAN