My work as a designer is centered on finding the interconnectedness within the creative process and using different media to explore and celebrate what it means to be human.

In stage design, I’ve found a field that combines my joy of drawing, painting, building, and planning. The tools inherent in stage design have also trained me as a graphic designer, a content creator, a media and projections designer, and a scenic artist.

I am thankful to come from a household that valued art. My dad was a painter, potter, jeweler, jazz guitarist, and teacher. My mom was an amateur actress whose parents were professional violinists, violists, and also teachers.

With so many teachers in my family, I gravitated towards education. Starting in fifth grade, I took part in my school district’s summer theatre program, first as an actor. But really, we learned all about making theatre. After five years as a student, I became a paid instructor for three summers. I taught the tech crew, and directed three productions: The Pirates of Penzance, Don’t Drink the Water, and The Skin of Our Teeth.

At the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, I started off as and English education major so I could teach high school theatre. I took a stagecraft class and learned how to make scenery with real power tools. I became a theatre major and an art minor. I loved taking acting classes and design classes, and even loved theatre history. It all tied in with general education classes like art and architecture history, American folklore, and political science. And I found opportunities to both direct and design.

My MFA in scene design is from the University of Illinois. The Krannert Center taught me about professional practice, while providing practical opportunities not only in theatre, but also dance and opera.

I went on to teach at Centre College, the University of Kentucky, and currently teach at Miami University in Oxford, OH. I’ve designed at the Florida Repertory Theatre, Gallery Players of Brooklyn, Illinois Opera theatre, the Croswell Opera House in Adrian, Michigan, New Edgecliff Theatre in Cincinnati, and West Virginia Public Theatre. As a scenic artist, I’ve worked for the Illinois Repertory Theatre’s Summerfest, the Struthers Library Theatre, and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival. I have been a member of United Scenic Artists since 2000.