What’s that ginger doing making faces in the back?

My journey as an actor started in seventh grade, when I played a pirate in Peter Pan. I remember my favorite line: “The game is up. Those booooys have found a Mother!!”, which I said in my best Queen’s English accent. I was the most threatening little red-haired girl in Neverland. Since then, I developed a reputation for doing the comedic side character in all my shows in middle and high school. I played a crazy fairy, a drunk mouse, a cougar grandma, and a southern broad. It got a little frustrating, though, always being typecast. I knew I could do more. It took a while to get my foot in the door in the college film and theater scene, but once I did, I was able to play all kinds of comedic and not-so comedic roles: A depressed puritan lesbian, a depressed wife, a superhero who is frustrated for not being appreciated as a woman, a lost child who grew up too quickly, and also a snarky demon office worker!

Peter Pan, 2015

Ok… So what’s your casting type?

Well… I’m a comedic actor, but also a soprano. So quirky princess? No… Quirky princesses are almost always belters. I also do film and more subtle stuff in that arena, so… Girl next door? Best Friend? Serious acTOR type?

My whole acting career thus far has consisted of being put into this box of “type”. We’re not dating our characters, why should we have a “type"? That’s way too method for me. Why are we being assigned “types” if we want to play all kinds of roles?

I love acting. I love learning about people and diving into what makes them tick. I think you can play almost any character if you understand them well enough. So yes, there are characters I tend to get cast as (I’m looking at you, bratty tweens). But in general, if I love a role, I audition for it. I’m not just gonna audition for a role because it “fits my type”. I audition for it because I can see the humanity in the character, and because I love the project! So, hopefully, if you see me in an audition, you’ll know I’m there because I’m passionate about the work. I’m there to make your characters come to life in a truthful, human way. But I’ll also make them a little silly sometimes.

Second Star to the Right, 2024

Click photo for credits