Acting

I still consider performing my first love. There is no high like it! I got the bug when I was 9 and I have been acting ever since. Growing up, I did a slew of less than stellar performances in Commercials, TV, Films & Theatre. I was considered a “natural” performer, in the sense that I could memorize a script, and follow direction, but I didn’t really know what acting was all about. The majority of the work I’m most proud of, I did after training in New York. I really learned the craft and how much work it takes to act REALLY WELL. It requires a lot of commitment and I had spent time singing in bands and doing stand up which kept me from seriously focusing on acting. Now that I have the skills, the reality is, there are only so many roles I’m “right” for. This is one of the challenges an actor faces, but I take the opportunity to learn and grow in between jobs. 

Teaching

I was fortunate enough to study with some of the best actors/teachers in the world while I was in New York. I was so inspired by everything I was taught, I felt compelled to share the wisdom. I had taken a lot of acting classes in Toronto, but the techniques I responded to most, I didn’t learn until Circle in the Square and HB Studio. Techniques include: Stanislavski, Strasberg, Linklater, Boleslavski, Meisner and Hagen.
Not only did my teachers have great knowledge to share, they also have the experience to prove what they are teaching works. Here are links to their credits which I think speak for themselves.

Uta Hagen: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0353467
Austin Pendelton: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0671721
Philip Seymour Hoffman: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000450

Casting

Before I moved to New York I decided to work in casting so I could learn about the audition process from a casting perspective and really understand how casting works. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed being on the other side of the camera and seemed to have a knack for it. In the last 10 years I have been a reader/session director for Powerhouse Casting, Gloria Mann, Marsha Cheslea and Diane Kerbel. Currently, when I'm not auditioning or teaching I'm working as a casting associate with Crystal Casting and have been lucky enough to cast some amazing projects.