Raised in Washington, DC by a civil rights attorney and a griot, I have always been surrounded by and attracted to all kinds of people. As a child, it was clear to me that social and cultural boundaries often had a role in dictating one’s growth and development in society. However, I was fortunate enough to also learn that the arts were a way to transcend those conventions and connect with people in a profound way. Being intrigued by the ways in which people live (love, survive, heal, etc.) has driven me to travel extensively and explore the living habits of all kinds of people. My life in the arts has always been about work that I feel in some way helps to validate and enrich the experience of myself and/or others.
As a teenager, I attended the Duke Ellington high school for the Arts and spent a summer studying Commedia del Arte in Avignon and subsequently doing street theatre in France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Portugal. After high school I attended Fordham University’s Theatre Department where I was featured in several productions a year, including Fasutus (as Mephistophilis), The Bacchae (as Agave), and Man Equals Man (as Widow Begbick). I also spent a semester in Costa Rica working on my Spanish and learning to surf and another in London studying Shakespeare.
After graduating with a BA in theatre and a minor in sociology (I felt the two things went hand in hand), I did several shows in Manhattan before meeting Young Jean Lee. I’ve spent much of the last two years experimenting with her to make and tour new work (The Shipment, Lear) both domestically and internationally. I became a member of AEA last year and spend a lot of time working with different actors, writers and directors to develop new plays and theatrical pieces and really enjoy how collaborative and creative I find this work to be.
Most recently I shot a PSA, wrapped my first feature titled Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (to be released fall 2011) and agreed to become the official voice of a brand new “green” jewelry company Amara Gold. I am currently writing, auditioning and preparing to perform in Christine Jean Chambers’ One Quarter at Ensemble Studio Theatre.
