People tell me I’m a great storyteller.  So it makes sense that I was drawn to theatre as a young girl. After all, storytelling IS theatre. 

 

It was always thus: from primitive people around a fire, to tribal rituals including dance and song, to sign language. We have the deep urge to tell the story, of our history, our fears, our needs and even of our isolation. And in those moments, we all share, we understand the threads that bind us together. 

 

I grew up hearing the harrowing, human, and sometimes humorous stories of my parent’s lives in World War II London, as the city was bombed nightly. I attached many emotions that my parents left out in the telling; that's when I began to create theatre in my mind.

 

I am happiest and most connected to humanity when I am exploring a piece of theatre with others. Collaboration literally lifts my heart rate!  Similarly, I have sat in a theater and experienced an entire audience breathing in sync as a perfect moment is realized on stage. When it is a production I’ve directed, it's a thrill to see the expressions of those people watching, who may never know that I contributed to what they are feeling in that moment.  Is there anything better?