Well, I was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada and I had the pleasure of
growing up with a big backyard, piano lessons and a younger brother named
Adam. Well, in hindsight it was all a pleasure, but I’m sure my parents
were exasperated with my unwillingness to practice the piano. My
brother and I usually got along okay.
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We were typical kids, running around and pretending we were being chased
by Stormtroopers, spinning each other as hard as we could on the merry-go-round,
or playing street hockey until it got too dark to see the ball. We
were both enrolled in skating and swimming. I played ringette and
Adam had hockey. The Gillespie Taxi was always on the move!
I also enjoyed putting on little performances for my neighbourhood friends,
with the help of Mom and Dad, which encompassed acting, dancing, music
and puppets.
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Then someone said something about auditioning for a local production of the Sound of Music. I was tall for a 12-year-old but I went anyway. I didn’t get into the show, but my mom can tell you that she had had no idea I could sing like that until that day!
I’d like to say that it changed my life, but I continued the piano lessons (Suzuki Method – which means that I can play you a Beethoven Sonata by heart if you give me a week to hear it and learn it, but don’t expect me to sightread your Mamma Mia score!) until I realized that I enjoyed theatre more. I don’t regret taking the piano at all, it’s just that I was 17 when I discovered that I wanted to perform piano more like Victor Borge (you know the pronounced-punctuation guy – an exclamation point would be “fissssssssss-puth!”), rather than Glenn Gould.
I wonder if there was a noticeable change in my personality at that time. I remember feeling shy when I was younger, never speaking up for fear of looking like an idiot. Then I realized that looking like an idiot could be funny. So I turned my attention to theatre.
After providing the local Guelph Little Theatre with some live music, they suggested I try for Royal City Musical Productions’ upcoming Li’l Abner. I auditioned, and was accepted! It was at this production’s Halloween party where I met my future husband, Alex.
That show, coupled with a fantastic high-school course taught by Tom
Slater, showed me how to balance discipline with fun. I’m happy to
say that I’ve been applying those teachings ever since.
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Now I have a busy life, taking on strange projects as my whims (or my husband’s whims) take me. As you can see from the resume that’s posted on this site, I’m still doing theatre, been in a number of short films, had some lines on TV, and I’m a regular performer with Canadian Improv Showcase. I’ve also written a children’s book, “Green,” which has just been sent out to a publisher for consideration, and my short film, “Grouchy Tiger, Hiding Dragon” is in post-production.
My friends call me crazy. That’s okay. Leo Busgalia says
that being crazy gives you more freedom of movement!
So have fun!
