Looking forward to diving into this bombshell of a book on Monday! I’ll be at Duart narrating Dietland for the Library of Congress’ National Library Service. It’s been great getting familiar with Sarai Walker’s first novel, a delicious surprise of a book that challenges everything we take for granted about beauty, health, and women’s place in society. Just like the cover image, it’s a cupcake hand grenade!
Literally, here. Enjoy!
The Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, VA is hosting a charity screening of Badge of Faith on September 1st! Get your tickets here …
I am so privileged to be a student of this man, Wynn Handman: founder of The American Place Theater, creator of Literature to Life, and director, coach, trainer, and mentor to some of the finest actors we will ever be lucky enough to see. As anyone who studies with Wynn will tell you, stepping into his studio means stepping into a world where commitment, integrity, and devotion to the work are the very ground you walk on, and egos or anyone searching for a quit hit to their resume find no air to breathe. Truthfully I’ve learned about so much more than acting in Wynn’s class, but how can you fail to learn from a man who guides his entire life by the question, “What is needed here?”
A year ago I worked on what felt at the time like a charming little film. Good script, delightful people. I was going into it a little stressed and exhausted, since there had been a fire in our apartment literally the night before our first rehearsal. No one was hurt, animals were safe, so I felt fortunate but still had to deal with massive destruction and clean up. And I showed up on the set smelling like a smokehouse, literally! We prepped a lot and worked long days, and I celebrated every minute, enjoying the shoot even more as I got to escape, for a while, all the stuff to be dealt with in the wake of a fire.
Well that film, UPSIDE DOWN, has gone on to great reception at masses of festivals, and the topic — dealing with a transgender woman — has become the hot topic of the hour! I’ve lost track of how many festivals it’s been accepted to, but the latest good news is that UPSIDE DOWN has won the audience choice award at the Springfield LGBT film festival. And if you want to see the film, it’ll be screening tomorrow night in Brooklyn at the Northside Film Festival, tickets here.
Now an official selection of the Cayman Islands International Film Festival. Seriously, does anyone sell a plane ticket that works like a Eurail Pass?!?!
I just learned a wonderful short film I worked on last year — Upside Down — will be shown at the 6th annual KASHISH, MUMBAI INTERNATIONAL QUEER FILM FESTIVAL in India and has been shortlisted for a festival in Germany! Congratulations to writer/director Shira Levin! Now if I could just swing some plane tickets …
So happy to say I’m now freelancing with the lovely Jenevieve Brewer of Brewer Management! After much success as an agent and a manager with the teams at About Face and Terrific Talent, Jenevieve has decided to establish her own firm, a smart, gutsy, and exciting move that fills me with admiration. I’m very excited to be one of her newest clients!
