Artist's Statement

Spir-it. Noun. 1) A vital force that characterizes a living being as being alive. 2) A divine influence or inspiration. 3) Liveliness - animation and energy in action or expression. 4) Zeitgeist – the spirit of a time; the spirit characteristic of an age or generation.
Spir-it. Verb. 1) Infuse with energy and emotion, make lively.

We all want to feel that vital force – to feel ALIVE. Too often the daily grind wears us down, or our soul has become darkened by life, or our own sense of dispiritedness. Too often we no longer see our lives as works of art. That is what using storytelling and theater can help us remember and reclaim for ourselves... that each of us is a unique and beautiful work of art with a story that only we can tell – a story that needs to be heard. That is why I enjoy leading retreats and workshops on using the arts for rediscovering our selves.

As a storyteller, I am the teller of truths, a listener to the pulse of an audience, a sharer of a journey that is both my own and a collective one. I am the voice of the prankster, the hero, the crone. I share tales of long ago, of just the other day, my story and your story. I like stories that remind people of the wonder of living and to celebrate the resiliency of the human spirit.

Storytelling is the art of word, imagination, sound, gesture, posture, rhythm, dynamic, rhyme, voice, structure and feeling all working together to up-lift, educate, heal, teach, empower and entertain. It is also the art of LISTENING.

Theater is a form of storytelling, and with my background and training in both fields, I enjoy playing in the joy-filled gray areas between the two sister art-forms. By affirming the importance of imagination in an increasingly technological world, story-telling and story-listening share together in building community.