About Me
...and my love of performing
Beginnings
Among my first performances would have been those, at age 3, with my sister and cousins, dressed in a tutu and playing a xylophone or recorder under the direction of our bossy eldest cousin. Always the highly imaginative child, even when not performing, a tutu was often a choice for the character of the day. Painfully shy, I shocked my parents with a soulful solo performance of "Lovely Day" at my Kindergarten graduation. That summer, I began dance lessons, and my parents looked for musical opportunities for me wherever they could. It quickly became clear that a love of performing was not a passing fancy.
While singing inspired me, it was the process of creating and presenting myself as a character that completed me. As a shy and uncomfortable teenager looking for a place to "fit in", I was encouraged by a friend to audition for my high school play in my freshman year and have never looked back. My first acting opportunity outside of high school was as Prudy Pingleton in a local youth production of Hairspray. We performed at the Herberger Theater, one of Arizona's premier performance venues, and for a newbie to the acting community at age 15, it was magical!
As a Phoenix native, I was fortunate that the arts were -- and still are -- well-supported in the Valley of the Sun and that its thriving theatre community offered me a vast array of opportunities and a safe space with the comfort and acceptance of like-minded people.
Imagination Queen First Dance Recital " Young Heidi" 1st Headshot Me & My Guy Atticus Finch
Pursuit
Since my first foray into musical theatre, I have very intentionally celebrated each aspect of the pursuit. I have come to appreciate and evaluate each audition -- rejection or casting, disappointment or triumph -- as they teach me something about myself and influence my next.
I value the rehearsal process and deeply feel the responsibility to develop my character, with the assistance of the artistic team, to be able to offer an audience the optimal performance they deserve. I have been blessed with some truly fantastic experiences -- whether lead, supporting, or ensemble -- and every production, director, creative team member, choreographer, music director, and cast is extraordinary in their own way and contributes to a memory file that I cherish.
No matter my future, I will always treasure each and every theatre experience and relationship - there is no doubt they are deeply contributive to my development as an actor and as a human. My incredibly positive regional theatre experiences propelled me to pursue my passion in the theatre capital of world, New York City. Being on this adventure is challenging and risky, but it is also everything I have ever dreamed of doing with my life. I have been very blessed to make my goal of “the big move” a reality, and I am always thankful for my personal village of support cheering me on from across the country.
Journeying
It's been a little over three years since moving from Chandler, AZ, to Clifton, NJ, and I have NO idea where the time has gone!
So much professional growth has happened in that timeframe -- I made my directorial debut for two high school productions, I have performed at the legendary 54 Below twice, I have been a part of developmental readings, festival performances, and concerts for many intriguing new works, I have performed in five regional contracts, and I have added three Off-Broadway credits to my resume. I feel so incredibly fortunate that I get the opportunity to pursue my dreams, and with every new contract, I have to pinch myself to remind "Young Heidi" that these dreams aren't dreams anymore: they're my reality.
None of this journey would have been possible if it were not for my family, but especially my handsome and talented husband, who supports my dream whole-heartedly, as his passions are similar. We love our home, community, and being dog parents to our huge, loving, but goofy, Schnoodle, Atticus Finch. We have become quite the gourmets and love to explore new recipes and cook for one another or together. When I am not preparing for an audition, auditioning, submitting tapes, rehearsing, or performing, I spend much of my free time reading, gaming, writing, cross-stitching, thrifting, or exploring the beauty of surrounding New Jersey on hikes with my hubs and Atticus.
In among all that "busy-ness", I always find time, and am so thankful for the technology that allows it, to text daily with my sister and my mom, whose steady presence and encouragement keeps me grounded. Choosing this path means spending most of my time 3500 miles from my family, so family visits rank pretty high on the "best of times" list, and I am always thrilled to get letters or hand-drawn pictures in the mail from my little niece and nephew.
Reflection
When I contemplate the life I am living and the myriad of remarkable people I continue to meet and work with along the way who inspire me, critique me, teach me, support my dream, and come alongside me in the journey, I can say with certainty that I am doing what I am meant to do.
There are three things in life that bring me extreme joy: my family, being among tall pine trees (oh, that scent), and performing. I guess you could say that the stage is my "happy place": there is nothing that energizes me like performing for a live audience.
After more than a decade immersed in this loving, supportive, and beautifully diverse community, my heart knows this is what God intended for me -- He gave me the gifts, and it's my purpose to refine them and apply them to my craft. To borrow (and adapt) a line from Chariots of Fire, "When I perform, I can feel His pleasure!"
I cannot imagine a future without performing -- any more than I could live without breathing!