An abbreviated history of an English girl with American roots, occasional actress, writer, optimist...
Born to an American mother and English father, who met when their dogs sniffed each other out in a park in London (true story), I grew up in Manchester in the north-west of England with my mum and two brothers and a constant menagerie of four-footed friends. I spent my formative years riding horses, perfecting dance routines from Paula Abdul and Debbie Gibson videos and writing existential poetry that unnerved my mother. I believe my creative destiny was carved out fairly early on.
Skip forward a few years and I studied acting at Bretton Hall College of Leeds University and graduated with a BA (1st Class) Hons in Theatre Arts/Acting, after which I puttered around Manchester for a while wondering what the hell I was supposed to do with my degree. Much internal monologuing later I spent a summer working as a wrangler at an orthodox Jewish Dude Ranch in the Catskills (true story), which in turn led me to a job as a wrangler in South Park, CO. After being told by the Czech cowboy who owned the ranch "Men ride horses, women make breakfast", I hitched a ride to Denver and flew back to my cousin's sofa in New England to look for a way to cover the expenses of my trip. Fortuitously, in the summer of 2003 I was hired as a drama counselor at Camp Taconic in the Berkshires, where I met my Texan tennis counselor future husband...
Seven years, one long distance relationship, a job bartending in a Cowboy Bar in East Texas, a lost dog, a long truck ride, a couple of cats, some big bills, some sleepless nights, a 400 sq ft railroad apt in Hell's Kitchen, health insurance, union membership, some bad theatre, much great theatre, many real good people, one elopement to St. John USVI and an 800 sq ft co-op apt in Brooklyn Heights, I am almost half way to becoming a true New Yorker.
My maternal grandmother told me years ago "One day, you will be a writer". This is probably not what she had in mind.
Skip forward a few years and I studied acting at Bretton Hall College of Leeds University and graduated with a BA (1st Class) Hons in Theatre Arts/Acting, after which I puttered around Manchester for a while wondering what the hell I was supposed to do with my degree. Much internal monologuing later I spent a summer working as a wrangler at an orthodox Jewish Dude Ranch in the Catskills (true story), which in turn led me to a job as a wrangler in South Park, CO. After being told by the Czech cowboy who owned the ranch "Men ride horses, women make breakfast", I hitched a ride to Denver and flew back to my cousin's sofa in New England to look for a way to cover the expenses of my trip. Fortuitously, in the summer of 2003 I was hired as a drama counselor at Camp Taconic in the Berkshires, where I met my Texan tennis counselor future husband...
Seven years, one long distance relationship, a job bartending in a Cowboy Bar in East Texas, a lost dog, a long truck ride, a couple of cats, some big bills, some sleepless nights, a 400 sq ft railroad apt in Hell's Kitchen, health insurance, union membership, some bad theatre, much great theatre, many real good people, one elopement to St. John USVI and an 800 sq ft co-op apt in Brooklyn Heights, I am almost half way to becoming a true New Yorker.
My maternal grandmother told me years ago "One day, you will be a writer". This is probably not what she had in mind.
