The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite films.  From a writing point of view, it inspires and makes me want to sit down and write the next great script.  Within every person, greatness exits.  But to achieve that greatness, persistence, hard work, patience, rejection, a little luck and a lot of hope all play […]

Disappointment is hard.  Sometimes you can work so hard and be filled with so much hope and good-will, and then it can come crashing down and you feel depleted.   But a word of encouragement about disappointment.  If things come to you a little bit too easy, embrace these gifts gently, certainly appreciate them, but know […]

Speranza is the Italian word for hope.  The photo below is what hope looks like.  A woman who has been through a great deal of pain, loss and suffering throughout her 80 years, but manages to still smile.  It is a sheer miracle she made it to her 8oth birthday.  Recently, my family celebrated my […]

Family.  This is mine.  We can get caught up in the future and planning ahead.   And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of recognizing the present because really, in the end, that’s all we have.  Our family shared this moment at Christmas.  It’s not easy to get this […]

opens Wed. November 21 and plays until Sunday 25.  For all dates/times/theatre location and tickets, visist .   The above photo is with me and the cast after a tech rehearsal.  I’m relieved to arrive and share this moment with them as this has been a journey to get the play onto the stage.   It […]

Everyone of these four women above, in one way or another, have contributed bringing my play to life. Writing is re-writing and you need to have a strong constitution for it.  Creating art with others and for others who will read, work on it or witness it, can be contentious at times.  Opinions vary.   Constructive […]

The photo above was taken at a recent rehearsal of .  Somehow the grainy image of this picture adds to its power.  It is a deeply intimate and heartbreaking moment in the play that not only beautifully captures ANIMAL, but also the brokenness we all sometimes feel.   Sometimes we need a shoulder to cry on […]

And here they are – the five actors who will be playing the Shepherd Family, standing in front of the Alumnae Theatre where ANIMAL will be performed.  From left to right, I’m proud to introduce DAVID PLANCHE (Daniel Shepherd), SPENCER STREICHERT (Griffin Shepherd/ Mark), CRAIG MARTIN (Cliff Shepherd), ALEXANDRA MILNE (Raina Shepherd) and PAT PARISELLI […]

When my upcoming production of ANIMAL was looking for a stage manager, I recommended the lady above.  Leslie Ann and I go back a few years.  She staged managed several seasonal theatrical productions that took a modern/contemporary look at Christmas and Easter.   Back in those days, I was responsible for a group of volunteers […]