About
Action.
“There is no club. There was never any club. Nobody knows anything.”
-Anonymous
These words may sound like the rantings of an angsty teenager, but for me, they are a call to action.
I have been a professional film and television actor in Los Angeles for over twenty years. Although I love my profession, I have learned that it is the “action” in acting that I am most attracted to, and that “action" can take many forms.
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Ultimately, I realized how little the gatekeepers of our lives-our governments, our policies, our directors-actually control our gates. How the simple act of “doing,” “acting,” and “speaking,” creates. Creates art, creates policy, creates money, creates change…And most importantly, how I wanted to take more “action” in my life, beyond acting. I just wasn’t sure what that meant or how it would present itself.
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I came to Gonzaga to further develop my public speaking “action” skills. Gonzaga is committed to this type of hands-on learning. At the end of every class we are assigned an action-based project. We are asked to consider how we will take this learning into the world. How we are going to "act?" How we are going to lead? These questions continue to inspire me.
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Today, it feels like we are more and more divided; at least that is what we see in the news and on social media. I don’t believe it is our human nature to divide. The survival of our species depends on community, and I think people have a natural inclination to connect. They only need better skills.
Public speaking does not only happen formally, at those rare times when one is asked to give a toast at a wedding, or the end of the semester presentation. Public speaking happens every day, when we speak up in conversation, when we engage in dialogue with those in our community or our jobs, in person and online. Critical, confident speaking skills have the power to change the world.
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So, while I am still acting, I want to inspire action. Empowering others to move past the facade of a gatekeeper, of someone “letting” you act, speak, or lead. I hope to inspire others to better their communication skills through the discovery of authentic thought, the clarity to organize said thoughts, and the ability to vocally express those thoughts with ease and confidence.
To act.
Six months before Covid I was granted a dream job-my family was cast as the lead in a film shooting in pre-war Ukraine. While it was an amazing experience on many levels, it was also life-changing. Intercultural experiences continually expand my perspective, but living and working in Kiev for six weeks brought general world issues into the forefront of my life. Literally, onto my front door. Every day we faced the drastically unequal wealth distribution as we sidestepped around the broken people living on our doorstep to get to the production company’s Mercedes. I felt the complexity and disregard for female power as I negotiated contracts with the Ukrainian businessmen. Even my support of state-funded art was tested as my husband and I had motivation, professionalism, and acting techniques honed through a lifetime of competition, in comparison to the subsidized Ukrainian and Russian actors.
When Covid hit, I agreed to teach a Communications Merit Badge to a group of female Scouts. I knew these girls. They had grown up with my daughter. Girls who were the most intelligent, outspoken kids in elementary school were now shy and apprehensive. I wanted to understand what was happening to these leaders-we need these strong female voices to get louder as they became adults, not more subdued. I took all of the acting tools I had learned over the decades and put them into a public speaking format. As I witnessed these female students grow in confidence, use the tools I provided, and become better speakers, it was the piece of “action” I had been searching for.
At Gonzaga I was given the opportunity to teach a component of the Online Course Development class and even more pieces connected. I could take my knowledge from years of self-recorded auditions and help others authentically communicate better online. As our world becomes more digital, it is vital for us to learn tools to connect instead of isolate. I am eager to help others find their authentic virtual voice.
