Female

I started singing before I could talk (according to my mom), play violin (English Country Dance Music), design and build costumes, construct and paint sets, and generally get withdrawal if I am not performing somewhere. I also love to do art, and the tie-dye I wear is all made by me.

In 1984 I started working Ren. Faire at Blackpoint and as I was also in college the timing was right to work the next Agoura Faire as well. I did that for a few years before moving back to Berkeley and sticking only with N. CA Faires. I played fiddle for the Merrie Pryanksters for 10 years (sometimes they even let me dance!). I am lucky that my husband of 15 years loves to peform as much as I do - we work Dickens Fair as a family tradition every year - starting back at that last year at the pier, and boy were we happy to have the Fair back when it went to the Cow Palace. My son, Phelan, played Tiny Tim for 6 years until he finally got too big and in 2006 he moved up to Oliver Twist. Poor Phelan is the middle child - he has an older sister, Megan, and a set of younger twins Erinn & Rowan. Yes, my kids rhyme.

The highlight of my Dickens career was perfoming in Pirates of Penzance - had the twins not come along I could have done both years... This launched me into my love of Gilbert & Sullivan, which I dragged my husband, Mike, into - and now I can't get him off stage. Seems so unfair that a soprano has to really work to get a lead, while a man basically needs to have a pulse and carry a tune. Seriously, though, Mike is a talented and funny actor and has a great voice, and I am so proud of him! We are lucky that over the years our interests have grown in the same direction. You can catch us on stage, working backstage, or generally doing support for Lyric Theatre of San Jose - amateur theater, but most of our audience thinks we are professional quality. I have really grown as an actor there.