Make New Orleans a Theatre Town

I've always been proud to be a New Orleanian. Even when I left at 18 for NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, I knew my hometown was special, because my love of theatre and storytelling started here in the Crescent City.

I've had it in my blood since I was born, the middle child of 5 kids.  Maybe it was my way of getting everyone's attention?  My mom, who wanted to be an actress when she was at LSU, told me I'd stand in front of my little brother's crib as a 3 year old, saying, "and for my next number..."  And since I can remember, my Dad played piano and I would sit next to him singing showtunes.

Then, in 2nd grade, I was asked to be in a TV pilot called Story Spinners because I was a "good reader." Linda Mintz was the host, and she took me under her wing and brought me into the world of Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre, where I performed in Gigi and Carousel and looked up to actresses like Cassie Worley and Leslie Castay. (Cassie now attends my scene study class on Monday nights at CCS Studio!)

My love of storytelling grew through middle and high school as a Newman Player, where I found my confidence and my identity on stage. Bryan Batt is a fellow alum, a few years ahead of me.   That says something about New Orleans...this city makes theatre people.  (I ended up returning to Newman 15 years after I graduated to teach drama for 8 years!) 

My passion for theatre was stoked when I saw Lara Grice perform Ruthless at the True Brew Theatre and thought: I want to be that magnetic. I want a theatre that cozy and welcoming. (Only to then get the opportunity to direct Lara myself in my own theatre's production of The Cake.)

After Tisch, I went on to earn my Master's in Theatre from UC San Diego, where I met one of my closest friends, Lorene Chesley. (Little did I know I'd get the opportunity to direct her twice for CCS — or that she'd end up on our board.) 

It was on the steps of the theatre, that I met my now-husband, Michael A. Newcomer after seeing him perform in Pride and Prejudice.  We started a long-distance relationship sharing stories over Skype while he was in a Molière show in L.A. and I was in a play on 59th Street in Manhattan. And then Michael discovered what most men who date New Orleans girls eventually discover: we always come home.

So we did. And we realized we'd each carried the same dream — to start a theatre company. So we did that too. Crescent City Stage took root in 2018.  We shared our vision in 2022 with John Goodman right before mounting our first production.  He said, "I'm too cynical for this, but I love your optimism and vision, and I believe you can do it!"

Our sons, Valentine and Romeo, have been along for the ride the whole time.  They, too have caught the acting bug, and think it's the coolest thing that their parents have their own theatre company.

For me, theatre has always been about love — love in the relationships built while making it, in the feeling of sitting in a dark room witnessing it, and now, in the act of bringing this city the highest caliber, thought-provoking theatre it deserves.

I would be so grateful if you'd come along on this journey with me — to Make New Orleans a Theatre Town, and to keep spreading the love.

After all, we already have the costumes, the drama, and the storytelling.

We were made for this.