Born and raised in Northeast Georgia...

I am an unabashed nerd of the literature of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. While I may not be on Stephen Colbert's level of expertise, I try. Speaking of, that man is a hero of mine... Stephen, if you're reading this: hey! ​

The theatre is a native tongue. Storytelling, looking under our everyday lives into what makes us matter to others, ourselves; the masks we wear to survive, thrive, dive; the ceremony of celebration and mourning and of all our moments between. In a world of communal diaspora, it is a necessary reminder of our humanity.

World history, and how it informs our stories today (especially through a geo- and cultural- political lens) really gets me going. Learning it, as well as teaching it. Teaching in general is a ton of fun. I'm a high-energy external processor, but there is something about teaching (specifically teaching storytelling)- experiencing others learn and hone skills- that slows me down and makes me enjoy the long-patience of the process. Their success is rewarding as a sharing of the joy.​

Also, I love the horror film genre. Not for the gore factor per se, although that can be fun, but really for it's story expectation-bending potential (think GET OUT...or now US and THE DESCENT). Personally, whenever I rewatch JAWS, I feel sorry for the shark. She was just protective and hungry. Granted, she knew where the best buffets were.​

Tom Cruise. So apparently we are the same REAL height. Crazy. And we both do our own stunts. Even crazier. 

I grew up in GA, so I will always have an affinity for milkshake-thick sweet tea and honey-glazed, stick-o-butter biscuits. But as a New Yorker, it's pretty hard to beat a fresh, hot (not toasted-that's tragic) Everything Bagel and Lox. 

I'm a football guy. I've been following the sad failures of my beloved bulldawgs and falcons since I was too short to ride the tea-cups at Disney World. With that in mind, I go back to film: SLEEPING BEAUTY might be my favorite classic (Silver Age) Disney film.​

Thank you for your interest in all this, by the way. I suppose finally, I'll refer back to Lewis. This has resonated with me from the moment I read it: "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival."