My first professional live stage credit was at the age of 8 and I’ve been a pro ever since.When Canada’s Shaw Festival presented “A Christmas Carol” at the Young People’s Theatre in Toronto, I was lucky enough to be one of the child actors in the cast. That theatre bug led to other professional productions on the stage, training at Interlochen Arts Camp, and eventually a scholarship to the University of Michigan in Musical Theatre. I delayed my first year of university when I was cast in the pre-Broadway production of “Show Boat” directed by the legendary Hal Prince and choreographed by Susan Stroman.Ironically, that experience didn’t cement the acting bug, but opened my eyes to the larger theatre industry. I realized I loved creating art and a home for artists more than a life upon the stage.It was after two years in New York that I discovered Columbia had an MFA in Theatre Management and Producing. I entered that program wanting to learn the business of theatre. With my previous experience and this new knowledge, my goal was to learn the two languages necessary to be a leader in the field: artistic and financial. After all, this is “show business”. The “show” come first, but it can’t happen without a good “business” model.During my time at Columbia, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the producer who has produced more Pulitzer-prize winning plays than anyone else: Daryl Roth. My internship with her lead to an offer to run her prestigious Off-Broadway venue. I chose that opportunity over an offer to be the Assistant Director on the Broadway production of “Dance of Death”, starring Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren. And it was the right choice.In the business of theatre, where fame and applause are often valued more than the art itself, how does one tell the story of a career where Broadway was not the goal, but part of a wholistic appreciation of the theatre industry? It starts with the belief that great art isn’t always about the most tickets sold. Or the best artists aren’t always the ones with the most awards. Taking risks to achieve great heights means lots of stumbles and falls along the way. And I am the champion of those artists and producers. I am a believer in their dreams. Some will succeed and some will fall, but I will support them all just the same. Sometimes with tough love and sometimes as the first to applaud their work.That’s who I am, what I want our industry to be, and the colleagues with whom I want to surround myself.