I was a student at Castleton from 1976 to1981 and graduated with a double major in theatre arts and English. These were some of the best years of my life. Castleton did a lot to help form the person I was to become.

My theatre professor and director was Byron “Skip” Avery. He was undoubtedly the toughest teacher I have ever had to work with – but he also taught me the most. He taught me how to work hard and not give up on my dreams – but he also taught me discipline.

This discipline is something that I have applied to every aspect of my life – whether on stage or on the work front, I am always 100 percent committed to the task at hand. He taught me to be a professional in every sense of the word and helped me to become the director I am today.

My fellow thespians always said “if you can survive Skip you can survive anyone,” and I guess that’s true. He was hard – even brutal at times – but when you walked away from there you knew your stuff.

From Castleton I spent some time studying abroad. I studied acting and voice at the Weber Douglas Academy in London, and acting at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. I have spent 20 years as an opera and choral singer, and have spent countless summers working as the drama coach for Diva International, a performing arts camp for kids run by Madame Dee Tigue.

For the past 12 years, I have served as the drama director for Long Trail School in Dorset. My husband, Dave, is an art teacher and technical theatre instructor there as well. Together we have worked hard to build what has become an award winning drama program, and are excited to be taking our students to perform for the second time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland next summer.

Dave and I are currently serving as co-vice-presidents of the Vermont Drama Council and are the Vermont representatives to the New England Drama Council as well.

To sum this up, I have to say I am grateful for my time at Castleton Stage College. It made me who I am today. CSC is an incredible place to learn and grow and will always be very special to me. It gave me the education and environment I needed to spread my wings and fly. I miss it to this day!