recent projects

Can't say much more besides the fact that this project is probably my favorite to date! Traveling for work is such a blessing and I feel so grateful to Luci & Mike for trusting me with this story and to the incredible director, team, and production company for taking the absolute best care of us. Let's see what happens with this project, so I can release some dramatic photos! For now, enjoy a shot from adventures during my time-off:

Originating the crazy, comedic role of the Believer was incredible. It reminded me of my first play in high school. My favorite aspect of comedy and character acting is the challenge of living truthfully within the clown-like circumstances. Playing characters of a totally different generation is so exciting because I find them so textured from life's experiences. Rehearsals with Greta and our family of actors was like getting to come home to family every week. I also ran vocal workshops with this cast, which has inspired my next Coach Lena venture in Barcelona! 

Diving into a performance class to amp up my chops for the camera with the incredible Luci Lenox and Mike Cater! This group is teeming with powerhouse female energy and I am here for it. You know that feeling when you are so inspired by the artists around you that you feel like you're going to explode? Yeah, that's where I'm at. I think it'll be the perfect juice for a new project...

Barcelona Montessori School now has a Coach Lena Class afterschool for ages 6-12 years old! This "All Things Theatre" class rotates between acting, voice, and movement exercises. Each end of course show is powered by the hard work, creativity, and joy of each student! So proud to be there teacher, PS. their favorite game is bus stop and it's hilarious. 

After over a year of stalling with visa problems, I am BACK and on board as an acting teacher! These kids are a dream to work with and directing them for their end of course show is a blast. So excited to have joined the family with Ian, Sarah, and the rest of the team!

Many thanks so Darwin Reina and his team at Love & Hope Film Festival Barcelona for hosting this incredible festival of artists! My first week living in Barcelona and volunteering at this festival made sure I was always active, watching tons of films, and becoming friends with the kindest filmmakers and artists from all over the world. Inspiring is an understatement. I couldn't think of a better way to get started in the city!

Wrapped my first sci-fi feature film as a supporting lead! I learned so much from working with Robert & Emi, as well as my cast mates, Andrea Tivadar & Samuel Allen. The crew was incredibly sweet and supportive. Filming in the Barcelona heat in the middle of summer is no joke, but the laughs made it all worth it. Honestly, it was just a beautiful way to return to Catalonia after fighting for my visa for 9 months! I feel extraordinarily lucky to have brought Hipster to life in this story. 

I was over the moon to be asked to return for Mrs. Hemmerich's audition segment. In this audition workshop, we practiced Frankensteining monologues, how to rock our slates, music tips for unified auditions, and a cold-read question recipe. This group of students is wildly perceptive and talented. I can't wait to see them blossom next year.

Invited to host 3 of my workshops: Laban, Theatre Abroad, and Improve/Movement basics was SO fun. These students are probably my favorite to date. I threw a bunch of new exercises and techniques their way and they ate it up. From creating their own scenes with Laban; to diving into Clown and Lecoq exercises; to Acting, Voice, and Movement basics--these students can do it all! Their craving to learn more made me smile.

This traveling Shakespeare in the Park rendition has been a blast and pushed me outside my comfort zone as an actor. Honoring Miranda's tenacity and spice, as one of the few female Shakespeare characters that challenge the men onstage, is thrilling. Her vulnerability is her strength and her openness is her light--thank you for teaching me that, Miranda. 

The highlight from this shoot was driving a Mercedes into an 'accident' and not having to pay a dime. All jokes aside, everyone had a great time on set and I loved the connections I made there! Those conversations made the day 

Besides getting to play the editor and chief of a renown art magazine, my favorite part of this production was being surrounded by incredibly kind artists. This film worked so cohesively because everyone treated each other with the utmost care and respect. I can't wait to work with these individuals again.

From coordinating camp schedules, to teaching scene study, to building a showcase, we had a jam-packed week at the Hippodrome! These kids (ages 7-15) were insanely creative and knew how to roll with the punches. After they created their own 3-6 minute scenes from scratch, we fleshed out their characters, blocking, and costumes . It was bittersweet when they claimed there wasn't enough rehearsal time together in the day!

Over the past month, these incredibly hardworking students were memorizing their Shakespeare monologues--I had the privilege of spicing them up. We went over how to be powerful in our slates, discussed the challenges of Shakespeare in general, and went to work on the theme: why is struggle important to experience in our monologues? And let me tell you, these students know how to fight for what they want. 

Everytime someone asks me why I act, I tell them because it makes me more human. Beyond just the stories, I'm asked to constantly exercise vulnerability, emotional intelligence, analysis skills and more to be a human. Being a fully-fledged human? Yeah, that's the hardest thing I've done. Read the whole article here. 

Joining one of my mentor's on their tour with this INCREDIBLE two-woman show! I am loving every second of it as I am wearing a few hats: administrator, researcher, outreach, and social media. This is more than a show--it's part of a movement. Two women. Twenty years. One conversation. Check out our Facebook and Instagram to see where we're heading next!

This show was a blast! I jumped in a week before opening to Understudy and perform Belle, Mrs. Cratchit, Solicitor, and Partier. It was the quickest experience, but such a thrill to work with such a talented, sweet group. The range of this track in doing some cartoon-like comedy as Solicitor, heartbreak with Belle, and fire with Mrs. Cratchit was exhilarating and challenging in the most rewarding way. I am featured in this review!

Over the course of 6 weeks, I hosted a Q&A about theatre abroad, facilitated and created voice workshops and Laban/movement workshop, and coached students for their upcoming Districts competition. It was all so exciting and the students were so lovely! It was amazing to inspire the next generation of artists. My favorite part was seeing their reactions during our exercises. 

This script is compiled of stories of Palestinian artists living under the occupation of Israel. Shedding light on the reality. We translated the original version from English to Catalan with the permission of the Freedom Theatre and staged the production at the Kursaal Theatre in Catalonia. The process of this show was sweat, blood, and tears with my co-director and dear friend, Cris Sorokin. I can't imagine having a better team for this show!

Culpable had its world premiere at the Kursaal as a mystery drama show created and directed by myself and the ladies above. It revolved around the overdose of Cris' brother and the girls trying to discover who was at fault for this event. Working in 3 different languages and with 6 creative minds was a process where we all learned how to give, take, and work as a team.

Revolta de Bruixes was directed by Jofre Borràs and assistant directed by Aina Cots at the Kursaal. This show was my second one in a foreign language (Catalan)! We also performed in two festivals around Catalonia, in front of a few thousand people--my favorite part was conveying drama in 2 languages and touching the audience even when there were parts they linguistically didn't even catch. The power of the truth is everything!

Taste of Theatre Abroad allowed participants to explore acting techniques, such as mask work and character development that would give aspiring thespians an exciting edge for their next American theatrical project. This workshop would dive into eclectic European theatre training specific to the Catalan region of Spain that highlights the performer's essence and imagination as an actor, while focusing on how to do less for a greater storytelling impact.

El Camp (The Country) by Martin Crimp was directed by Mar Casas Dire at the Kursaal. This was my first show in Catalan and it was such a thrill! The amount of nerves for this show made me feel like I was 14 again and performing in front of an audience for the first time. I started this process not even being able to read a sentence in Catalan...

I wrote and performed a one woman show about a ghost named Casper who just wanted to become friends with the family downstairs on Halloween. This interactive show is meant for young ESL audience members ages 5-16. They did an incredible job as well!

In this online poetry showcase, I collaborated with Rabbit Hole Television and performed an excerpt from my poetry book, 24 hours in YOU-topia, now available at Blurb, Apple bookstore, and Barnes and Noble!