In 1989, after having attended LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), I was in Los Angeles and aching to do some theatre. I auditioned for As You Like It for a new company called Shakespeare Festival/LA [now The Shakespeare Center]. They put on free Shakespeare in plazas and outdoor venues around the city. I was thrilled to get the role of Celia and to finally be a member of Actors' Equity. What is so wonderful is that I became friends with Ben Donenberg, the heart and soul behind the Shakespeare Festival/LA. For 16 years now we have done a fundraiser, which is a celebrity reading of Shakespeare comedy, that allows Ben to fund the program, which teaches Shakespeare in schools (called Will Power to Youth), and enables free Shakespeare productions to continue in L.A. I am thankful and proud to be a member of Actors' Equity.
