“Performance art is my medium. I can’t play an instrument. I don’t sing anymore, though I’ve been in a lot of musicals and plays over the years. I really enjoy improv and just performance and performance art. I’ve really embraced, like, odd and weird things the past couple of years. Things that are ‘one time’: You have to be a part of that experience as an audience member, and you’ll never see anything like it again. That’s what I enjoy. It’s kind of hard during COVID, of course.
It’s been a joy to appreciate the fact that I can improvise with people all over the globe. I’ve played in a show in the UK, I’ve played in Chicago, I’ve played in Austin, Texas – and I haven’t left my house.
For improv, specifically GoProv, I’ve always talked about ensemble. There are specific performers that I’m most proud of. Alex Kilmer and Dreagon Moss: They were freshmen in high school, maybe in eighth grade, when they came to a camp. Dreagon spent a couple years doing workshops with us. Alex played with us through parts of his college career. More so than any personal accomplishments, I’m proud of the fact that we’ve built something that is a true ensemble for the community and of the community.
From the artist side of things in Goshen, I think it’s been wonderful to collaborate and to have support from other artists. I can reach out to Scott Lehman or Anna p.s. and say, ‘Hey, we want to collaborate,’ and get a yes if they’re available. From an audience standpoint, I think it’s hard to draw from outside our community, and the folks in our community have had so many options that we couldn’t necessarily sell out shows. We just don’t have the population to fill each of the venues. However, the shows we were doing were rewarding.”
