I obsessively listened to all of James Lapine's shows as a child growing up in Cleveland and had every cast recording and every VHS tape of 'Into the Woods' and everything that James had done that I could get my hands on.

Pub life was such a huge part of growing up for me, going to pubs and being around them. It made me who I am today.

Growing up in bars might sound like child abuse. And if it does, then you're what my mom would call 'Protestants.'

I spent a lot of my time, growing up, at the Beck Center. I'd be in plays there, and I'd get there an hour or two early just so I could be there, where I felt safe and where I belonged. And that's such an important feeling to have as a young kid. The theater community, and especially the Beck Center, really embraced me and got me started.

What I learned is that it's very hard to have both a family life and a touring life simultaneously.

In my plays I want to look at life - at the commonplace of existence-as if we had just turned a corner and run into it for the first time.

In truth, 2007 was the hardest year of my life. I lost my best friend. I lost my father.

My mother and father were partisan national heroes: I learned sacrifice and discipline from them and that a private life is not as important as the message you want to leave.