Hello, Goodbye. One moment, lose yourself.

Hey everyone. I have something I'd like to tell you. But in true MischMash fashion, first I need to tell you an anecdote. Scroll down if you hate anecdotes.

Last night was Will Luera's birthday party. He held it at Improv Boston. I felt like everyone I know was there, even though that's not even a little true. But it felt that way. I couldn't walk a foot without hugging someone. The whole night was fantastic, but I wanted to tell you this:

A big group of us had formed on the main stage "dance floor." We were in a circle and someone brought Will into the middle of it. And we danced around him. In the shadows of the colored lights I saw my friends' faces all around me. Everyone was singing. Everyone was clapping. Everyone was smiling. I saw Laura in the circle. I thought about how far we've both come since we met so many years ago. We never could have forseen this new life. I saw many of the friends I've made in the past year. Just one year and I am so close with so many wonderful people. So many different lives that come together for the sake of making people laugh. And tonight, those people come together for the sake of celebrating a man who gives and gives of his own life to us.
I got very overwhelmed with emotion just then. Tears welled up in my eyes. I felt like my heart was about to explode. I caught Steph's eye and ran at her, and she wrapped her arms around me and I said, "take it all in, like John told us in Japan," and so we did.
And I have that moment. It's locked in.

Stop scrolling here!

I have been asked to perform with Improv Asylum's mainstage cast and I am going to. Anyone relatively close to me will know it was a difficult decision for me. Anyone very close to me can tell you it has been ripping me in half.

When I moved here I was already in production at IA in the NXT cast. Steph Jones and I were driving to Boston once a week for late night rehearsals. The rehearsals got more frequent once we moved here. We both stayed on seasonally even after we had auditioned and gotten spots in Theatersports at Improv Boston. I stayed because working at IA and working at IB fill two different needs within me. And both communities have been wonderful to be a part of.
Improv Boston, however, has truly become my home. My family. My world.

The best thing about families is that you never really leave them. And so although I will obviously not be performing at Improv Boston while I am a mainstage cast member at Improv Asylum, I do not want to think of myself as "leaving," Improv Boston.
The other great thing about families is that they expand. And I can not wait to embrace the connections and friends as well as the challenges and learning that await me at Improv Aslyum.

I stressed to Will in our meeting this week that this is a move I need and want for myself professionally and personally right now. Will understood completely, and even helped me to come up with a career plan for the next year or so based on what I told him about my goals. "My job is to run Improv Boston," he said hugging me, "but as Artistic Director it's just as important that I help each performer who comes in here to figure out their own plan."

I've never been much for plans. But at least I'm making choices. And that keeps me in motion.

Anyway. To all of Improv Boston, Friday Night Face Off, and especially Will: thank you for an amazing time. And here's to many more amazing times ahead of us, because this isn't a real goodbye anyway. It's more of a "see you soon."

After all. Three Hole Punch has a hump night slot at Improv Boston all this month. So you can't get rid of me THAT quickly!