What luck!
I belive art does not have to be completely escapist, but can be a source for change.
I recall being very young and enjoying the theatrical experience of going to the movies with family and/or friends, dreaming of the day I would see my name on the screen five feet long and luminous. I recall sitting in the back of the orchestra during grade school with Danny Kaufman, pretending to play the clarinet. I remember the day I got my first camera, and unfortunately, there are still tapes of my first few attempts at making short films with my sisters, cousins and friends. I remember the day I made the cut to become a part of the percussion section as some other students were given a trumpet or saxophone.
In high school, I began writing poetry and I continued playing percussion in marching band and pit orchestra for musicals (I even became a member of the D.C. area's only youth-run theatre company, Wildwood Summer Theatre, spending two summers in the pit with them). It was in undergrad that I started writing plays after seeing a group perform a two person scene. I said, I could do that, and I started doing just that. I also started playing drums in the blues-rock band, The Bonedaddies, as well as writing lyrics for our singer, Mike Armintrout. The Arm and I continued playing together even after graduation and when I joined the folk trio, Patchouli, Mike would join us whenever we were in town. The road was a great experience and for a year and a half, I got to travel everywhere east of the Mississippi. We recorded the album "Visions" in Pennsylvania at Mr. Small's Funhouse and spent a good portion of our off-time in the small town of Erwin, TN.
I left the band in Peoria and moved the Champaign/Urbana to work at the Canopy Club music venue while applying to graduate schools. A bunch of music projects occurred in Cham/bana such as Paradigm Shift, The Band of Make Believe, Private Recording, etc. It was writing plays though that had my utmost attention and when I got a call from Dr. Roger Gross at the University of Arkansas, I made the move to the Ozark mountains to spend three years in residency as a Razorback.
In the beauty of the Ozarks, I saw a dozen or more of my plays on their feet by the University as well as fellow artists in the city. I continued to play music with the pass out game, where I even took the stage singing and playing guitar along with sitting behind the set. As part of my master's program, I got to teach two classes in the development of drama and the theatre experience. I re-ignited by love for film here as well, shooting a few ill-fated shorts that will never be seen, as well as competing in a 24-film contest with Hero Status productions, writing and scoring the short "Synchronicity."
The city of Chicago called when I finsihed my MFA and I answered. Upon moving to Chi-town, I connected with the folks at LiveWire and began producing theater with the company, including writing adaptations of classics for their seasons. When the companies artistic mission shifted toward modern work, I began writing original pieces for the collective and soon stepped up as Resident Playwright and Executive Director. Along with the theatre work, my cousin Benjamin D. Bain and I started our own independent film production company, WCProductions. Since 2005, we have shot numerous short films, music videos, promos as well as creating the original comedy series "It's Madeline Long" with Chicago actress Madeline Long... And the beat goes on.
If it wasn't for art, I wouldn't be where I am today... And I love today.