Because I’ve talked about New York a lot, I’m going to focus on something Atlanta-related. I was a bit of a mess when I moved to Atlanta. And by mess, I mean I felt pretty empty. As I’ve said before, leaving New York was really difficult and never part of the plan once I lived there. I felt invigorated the moment I got to that big nutso city. But getting through the height of the pandemic, saying goodbye to several good friends, the acting world still being pretty shutdown, and my finances even tighter than before, all made for an exhausted, very sad and lonely, me. When I moved to Atlanta, a couple of friends (former NYCers) recommended an acting class to check out. Malik J. Ali’s classes, called Acts of Freedom, was the first acting class I took in town. It was an 8-week intensive and you worked on plays - well written ones. I was assigned a partner who is such a lovely and committed human being, named Cedric. He played football in college and his kindness is as massive as his stature. Cedric and I were paired together to work on a scene from a play, called Detroit 67, by Dominique Morisseau. Our commitment level to the work matched and we met every Saturday, for a few hours, to rehearse during that 8-week span. Part of my gratitude is linked to the fact that his wife was so generous with their time. Because Cedric was working a normal day job, Saturdays were time they could be spending together. So if you’re reading this, thank you Daija.

As the weeks passed, and we worked more on the material in and out of class, it felt good and I trusted Cedric big time. It was a relief to have that routine. What’s nice about Malik’s intensives is that he offers a showcase (performance) at the end for anyone who wants to come see our work. I didn’t get that in New York, so it was awesome to have my roommate there and hear her thoughts, along with a bunch of other people I didn’t know.

Malik challenged me as an actor, in a gentle, thoughtful way. I needed that more than he probably realized. Cedric and I opened the night and four groups followed. I am very proud of what Cedric and I brought to life in the Detroit 67 scene that night. I’m grateful for God’s provision. I see that over and over again in my life. I had an impactful experience with a group of Atlanta actors who I didn’t know before I started - What a gift!