A Brief history of me...
In one simple statement, I'm a Non-Binary actor currently based in Chicago.
My pronouns are Ze/Hir/Hirs/Hirself.
What? Pronouns? What's a Ze?
Well, I'm glad you asked. Let's begin with an explanation of what "pronouns" mean, and then I'll explain how to use my pronouns.
Pronouns are a way of addressing someone with respect to their gender identity. If you identify as a man, someone talking about you would say "I like Carl because he is spunky". Someone talking about me would say "I like David because ze is spunkier than Carl".
Want to know more? Check out This Website. It's got lots of information and a large list of different pronouns.
But David, I'm not really sure how to use your pronouns, can you use them in a sentence?
You bet I can...
David is a huge Harry Potter fan. Ze likely knows more about it than you do; don't try to fight hir on that. Hir favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban (which is also undoubtedly the best movie). This being said, other favorites of hirs would be Deathly Hallows (obvi), or... well... it cycles between all of them because ze reads the books over and over and is not ashamed of hirself for this.
See? Not so hard.
A Little History
I grew up in Marblehead, MA, a town a bit too bougie for my liking; it's one of those places with seven yacht clubs and where not owning a sailboat will get you exiled. In a state that's always voted blue, it's the pocket that votes red... Growing up, I only knew cisgendered, straight, white, upper class people. While this was a particularly sheltered community, I can't complain at all about my childhood. My dad, David jr. (I'm David III), was an extremely talented orthopedic surgeon, and while he wasn't busy saving lives, he was hard at work teaching my sister, Danielle, and I the beauty of manual labor.
A Life Filled with Harry Potter
Throughout my life I've had many obsessions, most of which pale in comparison to my adoration for Harry Potter. Ever since I started reading in kindergarten, I've never put those books down. My best friend growing up (and to this day) and her family shared my excessive obsession with the Boy who Lived, and together we've been to the midnight book releases, every midnight movie premier, and even travelled to England for the last movie's release. Call us crazy, but the Glynns and I have been to Harry Potter World in Florida three times. (And then I've been twice with my own fam.
The Spawning of an Actor
I've been acting since I was in Pre-K. In my very first play I was a cow alongside my best friend Emma, which is actually how we met (thank you theater gods). After that stunning performance, my parents knew I was born to be a star, and they signed me up for a Shakespeare summer camp, which I attended for ten years starting at six years old. Every summer I learned more about the strength of the theater community and the insanely gripping qualities of Shakespeare's text. In high school, when I wasn't running cross country, I wrote and acted in a short play festival that took place once a year, and performed in a production of Waiting for Godot (little did I know, that would begin my academic career as a Beckett scholar).
The Land of France
For my middle and high school days, I attended a french bilingual school called the Waring School. Along with the french immersion aspect, this school was tiny. There were only 26 students in my class for all seven years. A few times throughout of years there, the school brought us to France both to attend school there and to experience the country we'd spent so much time talking about. My first venture to France was to spend a semester attending a high school in Angers in ninth grade. I lived with a host family who brought me around the northern parts of France, like Normandy and Versailles. Then, two years later, I returned to France during the period of my life when I hoped to become a baker or chef. During this time I apprenticed under a baker at a popular bakery, Olivero Ravel, in Provence. After this, I shipped over to Bordeaux, where I apprenticed at the Michelin star restaurant, Darroze. Needless to say, during my ventures to France, I certainly picked up a few tricks along the way.
A Few Years Back
After high school, I attended the University of Chicago, with the hopes of becoming an astrophysicist (space is cool and all, but I'm not really sure what I was thinking back then). Two years into getting my degree at Uchicago, while I was in a production of Endgame (the return of Beckett into my life), I realized that I spent far more time focussing on the shows I was in than I did on anything to do with my academics. This was the point that I realized I needed to sort out my priorities. Soon after, I met Audrey Francis, the Co-owner of Black Box Acting, who suggested that I audition for the five-month acting conservatory called the Academy at Black Box. After being accepted to the conservatory, I studied Meisner and Viewpoints techniques from amazing coaches alongside 17 talented actors. During the Academy, our ensemble grew extremely close and found that we worked well together and helped inspire each other as artists; these feelings resulted in the formation of our theater company Chimera Ensemble.
Nowadays
Currently I'm an active ensemble member with Trap Door Theatre and Chimera Ensemble, and am auditioning all around Chicago. Along with looking for acting gigs, I'm taking all kinds of acting classes around the city and trying to see at least one play a week (any suggestions?) I'm always looking for new opportunities to collaborate and learn from other artists, and hope to continue learning more about performing throughout my life as an actor.