I first met Rachael Warren at the Williamstown Theatre Festival way back in 1997 when we were both young artists emerging from school & onto the professional scene.  I was immediately captivated by her voice & her commanding stage presence.  She's one of those singers who sings with their full being.  Her vocal technique & instrument were both incredible, but even more than that she was one of the most captivating singers I had ever encountered.  She seemed to live & breathe the story of any song she sang in ways that you couldn't pull your eyes or ears away from.  It was no surprise to watch her career unfold over the years & see that she performs the same way in whatever she does.  Whatever the role, be it a straight play or a musical, she's a performer who loses herself so completely in the role, you don't see the performance or the actress--you just see the character.

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I've had the pleasure of working with her a few times since Williamstown, & more recently the distinct pleasure of watching her work in the classroom.  She attacks teaching with the same full-out spirit with which she performs.  She brings to the table a vast array of real world experience, intellect, technique, critical thinking, passion & humor.  So I see her students get captivated & inspired by her spirit & her teaching--just as I was captivated & inspired by her when we first met. Watching her ignite that same spirit in others is incredibly special, & to me is at the heart of exactly what theatre is about: the power to move people.  Just as she moves audiences, she moves her students & inspires the same spark in them.