Prior to academia, she was a professional actress and singer in New York. She appeared as Emma Goldman in the Broadway national tour of "Ragtime," as Nimue in the Richard Harris tour of "Camelot," and at regional theaters across the U.S. in leading roles such as Mama Rose in "Gypsy," Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd" and the Earth Mother in "Menopause The Musical." She is the author of "Acting the Song" and "The Student Companion to Acting the Song," as well as articles in Teaching Theatre, Dramatics, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, Methods: A Journal of Acting Pedagogy, and Teaching Artist Journal.