I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey...
Lori was born on July 20, 1987 in Birmingham, AL. Soon after, she moved to Chattanooga, TN. Her mom tells stories of how she used to stand on the hearth of the fireplace and act out movies or television shows that she'd seen just hours before. Her mom knew all along that Lori find my way into the theatre and fall in love.
When Lori was in the 2nd grade, she made a move back to Birmingham, AL. She really loved school, especially art. Her grandmother was an artist so it didn't come as a big surprise when she would sit at home in her room with a set of paints or colored pencils and a sketchbook on her lap. She never did anything that was worthy of a frame, though her mom framed them anyway, but it was her creative outlet at the time.
Lori started dancing when she was 9. She had taken baby ballet and jazz when she was in Tennessee, but this was different. She tried every single type of dance she possibly could and fell in love with it all. She started dancing every day after school. Lori joined the Birmingham Dance Theatre Company when she was 11. She spent the next few years traveling around to different dance competitions and conventions, winning numerous titles along with her teammates. However, nothing could be the experience she gained from being on the stage.
When she got into high school, Lori joined the cheerleading squad. She had always loved doing gymnastics and tumbling, so it was right up her alley: a mix of gymnastics and dance and yelling (Lori still loves to talk!). This was also when she truly discovered the world of theatre. A friend of hers decided to audition for the school play and Lori decided to tag along. She has no idea how her actual audition turned out because the drama teacher changed before the cast was decided and she didn't go back to reaudition, but Lori realized that it was something so wanted to look into. Her sophomore year, she signed up the drama class and was cast in her first show. She thought it was the best feeling in the world to put on a costume, become a completely different person, and entertain an entire room full of people. Lori fell in love with it immediately. However, her high school theatre career quickly ended when she was forced to make a choice between the stage and the cheerleading mat.
When she started looking into colleges, Lori knew she was going to major in theatre, so she met up with the drama teacher at her high school and got his opinion on which colleges could be good options for her. He said that without a doubt it had to be Birmingham-Southern College, so she applied. She recalls that she was less experienced in theatre than everyone else in her class, and her first audition was hard, but she got through it and definitely learned from all of the trial and errors that happened. Lori became more confident with each audition and class she took, and by her senior year, she landed an apprenticeship at Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina. It was the best thing that could have happened to her. The apprenticeship taught her how to work in a professional setting, as well as figure out what her real acting style was.
Lori is now a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and currently working as a dance teacher at a small competitive studio in Mountain Brook, AL. She hasn't given up on her dreams to be on stage yet, though. She continues to audition around Birmingham and travels to New York every so often. Most recently she has been cast in the Birmingham Children's Theatre's production of "Beauty and the Beast" which toured throughout the southeast and closed in early May 2011. She continues to audition and teach dance in Birmingham and hopes that she can inspire young girls to take part in the arts.
Lori was born on July 20, 1987 in Birmingham, AL. Soon after, she moved to Chattanooga, TN. Her mom tells stories of how she used to stand on the hearth of the fireplace and act out movies or television shows that she'd seen just hours before. Her mom knew all along that Lori find my way into the theatre and fall in love.
When Lori was in the 2nd grade, she made a move back to Birmingham, AL. She really loved school, especially art. Her grandmother was an artist so it didn't come as a big surprise when she would sit at home in her room with a set of paints or colored pencils and a sketchbook on her lap. She never did anything that was worthy of a frame, though her mom framed them anyway, but it was her creative outlet at the time.
Lori started dancing when she was 9. She had taken baby ballet and jazz when she was in Tennessee, but this was different. She tried every single type of dance she possibly could and fell in love with it all. She started dancing every day after school. Lori joined the Birmingham Dance Theatre Company when she was 11. She spent the next few years traveling around to different dance competitions and conventions, winning numerous titles along with her teammates. However, nothing could be the experience she gained from being on the stage.
When she got into high school, Lori joined the cheerleading squad. She had always loved doing gymnastics and tumbling, so it was right up her alley: a mix of gymnastics and dance and yelling (Lori still loves to talk!). This was also when she truly discovered the world of theatre. A friend of hers decided to audition for the school play and Lori decided to tag along. She has no idea how her actual audition turned out because the drama teacher changed before the cast was decided and she didn't go back to reaudition, but Lori realized that it was something so wanted to look into. Her sophomore year, she signed up the drama class and was cast in her first show. She thought it was the best feeling in the world to put on a costume, become a completely different person, and entertain an entire room full of people. Lori fell in love with it immediately. However, her high school theatre career quickly ended when she was forced to make a choice between the stage and the cheerleading mat.
When she started looking into colleges, Lori knew she was going to major in theatre, so she met up with the drama teacher at her high school and got his opinion on which colleges could be good options for her. He said that without a doubt it had to be Birmingham-Southern College, so she applied. She recalls that she was less experienced in theatre than everyone else in her class, and her first audition was hard, but she got through it and definitely learned from all of the trial and errors that happened. Lori became more confident with each audition and class she took, and by her senior year, she landed an apprenticeship at Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina. It was the best thing that could have happened to her. The apprenticeship taught her how to work in a professional setting, as well as figure out what her real acting style was.
Lori is now a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and currently working as a dance teacher at a small competitive studio in Mountain Brook, AL. She hasn't given up on her dreams to be on stage yet, though. She continues to audition around Birmingham and travels to New York every so often. Most recently she has been cast in the Birmingham Children's Theatre's production of "Beauty and the Beast" which toured throughout the southeast and closed in early May 2011. She continues to audition and teach dance in Birmingham and hopes that she can inspire young girls to take part in the arts.
