It all started on Miramar Blvd. I grew up across the street and one block over from Wiley Youth Theatre, at that time run by the infamous Jerry Leonard. This theatre is still a vibrant performing arts training program for young actors. Every year there is a full season of beautiful children's plays. Inspired by them and my own instincts as an artist, I began writing plays at the age of six, and my best friend, Melanie, and I began the Miramar Colony Theatre. Having an identity crisis, I wrote, directed, produced, and starred myself in all of their productions, beginning with "Christina's Broken Back" and "The Broken Elevator". I guess I was obsessed with broken themes. Melanie and I held our productions in her basement, and we marketed the plays, had full houses, collected fees for performance and donated the proceeds to charitable causes. It was a highly successful neighborhood theatre. I worked a lot in my off-seasons at the Wiley Youth Theatre, where I got my earliest and most influential training. From there I moved on to being in community theatre, till I reached high school, and became the diva thespian leading lady at Brush High School.

By then I wanted to branch out, and knew that I wanted to help people. I landed myself right in the middle of a rigorous and thrilling speech pathology program at Cleveland State University, where I got my master's degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude. This was a thrill to my family, because I am the only member of my family to ever have gone to college. They were so proud. Everywhere I worked as a speech pathologist, I incorporated my drama skills. Therapy was electric. I decided to complete my higher education in performing arts, just for the love of it. This led me to the Phoenix Theatre Conservatory, under the fine tutelage of Thomas Q. Fulton and Carol Weiss. I studied there for seven years. This is where I received training that sealed my fate as a performer and coach. Tom was trained at SUNY Purchase under Joan Potter, and Carol had trained under Lee Stasburg himself. My training was The Actor's Studio, all the way. I now understand the art more deeply than ever, and I take great pride in performing and teaching acting and its related areas. There I learned to honor the human experience by finding its truth and performing it poetically for all to be entertained, educated, and comforted.

So now I consider myself dually diagnosed as both speech pathologist and professional performing artist and coach. It keeps me very busy and highly stimulated. I can still say that I love the professional choices I made in my career. And that brings me to my very unique practice, Ellen's speech pathology practice and performing arts studio. Come visit. You too may fall in love.