It's been several months since we wrapped on Around the Bay and it remains an experience that enriched my life as well as challenged my abilities as an actress.

I've been acting in some way, shape or form since I was 2. I majored in Theatre Performance in school and learned the "tools" I needed to be able to challenge myself and take my performances to new levels. But it always amazes me how much more I can learn on every project I am a part of. Around The Bay challenged every facet of how I approach a character.

First of all, we were shooting without a script. I love improv and I always have. There's something so exciting about not knowing what comes next and it truly makes you listen to your fellow actors...listen and react honestly and truthfully. It wasn't like we were shooting blind, Alex would give the structure of the scene that we were shooting that weekend on Wednesday, often with suggested dialogue and always plenty of information to give you a clear idea what he was hoping for in the scene. The challenging part for me was that we did not shoot these scenes in sequence...and since there was no script, it was nearly impossible for me to create my "road map" of Noreen's life and how these different circumstances colored each encounter, each experience. At times I've likened it to acting in a vacuum, but when I truly think about it, I realize that it forced me to look at my creation of Noreen in a very pure and very honest manner. Living each moment in the moment--being true to the feelings that each interaction brought to the surface and letting those feelings show through in their purest form. I truly believe that this living in the moment of each scene enhanced my skills as an actress.

I don't think that I could have come out of this type of filming with such a positive experience if it hadn't been for my fellow actors giving me as much as they did. Everyone who I had the honor of working with gave me so much; from inspiration within the moment from my fellow actors, to perfect guidance from Alex. All in all Around the Bay was such a wonderful experience and allowed me to find a new side of myself as an actress.