Eddie was raised as a live-in innkeeper at the bed and breakfast his mother owned and operated on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. By starting his life in the hospitality industry, he has become acutely aware of how powerful setting a scene can be, how therapeutic it can be to both escape into and engage with unique places, and how helpful conversation and listening can be for ensuring everyone enjoys their stay either on vacation, during the show, or the classroom.
Since leaving home at the age of 14 to study at Northfield Mount Hermon School, he has gone on to devote himself to a passionate exploration of arts, stories, and ideas. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Studies from Ithaca College and an MFA in Directing from The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University, as well as over two-dozen academic and professional theatre credits.
In between projects, Eddie has divided his time by working as a taxi driver on Nantucket Island. This experience was formative in invigorating his theatre-work with empathy, curiosity, and a deep connection to community both amongst the audience and within the cast and company. Also, having experience of cordially wrangling drunks while safely operating a moving car has developed his ability to remain calm under pressure, with safety and tact… and without losing his sense of humor!
Eddie is also the survivor of 3 open-heart surgeries to correct a lifelong congenital heart defect. This reckoning with mortality has instilled perseverance and patience into his theatre work…along with a generous helping of absurdism, surrealism, humor, and poetry! Painted Shadows (click here for video) is his first composition inspired by his experience with heart disease.
In his free time, Eddie is an avid cook! He often uses food/cooking metaphors in rehearsal and when discussing the process of theatre-making. To Eddie, theatre should be like a well cooked meal:
Safe & Efficient: No injury to cooks in the kitchen and no illness to the diners, and served after a reasonable prep and wait time.
Beautiful: Plating is important. Safe and carefully cultivated ingredients are important. Detailed preparation is important. And experimenting with the design of the plating is important.
Experimental: Any combination of ingredients can be brilliant if we season to taste, and most ideas are worth tasting even if they don’t make it to the plate.
Delicious & Miraculous: The first bite, like entering the theatre-space, should be immediately engaging. The end should be incredible and curious enough to leave us full and content, yet hungry for more.