I initially told people I wanted to be a dancer and ultimately a "Rockette." I didn't really know what a musical theatre performer was other than the Shirley Temple type.

There are definite vocal trends for every generation as well as accents and I'm not talking about regionalisms.

Think of every audition as a chance to perform and you will have fun doing it.

I was use to wearing things that accentuated and flattered my bust and waist (just shakin' what my mama gave me) and definitely not my thighs.

Try not be resentful or jealous of other people's success. Know that your path as a performer is going to be very different than others. Try your best not to compare.

I hardly ever belted; I was a soprano and a comedienne and intended on doing mostly soprano legit roles but my first equity show, to my surprise, was Blues in The Night at The Cleveland Playhouse.

My advice to aspiring performers is trust your instincts, 9 times out of 10 they are perfect.

When you don't get a role, it wasn't meant to be.

My favorite thing to do is transform. The further the character is away from me the more I enjoy it.

I love performing in a good straight play as well and I'm a crossover actor, I crossover from plays to musicals, musicals to plays. This is very difficult for performers.

I think any good singer needs to be a good actor. You have to be able to tell the story.

A conservative believes nothing should be done for the first time.

Holiness has nothing to do with what we know and everything to do with Who we know.

Usually, ordinary histories don't get the emotional feel of a period. That's what a novel can do.

NHPrimary Trivia: The Republican candidates have not spoken to a black person since Herman Cain dropped out.

A bear remains a bear - even when most of him has fallen off or worn away.

Only one enemy is worse than despair: indifference. In every area of human creativity, indifference is the enemy; indifference of evil is worse than evil, because it is also sterile.

I like to write about certain things that if they are not written about are not going to exist.

Do it or don't do it but get on with it.

I always thought that writing poetry was in itself a political act.

Most people think that animals are third-class citizens. Very few people really see animals as "the others" with whom we inhabit this planet. They have equal rights with us.