DJ Q&A

MW: I grew up in Foster City, started performing at Bowditch Middle School in sixth grade, and never looked back. I fell in love with musical theater thanks to my fantastic drama teachers Virginia Musante and Brad Friedman. When I was at San Mateo High School, Brad cast me as Winthrop in The Music Man and it really encouraged me to go after any role. After college at the University of Arizona, I lived in Los Angeles and New York City and now I’m back in Foster City.

DJ: How did you come to work at a vaccination clinic?

MW: My work at the vaccination clinic was easily the most important job that I’ve had in a lifetime of “survival jobs.” When I’m not performing, I supplement my income with event work, catering, brand ambassador work and retail. One of the event companies pivoted to providing administrative assistance to a company doing COVID testing. In November of 2020 I moved to the San Mateo County Event Center (SMCEC) and became part of the testing team. In January 2021 we started providing vaccines for San Mateo County and I became an administrative supervisor.

DJ: What was it like to work at a vaccination clinic?

MW: A typical day at the clinic would start at 7 a.m. I would get my roster for the day, take roll and then train new volunteers and staff. I assigned lanes and made sure everyone had all the items they needed. The clinic started at 9 a.m. and I would be responsible for troubleshooting and giving breaks and lunches. In the early days we would work 10-13 hours a day to get all the shots we could into patients’ arms. I would average 20,000 steps a day walking around the event center. By the end of our run at the SMCEC we had over 100 employees. In the later months, we had clinics on four floors of the long-term parking garage at SFO and mobile clinics all over San Mateo County. It was a well-oiled machine. Lieutenant Ken Clayton of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office was the mastermind behind the whole operation and built the structure that we followed for the year. Trish Erwin was our San Mateo County Health officer, making sure eligibility was always met and that we didn’t waste vaccines. Working with the public in an intimate way when we were all isolating as much as possible was very rewarding.

DJ: Anything unexpected happen during your clinic work?

MW: One day at SFO we miscounted and pulled more vaccines than we had appointments. At the end of the day, we were flagging people down who were driving by in order not to waste any doses. The people of San Mateo County were and are so thankful for the work we did. I was so grateful to be a part of it.

DJ: How did the TheatreWorks “family” stay in touch during lockdown?

MW: I did two Zoom readings of new works for TheatreWorks during lockdown. It was so nice to be able to act during that time and for TheatreWorks to think of me. Nothing compares to actually being in the room with other humans and feeling the energy though. I have missed it terribly.

DJ: Share a bit about the TheatreWorks musical production of Sense and Sensibility and your role as Fanny Dashwood.

MW: Director Paul Gordon finds the humor in Jane Austen’s elevated language and the songs are absolutely gorgeous. And you know you’re going to get a beautiful-looking production with Robert Kelley directing. My character is a little out of my wheelhouse and I love it. I usually play the ingenue or funny leading lady. Fanny Dashwood is definitely out for herself. She does everything she thinks she needs to do to maintain her status quo. I have never really played a nasty character before and it’s fun!

ABOUT THE SHOW: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents the Regional Premiere of the musical Sense and Sensibility from March 12 to April 3 at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Based on the Jane Austen novel, “Sense and Sensibility” follows sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood through their abrupt change in fortune after their father’s untimely death and their ensuing romantic trials. For schedule and ticket information and COVID protocols visit theatreworks.org or call (877) 662-8978.

Susan Cohn is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and the American Theatre Critics Association. She may be reached at susan@smdailyjournal.com.