Like a garden in a rain shower, Lisa Cryderman is watered by the energy she gets from performing.
"When I'm not performing, I feel dry," she says. "I need it."
An elementary music educator, Lisa's musical roots go back to church music, playing flute in school, discovering musical theater in high school, and - further back - her parents.
Something inside her came alive when she got the main part in her high school spring musical, Oklahoma.
"I got the fever," Lisa says.
She loved the teamwork of putting on a show, and liked the idea of having a leadership position in a musical. Now she directs shows and cabarets for Center Stage Jackson, our local community theatre group.
"I took my leadership lessons from being a part of the cast, seeing how directing works," Lisa says. "You learn from your directors. I learned by watching."
Aside from her directing duties, Lisa gets a bit of electricity from being in front of an audience.
"In a show, I get to explore other people's worlds," she says. "I can be someone else, and put away any insecurities."