You stand in a covered entry way and press a button. A man across the street is yelling curses, but you know he’ll stay a silhouette in his usual doorway, too drunk to act on his threats. Through the intercom you’re asked your name, and when you open your mouth to answer, a strong wave...

On a typical day at my local gym, a toddler, hair still wet from swim lessons, will stand defiantly and block your way through the front door. A new mom might sweats through three sets of walking lunges in the hallway, and a friendly senior citizen can be heard calling out “Howdy!” On a recent Saturday,...

My production of the musical Annie in an elementary school involved 67 students, 18 parents, backdrops flown in from New York, and one poodle. My off-the-cuff reading of a Christmas play in a homeless shelter involved one scarf, several women, and a teddy bear with one eye. At the women’s shelter...