Occupation: I am a theater educator; I'm an actor, director, playwright, and, most importantly, educator. I have a company, InnerAct Theatre, LLC, based in Sandy Hook. I travel to schools all over Connecticut and even the tri-state area, teaching theater arts integration for K-12 public or private schools. Whatever is being taught in the classroom, I use theater exercises and improvisation games to enhance it. It is all hands-on. I use whatever is in the classroom. It's done parallel with the classroom teacher. It's a lot of fun. I absolutely love it. What's cool, too, is it's not just K-12. I also work with adults doing small corporate events; I've worked with law firms and teachers.

I worked at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, and I was in the education department. I went to graduate school out there. Then we moved back to Connecticut, where I worked at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. From there I worked at Hartford Stage. Then I started adjunct [teaching] at Western Connecticut State University.

Family: I met my wife, Katie, in college at WCSU. She was a theater scenic designer and I was performance major. She is now a professional graphic designer. We have been together since 2007. We have a daughter Cora, she's 3½. We also have another girl on the way due mid-January.

Hobbies: Golf. It's an expensive hobby. I also love cars, but I don't know how to work on them. I like just relaxing too, because my schedule is so hectic - in a good way. I like to just chill with the family. It is good to just unwind. Now that we are homeowners - we rented for almost a decade- it is nice to go home sit out on the front lawn.

How long have you been in Newtown? Since March of 2016. We put an offer on the house in Sandy Hook, and we had the house the next week. When Katie and I were looking for houses, we always knew - even when we were in Minnesota for three years - that we were not going to stay in the Midwest. We loved it, and Minneapolis is an awesome city, but I didn't want to deal with 40 below [weather], and also it was far away. My wife's family is from Naugatuck and my whole family is from Danbury; so, I was in this area all the time. We liked the Newtown area.

What do you like to do in your free time? I am a playwright. I have a writing partner, too, Matt Austin; we went to high school and college together. We write children's plays, as well as comedies. We get them produced in places like New Britain Youth Theater.

Do you have a favorite book? I love biographies. I could be reading something on Ben Franklin and Clint Eastwood, then I'll look up something on P.T. Barnum. I am all about biographies.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? Hilton Head [Island], South Carolina. My uncle has a house there right on the island. It's just a very relaxed, small, not very commercialized place to go. We drive it - it's 14½ hours.

What's the best thing about Newtown? The community. Everyone is just really nice. You don't feel condensed or on top of one another, but you're also not in the boonies. Plus the school systems were a big catch, we wanted a strong school system for our kids. I had a great meeting with Superintendent Erardi and the excitement and joy that he brings to it. You don't get that a lot.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My wife Katie. She has been the driving force. Everything that we have done has been parallel. It has been her and I together. It has really been a great team effort. She has been 100 percent supportive of everything we tackle together.

If you could spend the day with anyone, who would you choose? Ted Geisel [Dr Seuss], Gene Wilder, and Mel Brooks.

Do you have a favorite television show?Who's Line Is It Anyway? I would watch that religiously in sixth grade because of the spontaneity and creative aspect of it. I was lucky, I had the chance to perform in Scotland through WCSU, and I got to meet Colin Mockery. His wife was doing a show at the same venue. He explained how you can't perfect comedy, it has to be organic. It has to come spontaneous like life.