You seem to have put your acting career aside to focus on directing, lately -- was that a tough decision? When I first put acting aside it was for good reasons: I had become too neurotic, and cared to much about what people thought/peoples approval. I wasn't serving the work anymore. I then came back to it and had a phenomenal and profound experience with Silver Water (Book-It), and a hoot doing Tartuffe. I found that directing took away my fears of acting. And I think, too, being older... I am hoping to do some acting this coming year. I miss it

What are you most proud of, regarding your three years as artistic director of Theater Schmeater? Surviving the first three months! Really...I'm proud that we took programmatic risks, that we brought in more plays by women. Even though I had been gone a couple months when I did Trojan Women, that is without a doubt the production I am most proud of. . . .

Sheila Daniels is one of the most talented -- hello, ACT? Intiman, what's up? Pick up the phone, Seattle Rep! -- directors around Seattle, bringing a deep artistic vision and stylistic grace to her productions, such as Vaya Con Lola and Cloud Tectonics. After being artistic director at Theater Schmeater for three years, she left to found Baba Gaya Productions, which is about to unveil a play Daniels wrote called Shock Brigade.

Describe the ideal actor, to direct: One: Brave as hell, willing to make ugly choices, work out of their comfort zone. Two: a strong work ethic no matter where they are working: this means memorization of course, but much more than that I love the actor who brings in new and different things every rehearsal...they are invested in their own creative process outside of the rehearsal room. Three: Kind to everyone. Four: to coin theater simple's phrase, they take the work seriously, not themselves. I love laughter in any rehearsal room.

Was it tough to leave Theater Schmeater? The decision was so clear to me and I gave such long notice, that it wasn't tough. I am tremendously glad I didn't wait until I was burnt out to leave: that's the worst possible way to leave. I was neither angry nor bitter. It was an invaluable time in my life as an artist and a person, but it was clear in my mind and heart I had to go.

Where were you raised and trained, and how did you end up in Seattle? I spent my childhood in Maryland, my adolescence in Oregon and my so-called adulthood in Seattle. I went to college in Oregon where I worked with many great teachers, but in particular a great woman named Charlotte Headrick who also had profound influence on me as a director.She was the first person who introduced me to non-literal work and "literary theater". I ended up in Seattle under sordid circumstances that I cannot share.Then I did the Acting Apprenticeship at Actors Theater of Louisville. That was one of the most profound years of my life.

How do you handle a brilliant but difficult actor? I'm still working on that one: my general philosophy is that the time you spend dealing with the ego of a difficult actor is approximately the same amount of time you spend getting a less instantly adept actor to the same level of work. I'd rather spend that time working on the art than the asshole. That said: its' really important to not confuse difficult with opinionated. . . . . It's when its clearly about ego or self righteousness, and it is hurting the other actors that I lose patience. That's the kind of conflict that poisons the rehearsal room. . . . That said, I haven't had a truly difficult actor in a process in a long time: I call a lot of references if I haven't worked with them before.

Who are some of the directors who have had a big influence on your style and/or approach? Tina Landau is the reason I became a director. I acted in a small ensemble show she directed at Humana almost 10 years ago: I fell in love and am smitten to this day. Such a combination of rigorous physicality and a great big heart. There's a quality of listening and gentility in Aimee Bruneau's work that I pay a lot of attention to. Jane Jones is fierce as hell and uncompromising in all the good ways. Rita Giomi is no bullshit and a great story-teller.

Five years from now, what do you want to be doing? what I'm doing now: a combination of freelance directing, teaching, self-producing and occasionally acting OR I would really like to be an Artistic Director or Associate Artistic director again for a place that pays me enough that it's the only job I have to hold. I'd like to be able to have that kind of focus.