Our BOLD team is comprised of professional actresses, professional moms, professionals in the childbirth field, and most importantly, professional women. Our team includes the Actresses of "Birth", Red Tent Coordinators, and the Director, Producer, and Coordinator of BOLD 2008

Birth  is the story of 8 women and their births. The women of the play include:

Lisa - played by Starina Johnson. Starina has been acting since she was a child, but really started to take her craft seriously around the age of thirteen. For a brief period during college she dabbled with the idea of pursuing a "real" career, but after receiving several scholarships for acting and public speaking she decided it might be more beneficial to stick with it. Starina is a firm believer that art can make a difference in people’s lives, and is truly honored to be participating in a production such as this. She would like to thank the cast and crew of “Birth” as well as Melinda Eisnaugle and all the talent at The Avenue  Agency.

Natalie - played by Dani Williamson. Dani is mom to Jackson and Ella Kate both of whom she birthed in a hospital on her own terms; she had two beautifully natural childbirths. She first became passionate about childbirth in 1993 when she opened a maternity/children’s store in Paducah, KY. During her 11 years in business she became the first Certified Doula  (DONA) in Western KY as well as a childbirth educator. Dani also opened up a yoga studio in 2002 in Paducah where she taught prenatal yoga. In 2004, when she closed her maternity business, she and her children sold their home and moved to Nashville in 2006 to begin nursing school at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She will graduate in December as a Certified Nurse Midwife and in August 2009 as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Her love of women, babies and the magical process of birth led her to thisproduction of BIRTH!

Beth - played by Holly Rankin-Zaher. Holly shares life and space with her amazing husband and two children, with another on the way. She haphazardly fell into the natural birth scene when pregnant with her first child and has delivered both in a birthing center and at home with midwives. She cites her births as the most empowering experiences she's ever had as a woman. While she has not been in a formal acting role since high school, her roles working with young people and young adults for the past eighteen years have given her ample time in the spotlight, honing her desire to communicate in various formats. As an avid culture-watcher, indie-crafter and blogger, she is excited to be part of "Birth" as a way to both offer helpful narratives that give women imagination to think differently with regard to birth and question some of our cultural presuppositions about the way we view birth.

Amanda - played by Kristina Schulz. Kristina a single mother of one, Kristina understands the importance of educating women on their choices during pregnancy and labor and is proud to be a part of the BOLD movement. Having grown up in the Nashville area, Kristina was very active in theatre throughout high school; her favorite role was playing Thor, a 9-year-old boy, in the CCCHS production of The Nerd. She is excited to be debuting in the Nashville theatre community with Birth and looks forward to staying active in the future. Kristina wishes to thank Nicole for bringing the BOLD movement to Nashville, her friends and family for their amazing support, and her son, Saxon, for helping her see the world through a child's eyes again.

Jillian - played by Sarah McKay. Sarah lives with her wonderful husband, Brian and her 6 children.  She has been a certified doula for 3 ½ years, and is co-leader of the Nashville Birth Network. Her experience with live theater began in 1986, as sound technician for a production of "The Wizard of Oz."  Most recently, she played the part of Florence, the choir director, in the Stagestruck Productions musical, "Revival".  She is excited to be a part of "Birth", to educate the community about childbirth options, and bring attention to the importance of quality maternity care.

Vanessa - played by Indie Davis. Indie is a stay at home mom to three children, ages five, two and 11 months. In her pre-mom life, Indie worked at a seminary and while pregnant and working in that setting she became interested in the spiritual aspects of giving birth. Indie birthed her first child naturally in a Boston hospital. Her other two children were born at home in Nashville. Indie acted and did technical work for several plays in junior high, high school and college. She decided to act in "Birth" after a long hiatus from acting because she wants to inspire more women to consider their birth options and share their birth stories.

Sandy - played by Lindsay Born. Lindsay is married to her wonderful husband Mark Anthony with whom she has two children and is expecting a third in March.  Born is a childbirth educator and labor doula, working to support and educate women throughout their pregnancy and birth.  Born is excited to be a part of Birth as she believes it will empower women to take control of their birth experience.  This will be her first appearance on the stage since participating in The Crucible in high school.

Janet - coming soon....

Krystal Kinnunen-Harris is the host of the East Nashville Red Tent occurring on August 23rd. She is excited to be a part of this event as she is a strong advocate for Natural Childbirth, as well as the rights of women to know all option, allowing for empowerment in all choices. She owns her own photography business and has been hosting Red Tent gatherings for over 1 year now throughout the Nashville area

Kirsten Blum is a mother of 3 beautiful children and advocate of women's options in healthcare. She lives in West Nashville with her husband and has experienced different births with each of her children. She is planning on hosting a West Side Red Tent

Mandy Ray-Jones is a mother in Nashville who has volunteered assistance for area Red Tents throughout the BOLD season.

Nicole Deelah is a new transplant to the Nashville scene from Chicago. She is a mother to 5 wonderful children and wife of 8 years to her strongest supporter, Calvin. She has been active in the childbirth field for 7 years as a doula and childbirth educator. She has also written an independent childbirth curriculum, is the co-leader of the Nashville Birth Network, and has aspirations to become a midwife in later life. Nicole is passionate about women’s birth options, understanding the transforming nature of birth into motherhood. Her desire is that all women would have their birth options presented to them in an unbiased manner, with true informed consent – and that all women’s birth choices would be honored in all settings and environments.