Cast in multiple roles In pursuit of her dream, lawyer finds balance

By Christine L. Mobley Legal News Once upon a time, a five-year-old girl wanted to be either a brain surgeon or an actress. "The brain surgery just really wasn't in my personality," Jamie Warrow laughs. "I've always known I wanted to be a theatre performer." In pursuit of her dream, she became involved in drama club both in junior and high school. After graduating, Warrow went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wayne State University in 1993. "I spent most of my 20s pursuing theatre in Detroit trying to create my own thing here," Warrow recalls. It wasn't until her late-20s that Warrow decided she needed a "fall-back" plan -- a plan which steered her toward law. "I figured obtaining a law degree would be the best education I could get at that point, whether or not I practiced," Warrow says. Warrow earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2003 and was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan that same year. "I started with a very good firm, Kickham Hanley, in Royal Oak doing commercial litigation," she recalls. Warrow recently joined the Southfield-based firm of Neuman Anderson as an associate. "I enjoy the legal environment," Warrow says. "It's challenging." But just because she discovered a rewarding career as an attorney doesn't mean she gave up her first love. Warrow, along with partners Joe Bailey, Joe Plambeck, and Melissa Beckwith, co-own and operate the Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale and its production company, Who Wants Cake? -- the name comes from an episode of the Amy Sedaris sitcom "Strangers With Candy." According to Warrow, their mission statement is "We're designed to change your mind." "We want to change the way people think through exploring different social norms and have people leaving the theatre going, 'Hey, I never thought about it that way,'" Warrow explains. "We like to push the envelope a little bit." Warrow's role in the company lies more on the business end, but she likes to take on the occasional acting role whenever time allows. "When I can make things happen...I can make the time to work on a show," she says. "If I had my druthers, I'd be doing that full-time, but you can't really make a living on acting in Detroit yet...if at all." Warrow has been in such shows as "Crimes of the Heart," "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Sleeping Beauty, or Coma," "Three Days of Rain," "Betty's Summer Vacation," "Speech & Debate," "The Bad Seed," and, her personal favorite, "Killer Joe." She was also the director for "Deathtrap," co-directed "The Book of Liz," and was the assistant director for "Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical" and "Jeffrey." "I'm in a very fortunate position," Warrow explains. "I've got three hats: I've got the manager hat, which is very important because if I don't do that right there won't be an opportunity to act. The bonus of this hat is the ability to say, 'I'm interested in doing this project' and 'let's do it.' There's a lot of control there so I'm allowed to pick and choose what I want to do as an actor -- which happens to be the second hat. "The third hat that I wear is the attorney hat, which is just as important as running the theatre business, because without being an attorney, I wouldn't be able to do the day-to-day stuff." Warrow can be seen on stage next as Susan in "[title of show]," a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical, which opens at the RIngwald on Friday, Feb. 19, and runs through Monday, March 15. "It's difficult to wear all three hats," Warrow says. "But, what I've learned is if you let the profession of being an attorney take over every aspect of your life then it can get to be a one-note type of process. "It's important not to forget that just because you're working so hard that there are other things to be passionate about," she says. "It's important to pursue your passion." Published: Wed, Feb 3, 2010

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