Had to Be Productions

“They magically take their words and create a performance that allows us to step into the shoes of real people and come out feeling their experiences in our gut, in our soul.  Watching Carrie and Tony perform is empathy on steroids. Thank you.”
Jerry Bunce, Faculty, Bellevue College

“Had To Be Productions not only entertains and entices undivided focus, but it also delivers a series of messages throughout the production which have a unique impact on each audience member. The spectator is compelled to ask of themselves questions previously thought to be explained. Had To Be Productions leaves a lasting impression on the audience, making it a very worthwhile experience.”
Angela Hughes, Program Coordinator Office of Special Services Shoreline Community College

“Your work reaches peoples hearts and intellect as you  bring these important human issues to our awareness. You and Tony are working through a  powerful medium. I believe people have a deep desire to feel connected or family like in today’s work world but they need  guidance to make this happen.Thanks for the important work you guys do to assist in this evolution.”                                  

Al Souma. M.A., Seattle Central Community College, disability Support Services

“Congratulations on to you and Tony for continuing to help people identify and address biases – your work enables people to be happier, and make others happy.”

Yasmin Meralli  Vice President  Diversity & Workplace Equity  BMO Financial Group

“The plays are amazing.  I have not seen anything as effective.”
Mark Simpson, President, Aerospace Professional Staff Association

“Thanks for taking on the subject matters you do, and bringing understanding and compassion to people.”
Lt. Col. Michaela Payton, Washington State National Guard

“This production company does an amazing job of embodying different experiences and perspectives and sharing emotions and feelings – making the audience keenly aware that we are all human and can relate to each other. We have more in common than we think!”
Staff Member, Clark College Training

“Your work was outstanding”
Justine Fedak, Harris Bank

“You and Tony are incredibly talented and what you have delivered will change lives.”
Marjorie Paddock, Director – Diversity and Workplace Equity, Harris Bank, N.A.

“I find myself referencing people in the play in my mind as if I KNOW them – as if I sat with the person and heard them myself.”

“Such wonderful storytellers and conveyors of truth.”

“You all change people for the good.”

“Continue to do what you do and we will all be better for it.”

Not Until You Know My Story (back to top)

“A huge explosion of humanity on stage.  I felt, at once, the courage and the pain of where we have been and how far we still have to go.”
Ellen Deering Wallan, Human Resources, Hewlett Packard

“This workshop was powerful … In the 17 years I have been with our group I have never seen us go this deeply personal before.”
Al Souma, M.A.,  Director Disability Support Services , Seattle Central Community College

“Thank you for your powerful work with our Wells Fargo teammates in Des Moines this week.  There is a very exciting buzz here!!!”
David M. Furman, Wells Fargo Home and Consumer Finance Group

“Through the magic of theatre, we were able to see what we thought we already knew with a new set of eyes, allowing us to contemplate the issues of race, gender, ethnicity, and disability in a way that is striking and refreshing. Carrie and Tony are two extraordinarily talented individuals who have found a way to make a significant contribution to society by performing, teaching, and reaching out so that we can all question our assumptions and try to live in a more compassionate world.”
Rosa Lundborg, M.Ed., Manager, Office of Special Services, University of Washington Bothell

“Thank You for the best diversity forum I’ve been to in my 10 years at Wells Fargo.”
J.P. Martindale, Finance Manager, Wells Fargo Debit Card & Global Remittance Services

“Your performance was excellent.  What a creative, cutting-edge way to get such dynamic information out to our nation.”
Laurie Iwatake, Senior Graphic Designer, The Aerospace Corporation

“On behalf of the Diversity Council here at Wells Fargo, I would like to thank you for sharing your thought provoking experiences with us. The office is still buzzing with talk about your performance. Everyone is in agreement that this was the best event we have done yet.”
Sharon Harbarger, N.A .Cash Management , Wells Fargo Bank,

“Thanks so much for the amazing play and riveting discussion afterwards!  The fact that people wanted to continue is a testament to your ability to touch people.  We had a number of people tell us how moved they were by the play.  Clearly, thanks to you, we collectively have a much deeper understanding based on empathy.”
Yasmin Meralli , Vice President Diversity & Workplace Equity,  BMO Financial Group

“The stories that you bring to life on stage are inspiring and your talent for engaging the audience and facilitating a deeper understanding of difference through active empathy through the Q&A discussion is enlightened and so valuable.”
James Boren, Manager, Organizational Capability, PepsiCo Beverages

“This play belongs on Broadway! Watching Carrie and Anthony perform took me inside the hearts, minds, and spirits of so many individuals that I found myself gasping for air, laughing in delight, and tearing up in shared emotions.  Their ability to craft this play, the true stories of so many, was so extraordinary that I was left speechless. The hybrid of real life stories and play format brought to light bias, stereotypes, discrimination, racism, sexism, all the other isms, and to my surprise, it had psychological mindedness and intergenerational family components that as a psychologist and author, I fount fascinating.  In it’s final task, and in it’s final moment, it brilliantly brought us all together as a people.   Unbelievably moving experience!! Fantastic!! Transformative!! Must see!!”
Dr. Rahimeh Andalibian

“The performance was great, and it made each of us stop and think. I have rarely had an opportunity to learn so much in such a short time, and those couple of hours will impact my actions and thoughts the rest of my life. “
Brandi Bacon, Horizon Air

“I really appreciated your production, and applaud you for not only creating it and using characters based on your own life, but having the courage to perform it.     Plus, what really brought it all together for that particular audience was your emphasis on what happens in the workplace and the interactive discussion that followed.”

Jaye Whittaker, MBA, Senior Financial Analyst, Cricket Communications, Inc

Into the Fire (back to top)

“It was my absolute honor to recognize you both with a Commander’s coin for excellence.  The work you two are doing to help our nation heal, and to understand the psychological impact that war has on those that wear the cloth of our nation to support the freedom we enjoy as Americans is more than deserving of the highest recognition.  I have been talking about your work to others as I am so impressed and believe the power of your work will touch the lives of Americans in ways we may not fully understand.”
Major General Patricia Horoho, Commander, Western Region Medical Command

“The play is stunning. It is powerful, poignant, and truthful. I have been working with returning veterans for a long time. If you care enough about the men and women who have served our country, who are our colleagues, students, friends, spouses, and children, please find the courage to see Into the Fire. We owe it to them to try and understand. You have created a piece of art like no other. You know that art is successful when it is able to bring out emotions and responses in others, and that you have done beautifully.”
Rosa Lundborg, M.Ed., Director of Disability Support, Veterans, & International Student Services, University of Washington-Bothell

“Into the Fire will bring you on an emotional journey into the reality of veterans experiences. Based on true life testimonials this 2 person play will leave you with information that will serve you well as you work with veterans.”
Al Souma, M.A., Director of Disability Support Services, Seattle Central Community College

“If that doesn’t light your fire then your wood is wet.”
John Lee, Director, Washington State VA

“As a service connected disabled vet, recently separated, I found parts of my own story interwoven in the performance. Acknowledging and educating our communities that our veterans have and continue to suffer with many of the barriers described in this performance, as a result of our service, validates these are not individual issues, but issues our entire nation needs to be emotionally aware – not only to share some of the burden, but also teach tolerance as we readjust and learn how to be a civilian again.”
Seth Maier, M. Ed.Veterans Conservation Corps, Coordinator Spokane Community College

“Into the Fire” is a presentation every organization that employs a veteran, or family member of a veteran, should include in their training.  Carrie and Tony weave the voices of our nation’s hero’s together in a fashion that is both captivating and informative with dignity and respect of their audience and the persons they are portraying.  The listener is taken into the world of our veterans’, their families, and friends allowing us to peek behind the eyes of those affected by Post Traumatic Stress.  They have captured the feelings, frustrations, and hopes of those who have stood on the edge of darkness to preserve the light of liberty for us all.”

Chip Kormas, Veterans Services Program Coordinator, Employment Security Department

“If you are involved in helping veterans on a college campus, this is mandatory viewing! Their lives and yours will be changed forever just by spending 55 minutes to listen and understand their stories! Tony and Carrie, keep on keepin’ on!  Your stories heal souls!”
Thomas Kirwin Prigmore, Veteran, United States Air Force

“Thanks so much to both of you for a wonderful play and an amazing performance.  Everyone I spoke with was deeply moved by your meticulous research & interviews, and your poignant portrayal of what our brave wounded warriors face upon returning home.  You made us all realize the important role each of us plays in welcoming them home with understanding and respect.  You are performing an amazing service for our veterans, families, friends, coworkers and our nation.”
Joseph A. Strada, Captain, USN (Retired) and Vietnam Veteran, Aerospace Corporation

“I’m a Navy reservist who attended the Returning Warrior Workshop this past weekend in Bellevue, WA. First I would like to say that the performance that you and Tony gave was absolutely amazing. It was a great way to kick off our weekend, and it was the talk of everyone at the workshop for the entire weekend. I really hope that every returning warrior gets an opportunity to see this performance.”
CJ Johnson, US Navy – Intelligence Specialist, Second Class, Iraq War Veteran

“You guys are the best; evaluations were all positive and attendees found your play very powerful, provocative, and many indentified themselves with the interviews and admitted they to felt or thought the same way…I’m sure it is liberating for them to now convincingly seek assistance.  They related to your presentation. We were running a risk, but…I had faith, it was so worth it, never expected such over the top results, though, thank YOU so very much!”
Cynthia D. Miller, CIV NRNW RCC, N003

“The play was fantastic, as were the actors’ performances.  Into The Fire is not only an entertaining piece that will captivate anyone who is lucky enough to see it, but the message it represents is universal and effects us all.  Next time Curry and Gibson come to town, it is definitely worth the trip to the theater, you will not regret it.”
Jon Reino, Reviewer, The MontClarion, Montclair State University.

“Spot-On was the consistent comment from the doubters and those that were concerned with the money spent.  Never was there one single regret after the performance.  You and Tony did the work and accomplished what we could NOT have done with so-called experts and power point slides.  We need to find a way to get this message out on a nationwide basis.”
Ray Switzer, Program Manager, Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs

“It helped me put in context a number of things I have experienced since my return from Vietnam over forty years ago.  Thanks again.”
Veteran and Employee, Jet Propulsion Laboratory-NASA

“Thank you both for an enlightening and moving play. You two are amazing and so inspiring!! The feedback was very positive and we can’t wait to have you back at Amgen again.”
Renate Alting-Joebstl, Diversity & Inclusion – Learning and Development, Amgen

“Your performance was both intensely personal and compelling.  Truly, your production was a touching snapshot of our soldiers’ plight.”
Amanda Murphy, Student, Northern Kentucky University

“Your program was sincerely one the most heartfelt, emotionally-filled shows I have ever seen. Thank you so much for what you’ve created.”
Franco Young, Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, ’04-’05, ’05-’06

“I believe you have condensed a complex problem, a product of war, into a complete performance that motivates audiences to care and employ modern veterans.”
Skip Dreps

“Your work reminds us of what is truly important.”
Stephanie Cootsona,  Manager,  Alaska Airlines

“I’ve probably seen the play 5 times, and I still get goose bumps and tears in my eyes. It’s an authentic and respectful production.”
Dr. Terri Goldstein, Ed.D., Director, VECTR

“The quality of your presentation and the innovative delivery make it a perfect vehicle for increasing our collective understanding of one another. Thank you both for your fine work.”

Poppy Fitch, Associate Director of Student Access and Wellness, Bridgepoint Education

“Tony and Carrie have produced this incredible inside view of the rigors and ongoing aftermath of military combat experience. I watched their performance for the 4th time today and their renditions never get old. Their deep and enduring illumination of the issues will never fade-the message is universal.”

Randi J. Jensen, Director of The Soldiers Project NW and author of “Just because you’re suicidal doesn’t mean you’re crazy”

Not Just Ramps (back to top)

“Both Ms. Gibson and Mr. Curry were extremely talented to the point where the audience was on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the next character enactment.  I personally did not want the play to end.  Each of us left the play thinking, ‘I have to be the one to change.’  The play received a standing ovation that lasted longer than any of the other presentations at the 2008 NILG.”
Evelyn J. Miller, Manager, Human Resources, Raytheon

“Not Just Ramps is moving, powerful and impactful.  Your work is provocative – I can’t imagine how someone watching your performance could not come away changed by it.”
Anita B. Nygaard, SPHR, Sr. Consultant, Employer Services, HR Alternatives, Inc.

“I was tremendously impressed with Not Just Ramps.  It was inspiring, telling, and very compelling.  I’ve never seen anything quite like it: your performance resonated with both those who are in some way disabled, and those of us who are allegedly not.  In a way, I realized how ‘disabled’ I have been, in the manner in which I have reacted to those who are simply different than I am.  A bravo performance.  You won some new fans, very much among whom is me.”
General James Clapper, Department of Defense

“You have enlightened California …You bring together your theatre talents, character studies and disability advocacy awareness to a ‘safe environment’ to educate us all. I hope to see you repeating Not Just Ramps for private and public industry and the educational system throughout our great state.”
Pam Porteous-Hunt, Program Specialist for California Governor’s Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons

“You did a fantastic job, and I found myself furiously jotting down notes and key points. It was a beautiful performance! ”
Karen Methot-Chun, Sr. HR Compliance Analyst, Symantec Corporation

“You and Tony were once again amazing – Not Just Ramps is a very powerful play and I found the dialogue following it quite amazing.   Thanks so much for sharing your gift with so many today.”
Marjorie Paddock, Director – Diversity and Workplace Equity, Harris N.A.

“I thought it was one of the most impactful, powerful and worthwhile experiences I’ve had the opportunity to experience here at BMO!! I think this should be a requirement for everyone.”
Bank of Montreal employee

“It was very insightful and I really enjoyed it. It brought a lot of the things I’m working on / thinking about to life and gives me the feeling that what I do is important.”
Business Leadership Network Toronto Participant

“Thanks for this great opportunity to hear so many point of views on visible and invisible handicaps! I became so emotional with my own predicament that I forgot my manners! I wanted to thank you in person but I left with tear (of relief)!”
Bank of Montreal employee

“I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the JOIN event – Not Just Ramps I was fortunate to be a part of yesterday afternoon. It was by far one of the most powerful events in the JOIN Network Series moving me to action in both a personal and professional sense.”
Business Leadership Network Toronto Participant

“Your mesmerizing performance had a profound impact on every person in the room. The campus continues to discuss the presentation, and more importantly, the enlightenment. Your skill in bringing the individuals to life so that the audience could experience life in their shoes and then recognize our own failures was brilliant. Finally, your performance allowed the participants to look deep within themselves to identify opportunities for growth as individuals that will ultimately lead to a better campus, a better community, and a better world. Thanks for what you do!”
Ken Nufer, PHR, Director of Human Resources, Colorado State University-Pueblo

“What a pleasure it was to be in your audience last evening. I have to thank you both for prompting a very rich dinner dialog for our group. Both as a parent and a professional, I appreciate the work that you are doing and the voice you bring to it.”
Poppy Fitch, Associate Director of Student Access and Wellness Bridgepoint

“I am not sure which I am more impressed with, the effectiveness with which you craft and deliver your message or your skill and stage presence.  While I ponder that question, I can assure you that the combination is pure professionalism.”
MarvSmith, NASA-Glenn Research Center

“GREAT Play!  Thank you for doing this work and please, KEEP DOING IT!  More people need to see, hear, and feel this experience! The fact that you are “able-bodied people,” who are “wearing” or “taking on” the situations of persons who have mental or physical disabilities, makes your presentation more powerful. It brings it home to ‘every man’ and it facilitates active HEARING of what is being said because your  “normalcy” removes and explains the “different” without looking quite so different.  You take on these parts and it makes you more accessible (and what better word could there BE here) to people who might otherwise tune out. Everyone who does experience this play is given a gift, so, thank you. ”
Kathy Corrigan—NASA-Glenn Research Center

“I wish your sessions would become more prevalent not just in learning institutions but literally everywhere. I was moved. Thank you Thank you and Thank you. I feel more fashioned and renewed as a human being. “
Orestes Chua, Building Access Control Administrator, Riverside City College

Because You Know Me (back to top)

“The raw emotion from the experience of watching Because You Know Me allowed me to re-engage and get back into the fight.”
Julie Doss, Ventura County Courts

“Wow, you have created a masterpiece in your outstanding production of Because You Know Me. Thank you for the amazing attention to inclusion demonstrated throughout the production. I have not begun to fully process the power and the impact of your performance.”
Bill Hertan, OD Consultant, Diversity and Inclusion

“My heartfelt thank you for doing such a powerful performance that touched so many of our guests. Your work was amazing, and our Executive Sponsor was so moved by it, that she has given us the green light to bring you up to Canada to perform. The most impactful message that I got from it was that we still have a long way to go in the struggle for equality – but that we have gained two allies to deliver the message on so many levels that can reach even the more closed-minded individuals.”
David E. Martin, Vice President, Bank Manager, Harris Bank, N.A.

“Because You Know Me has made me realize that I need to ensure that everyday I bring my entire self to work, in the hopes that one day, it will not have to be a decision that someone has to make, but rather just another part of who they are. I don’t remember the last time I felt so emotional about my community, my work place, or myself.”
Matthew Hartz , Special Assets Management Unit, Harris Bank, N.A.

“If you are seeking an engaging, non-threatening and meaningful way to have conversation in the workplace regarding LGBT’s, I highly recommend this play. The words in the play are 100% comments provided to the actors via interviews. I thought Because You Know Me and both of you were phenomenal.”
Karen Brown, Baxter Communications

“You and Tony are incredibly talented and what you have delivered will change lives.”
Marjorie Paddock, Director – Diversity and Workplace Equity, Harris Bank, N.A.

“Your performance was liberating and like Roosevelt University honored the enlightenment of the human spirit and diversity.”
Gary N. Keller, Director of Development, Walter E Heller College of Business Administration

“I am hearing nothing but great things about yesterday. I haven’t cried so much since I watched the episode of NCIS when Kate was killed! I’m just a softie when it comes to people being mistreated. Makes me want to fight the battle!!”

Lisa Johnson, Human Resource Manager, Thomas Nelson Community College

The Gender Agenda (back to top)

“Once again a resounding “Thank you” for making last Thursday one of the best days in Harris history!!!”
Marjorie Paddock, Director – Diversity and Workplace Equity, Harris Bank, N.A.

“I truly enjoyed the production. Although I would agree that perhaps I missed a little bit because I could not see the body language or facial expressions, the two presenters did a fabulous job emphasizing and vocalizing the words in such a way that very little was lost because I could not see them. Outstanding. Thank you very much for organizing the presentation. It was definitely thought-provoking and caused me to shake my head in disappointment because we still live in a society where this type of bias still exists.”
Melissa Seagren,  Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Harris Bank

“I am among your expanding number of fans who continue to be   amazed at the sobering, enlightening, stunning and healing affect you   have on your audiences.  Your plays help us look more deeply and   clearly at our own humanity, with all of our foibles, as well as our   dignity…  Can’t ask for a higher creative calling than that!”
Lisa Tice

“Your latest production The Gender Agenda: Can’t We Just be Different quite literally took me by surprise. You challenged us to own up to our stereotypes and to re-evaluate our acceptance of behavior based on gender.  You schooled us with emerging research regarding the differing cognitive processes each gender embodies. You artfully demonstrated how those differences play out in the interaction between genders. And for all that was wonderful and right with play I also found myself agitated by it. And that is why I love you so much.   You don’t make the social issues of our time a spectator sport.”
Julie Doss, Education Manager, Ventura Superior Court