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Professionals find outlet through secondary careers in performance
The need for creative expression is a hobby for some people; for others, the quest to feed their soul means extra cash. It's called freelancing.
Audra Meighan (as in "me an' you" without the you), grew up on a tobacco farm in Wilmore and started performing at an early age, putting on magic shows for her family and generally making everyone laugh. Although she works in community relations at the Hope Center today, she's a stand-up comic in her spare time.
In 2000, Meighan got a theater degree from Morehead State University. She went to visit the university during her senior year of high school and wound up in Indiana after a half-day of driving. "I got a couple of atlases for graduation presents," she said, of being directionally challenged. "The first three years I went to Morehead, I thought it was an eight-hour drive."
After taking an internship at a theater in Cincinnati, Meighan moved to Lexington in 2003 with her husband and got a job at Sullivan University, presenting their information to high school students in central and eastern Kentucky, before taking a position at the Hope Center in 2006.
Meighan's comedic abilities have been showcased in talent shows at her church and by emceeing a going-away party for her priest, writing a roast and performing as often as she can at comedy clubs in Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, Dayton and Nashville.
In January 2006, Comedy off Broadway brought back open-mic night. Last month, she was one of 10 finalists in their open mic contest. Her first paying gig was as the emcee at Louisville's Comedy Caravan for a week in February.
Meighan's humor is observational, commonly on the themes of "my family and my stupidity." Her act is clean. "I've tried sarcastic and dirty, but they don't go over well," she said. She's made some wonderful friendships in the comedy community. "They're some of the most loyal people I've ever met," she said.
As for her future in comedy? "My goal has been to sit down and write out my goals," she said. She'd like to be a comic, perhaps in New York, and a professional motivational speaker doing corporate comedy. "I'm creative but really detail-oriented," she said. "And I'm still waiting to write my big 'you might be a redneck' bit."
See one of her standup performances by searching her name at www.rooftopcomedy.com.
Grover Mollineaux is a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments by day and a musician by night. He plays the guitar and sings the "comfort music of the '60s and '70s," along with some original material, at Murray's and Azur restaurants. He's doing his part to make Lexington a little more special place. "What's better than patio dining, sitting under the stars and listening to music?" he said.
A native of Long Island, Mollineaux went to Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, where he got a degree in classical languages. He studied Latin, Greek, philosophy, religion and humanities. "Those were the days when we were more idealistic than realistic," he said.
He got his MBA and spent the next 25 years in corporate marketing, until he was downsized after 9/11. "I wasn't happy with my money and found Edward Jones," he said. "I liked them so much, I joined the company."
His advice for "everyone in the world" is to take control of your money. "Find someone you like and trust and who has your best interests at heart," he said. "No one can do it alone 100 percent."
Mollineaux started playing the guitar when he was 12. "I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and said, 'I want to play guitar.'" He took a couple of lessons but is mostly self-taught, and his technique is a unique finger-picking style. Mollineaux played with bands in high school and performed at the student center and coffee houses in college. "I never thought at 54 I'd be playing as much as I do today," he said.
In the early '90s, he made a dulcimer from a kit, and this year bought a kit to build a Martin guitar. Ten years ago, he took a class in instrument repair at Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, W. Va., and was soon repairing instruments for friends. He has restored a 1920s banjo, a couple of old Gibson guitars and a few mandolins.
"Any instrument is repairable unless it's been run over by a truck," he said. "And even then, there's still a chance." Repairing string instruments is what he plans to do when he retires.
"I'm a firm believer that everyone has a second life," said Mollineaux. "My first life is in financial advice, and my second is performing. I can't imagine not picking up a guitar every day."
Check out his performance schedule at www.groversmusic.com."