Here's to Life . . . with a cherry on top!

As a native Bostonian, I have an aversion to tooting my own horn.  Probably because my mother always said:  "Don’t be a self-horn-tootah."   Well, there are moments in life that call for full disclosure and this is one of them.

With a nod to Mama, here I go:

I am a graduate of Harvard University in Cambridge, The Second City in Chicago, and my Nana’s kitchen in Dorchester, Massachusetts.  I have been a professional actress/comedienne for over twenty-five years, causing comic eruptions on stages from sea to shining sea (and Canada!).  I have presented my own material at Caroline’s Comedy Nation in New York; The Steppenwolf Theater and Second City in Chicago; The Rep and Skylight Opera Theater in Milwaukee; Club Cafe and The Stuart Street Playhouse in Boston; and The Ivar Theater in LA. I was also lucky enough to perform story theater with improv guru Paul Sills in the northern woods of Wisconsin.  My one and two-woman shows have garnered awards, nominations, the interest of HBO, and the stage directing debut of Tim Allen.   

I am what is known as a Creative:  an artist, a writer, a teacher, a food fairy . . . a bona fide Maker of Merriment.  I believe in the healing power of creativity and during these past few challenging years, I've been teaching and encouraging others to use art, in a wide variety of forms, to find their way out of the dark.  

This virtual space is my happy place and you are welcome here.  Enjoy yourself.  Eat a pretty cupcake, wear a fancy bracelet, give your best friend a hug with a brightly-colored doll and sing songs while rolling meatballs with the children in your life.

I invite you to join me on my joyful mission to live an authentically creative life:  with a cherry on top!

As Creative Director of a lovely store in Ojai, California, I was tasked with upping the crafty quotient in an idyllic land where, only months ago, Potsie was a mere 8 votes away from becoming mayor.

During an unprecedented and challenging time of uncertainty, it has been an extraordinary thing to bring all of the crafty love and skill my grandmother taught me to this beautiful community.  

 I have been honored to teach children, mothers and fathers, grandmothers, aunts and uncles, vibrant young men and women, widows, terminally ill residents, medically challenged people of all ages, and scores of elders for whom the isolation imposed by the pandemic was becoming deadly.  By gathering together and making things with their hands, these eager students have made countless gifts and artifacts of every description to share with loved ones and to donate to those around them in need of a bit of joy.  Stitch by stitch, brush stroke by brush stroke, and bead by bead, they have healed themselves and each other. They have healed me.

Nana and I spent countless afternoons at her kitchen table exploring just about every craft known to man and womankind.  Together we would knit, crochet, sew, bead, sequin, and macrame anything that didn’t move - with the notable exception of Chi Chi, the beadazzled chihuahua.  I am wicked crafty.

All of these gifts come straight from my heart, through my hands, to you.

(Products Available for Purchase Soon;  feel free to inquire through the Contact Us page at any time)

I have written award-winning shows performed all over the US and Canada, audition monologues and sketches for funny people, brochures for chiropractors, countless quilt and craft shop newsletters, and a book of poems for people who are trying to heal.

As a TYA actress, godmother, and  hospital volunteer, I have learned so much about compassion and joy from the  small, unspoiled beings among us.  Through my work as producer of a television network at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, I had the great honor of interviewing Mr. Rogers.  He encouraged me to continue my work with children.  I have written a treatment for a children’s television show, complete with songs, toddler charades, and merchandising.  I also have treatments of content for hospitalized children.

For meetings regarding children’s tv programming,  write to me through the Contact Us page.  (Our very own Gabbyvision is coming soon).

• Personal. Professional. Private.
• Dedicated. Delicious. Discreet.
• Extensive experience with VIP clientele in Los Angeles.

 If you’re looking for help with healthy, scrumptious food, get in touch through the Contact Us page and we’ll start a conversation.

Make each healthy day a delicious day.

I’ve been a baker and cake decorator throughout my career, developing a love of design along the way.  Specializing in baked goods for people with food allergies/sensitivities,  I make Goodies That Taste Good.

I create highly customized fondant and gum paste creations ranging from the whimsical to the elegant.   In this section, you will find that my work and I are both colorful and delicious. 

Jump to The Goody Gallery and take a peek. When you're ready, go to the Contact Us page and we'll start a sweet conversation.

Two words:  Yum!

A few years ago, I happened upon a gallery showing of an artist who made soft-sculpture dolls and I was immediately hooked: this was the ultimate form of crafty self-expression.   I started designing and never stopped.  My dolls were met with such enthusiasm that a lawyer was immediately summoned and I am now the proud holder of patents, trademarks, and copyrights for my soft-sculpted friends.  Stay tuned for exciting news from The Dollytarium.  As soon as the girls are ready to make their big debut, you’ll be the first to know.

When the first line of dolls is launched, I will open up the Goody-Goody Gift Bag and wait ’till you see what falls out!  Greeting cards, calendars, ornaments, figurines, books,  & backpack zipper pulls all based on the lives of my dolls . . . a veritable smorgasbord of fun  . . .  all headed your way.

Press

"Best of all, Carolynne Warren, whom many may remember favorably from Pegasus' "A History of the American Film", gives a hilarious performance of Sylvia's repressed friend, Beth Anne.  Her schizy rendition of "Bad" is alone worth the price of a ticket."  (Sylvia's Real Good Advice, Pegasus Players, Chicago)          - Windy City Times

" . . . featuring a standout performance by Carolynne Warren as a suburban housefrau who sheds her ladylike demeanor in the show's funniest song."  (Sylvia's Real Good Advice, Pegasus Players, Chicago)   - Variety

Carolynne Warren brought irresistible zest to her hilarious interpretation of Mona Kent, a tough celebrity with a penchant for preening and bad French (she refers loudly at one point to an "en-sem-BLAH."  (Dames at Sea, Skylight Opera Theatre)   -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Sister Robert Ann, (Carolynne Warren), belts with Merman-like impact . . . "  

( Nunsense, Drury Lane South),    - Chicago

"Ms. Warren has that same kind of ability to belt out a song much the same way Merman did . . . There is no question that Carolynne Warren has a keen knack for comedy, both musically and in her chatter, but easily her very best moment was a most moving original song titled "Hold On."  (Carolin' Carolynne at Club Cafe)

Paul McMahon, Newsweekly Boston

"The deliciously kooky Carolynne Warren returns to Gentry on Halsted this Monday for one night as she and Eric Lane Barnes present "Carolin' Carolynne Through the Snow."  Wacky and wonderful don't begin to describe how much fun Carolynne's shows are, and if you want to catch her this time around, the festivities get underway at 7:30pm." -  Gay Chicago Magazine

"Most actresses who play Adelaide portray her as an oversized Betty Boop, a sexy woman-child with a high, squeaky voice and a Brooklyn accent.  Warren, who just may be the funniest singer-actress working in musicals today, scales Adelaide down to much more human dimensions and then adds her own comic embellishments, which are often small and subtle rather than large and cartoonish.

A fleeting facial expression, a word of dialogue clipped short and a slight waver on a sung note are among Warren's comic tools.  You can't take your eyes off of her.  Add to this package a singing voice that would be equally at home on Broadway or at the Met, and you have in Warren a bona fide star." (Guys and Dolls, Skylight Opera Theater),         - Milwaukee Sentinel

"Although there is an underlying sweetness to everything she does, there is also a dangerous edge that prompts the audience to eagerly anticipate where and how far she will go.   Carolynne Warren is not your run-of-the-lounge song stylist. . . . It is as a cabaret performer that Warren's personality takes full flight.  Eccentric, off-center, earthy, warm, rebellious, vulnerable and appealing describe the personality we see on a cabaret stage.  She is a singer turned naughty, an actress who appears natural, a comedian with needle-sharp timing."   (Life Out Loud, Milwaukee Repertory Theater) -  Journal Sentinel

"With a simple scarf or hat, Carolynne can transform herself into a completely different person.  That power of transformation has not gone unnoticed by critics or audiences alike.  She was enormously praised for her recent star turn in GUYS AND DOLLS and will continue at the Rep after LIFE OUT LOUD at the Powerhouse Theater in THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES. . . Her solo act has captivated audiences in Chicago and Milwaukee and has made HBO sit up and take notice. . . This performance does not go gently into the night…it reaches to the bottom of your feet and tingles through your body with a dynamic life energy."   (Life Out Loud, Milwaukee Repertory Theater)

Jonathan West, Milwaukee

Many of the songs are sung in Italian, this being Italy after all. Carolynne Warren has one of the best, and funniest, moments in the show, translating a tumultuous quintet for us.  (The Light in the Piazza, SpeakEasy Stage)           - Beverly Creasey, Boston

The last round of Hubbies (a virtual award you should imagine in roughly the form of Michael Phelps, sculpted in lucite) was bestowed in August. Since then I've savored the following performances:

…...Carolynne Warren, The Light in the Piazza, SpeakEasy Stage;

. . . and there were also striking turns by . . . (especially) Carolynne Warren, who brought the house down during the all-Italian "Aiutami" - yes, much of the show is sung in Italian, with no surtitles...

hub review.blogspot.com

Fabrizio's parents are played by Joel Colodner and Carolynne Warren.  Colodner shares the duet "Let's Walk" with Broome, while Warren steals the show when her character, who only speaks Italian, suddenly turns to the audience and bursts into English to provide a comical re-cap of what's happening within her family.  (The Light in the Piazza, SpeakEasy Stage) 
            - onstageboston.com

The sometimes volatile, sometimes endearing Naccarelli family is ably represented by a steadfast but shrewdly knowing Carolynne Warren as Signora whose fourth wall breaking humor in "Aiutami" comes as a delightful surprise. . .

This skilled quartet speaks and acts Italian without falling into stereotypes, embodying the essence rather than the affect of a family that wears its heart on its sleeve.

   (The Light in the Piazza, SpeakEasy Stage) - boston.broadwayworld.com