by Rita Charleston

Once, and then just briefly, local actress, educator and producer Miriam White rejected the idea of moving to Mt. Airy. “My husband, Nico, and I had been living in the Fairmount section of the city when we decided to look for a new home. We wanted to stay in the area but couldn't find anything we liked when someone suggested Mt. Airy as a possibility. But I was skeptical. I consider myself a city person and loved the idea of being able to walk everywhere I wanted to go. I was afraid I'd feel isolated in Mt. Airy because my life and my career were so center city focused.”

But one day the couple decided to take a look at Mt. Airy, and according to White, “we immediately fell in love with the area. Although some of my friends warned me that I would lose the ability to walk everywhere, the commute to various theaters would be difficult, and I would no longer have access to so many things I loved, I found they were wrong. And today, with two small children, I can't imagine living anywhere else. In fact, when I get home to this community, I feel a sense of calm unlike anything I ever experienced before. I have found something that is truly beautiful and unique.”

Additionally, White says the homes in Mt. Airy are gorgeous. She and her family live in an early 20th century home which she adores. “The area has a village feel,” she says. “However, you're still in the city surrounded by the things the city has to offer, while simultaneously being surrounded by all the things the country has to offer. So it's a wonderful combination of the two.”

Originally from Chevy Chase, Maryland, the 37-year-old White says she always loved performing. That love eventually led her to Washington University in St. Louis to receive a B.A. in Theater. (Later, she went on to receive a Masters Degree in Non-Profit Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania.) Through the years, White began amassing all sorts of credits, from roles at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to San Diego's Ion Theater to several local theaters and more. While in San Diego, she won the San Diego Critic Circle Award nomination, and for five years she served as co-artistic director and founder of Nice People Theatre Company, which no longer exists.

Since having her children, White has slowly begun getting back to performing. Currently she has the role of Megan in InterAct Theatre Company's world premiere of “Salt Pepper Ketchup,” continuing at the Proscenium Theatre at the Drake Hotel, 1512 Spruce St., through Nov. 18. Written by Philly playwright Josh Wilder, the play takes place at a storefront Chinese restaurant in the Point Breeze area of South Philadelphia. John and Linda Wu are fixtures in the neighborhood, but when gentrification begins to consume the area (in the form of a trendy food co-op), John, Linda and their customers are left to wrestle with the consequences. Wilder's play examines the forces of neighborhood redevelopment: who benefits and who gets chewed up and spit out?

In the play, Megan is a young woman recently relocated from Brooklyn to Point Breeze. According to White, “Megan has a background in community organizing and has come to work at the co-op. She wants to cement relationships between the newly-created co-op and the Point Breeze community. The co-op is trying to form a relationship with the restaurant, which has deep ties with the community. And although the co-op seems to be well-intentioned, the community doesn't want them to form such a relationship. Megan is attempting to bring everyone together, to be a mediator. And whether or not that's the right thing to do is left to the audience to determine.”

When not performing, White enjoys her new role as an academic advisor at the University of the Arts. And while she does enjoys performing, as the mother of two very young children, she plans to relax for awhile and tend to her maternal duties. “Once I had to leave my small son when he had a very high fever. Another time my little daughter cried because I couldn't go on a field trip with her. So after this show, I think I need to take a little time off to be with my family, finding a balance with all the things I want to do.”

For ticket information about “Salt Pepper Ketchup,” call 215-568-8079 or email boxoffice@interacttheatre.org