New Jersey Stage 2015 - Issue 12 | Page 8

A native of New York State, Williams was encouraged by her parents at a young age to write songs and at the age of nine began playing guitar; penning her first material by age 11. Dar, which is short for Dorothy, took an interest in theater and drama as she grew older; pushing her songwriting to the proverbial “back burner” where it simmered on low until she began taking vocal lessons from Jeannie Deva. Living in the Boston, MA area at the time, Deva pushed Williams to perform and share her material; first starting small in coffee houses and then urging her to continue upward. A cliquis