Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Grayce Carson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Grayce thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

In 2022, after five years of working in non-profit arts administration, I took a huge risk by quitting my full-time job to start my own business. I had long done marketing and communications work as my “day job” in tandem with running a small theatre company, Paper Doll Ensemble, with which I also perform. Drawn to the idea of being my own boss, setting my own hours, and focusing only on the parts of administration I really loved, I took the plunge and Grayce Carson Communications was born. I offered social media management, content creation, website design, public relations representation, and consultations. Would people want or need these services? Was that too many offerings? Not enough? Would I be able to make enough financially to support myself?

Now, almost two years later, I have worked with dozens of individual artists, arts and culture organizations, and in other sectors I would have never imagined. I love the flexibility of being able to provide self-producing artists with the same advice and marketing expertise that I give to million-dollar organizations. I feel like I’m helping to level the financial playing field by connecting audience members to beautiful art they will love—regardless of the artist’s budget.

My current client list includes Gretna Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, Christ Church Preservation Trust, Midsection Connection Pilates Studio, the All Bones Considered Podcast, Applied Mechanics, Vistage Worldwide coaches, Brooke McCarthy Productions, Broken Mirror Acting Studio, Crossroads Comedy, Expressive Talks Life Coaching, and more.

I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the role of my amazing husband, Chris, and his support while I took this risk for our family. I got married in August 2022, and (transparently) really leaned into my new health insurance benefits! I couldn’t have done it without him.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My mom will tell you I was born 30. My fourth-grade teacher wrote on a progress report that he expected me to be his boss someday. I came into this world a Pisces with an attitude, who likes to be in charge and doesn’t take “no” for an answer.

I have loved performing since being an “angel” in church Christmas pageants, but it was my middle school theatre program that really set me up for a career in the arts. In seventh grade, I was cast as one of the leads in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and proceeded to participate in every school play and musical for the next five years. I was also fortunate enough to have incredible mentors in high school and the most supportive parents in the world, who drove me all over the East Coast when it came time to audition for college programs.

In a surprising twist, I ended up at the University of Pennsylvania for my undergraduate degree after learning about their robust arts scene. There, I worked on project after project, taking on a producer role for the first time with the extracurricular “club” groups, and received formal training in voice, acting, puppetry, improvisation/devising, directing, and design. I even ended up in a bellydance group (Yalla) for several years, practicing isolation and movement in a whole new way. I was blessed—thanks in large part to the curation of program director Dr. Marcia Ferguson—to work with many professionals in the Philadelphia arts community. I fell in love with the city and the work they were producing. I attended my first Philadelphia Fringe Festival show in 2012 and am working on my 12th show for that same festival this fall. My Penn class also generated a devised puppetry piece, Naked Knotted Neurons, for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in 2015.

After graduation, I began an apprenticeship with InterAct Theatre Company for their 2016/17 season, where I first learned what it meant to be an arts administrator. My fellow apprentices and I rotated between production roles, front of house, and shadowing the development and marketing departments for this regional theatre. My future came into focus for me there, as I realized I could make a living in arts administration while still producing and performing in my own work. In a full-circle moment, I returned to InterAct as their publicist last season.

Concurrent with my apprenticeship, I wrote and starred in an autobiographical show about my dating life at White Pines Productions in Elkins Park and had a recurring role in GoPuff commercials. In 2017, I had an audition that changed my life, where I was cast in a devising role in ReVamp Theatre Collective’s Beyond the Surface Lab. This project paired artists of different specialties together and tasked them to create an interpretation of the Brothers Grimm tale, Snow White and Rose Red. I was paired with Sara Vanasse and Amanda Jensen, and together we created a balloon-filled, bubble-gum-colored dance extravaganza that we all felt warranted a deeper exploration than the initial 12-week rehearsal process we were given. In spring 2018, we produced a full-length production of the show (now titled This is How Girls Die), and Paper Doll Ensemble was born. We formalized the company later that year and have since been devising completely original “absurdist tragicomedies” that redefine traditional stories of the feminine experience. We produced Marry, Marry, Quite Contrary in 2020 (a parody of ABC’s The Bachelor mixed with true crime), a witchy digital show called The WASP’s Nest in 2021, and a magically realistic, 70s-inspired abortion play last fall titled The Pecking Order (which earned a Barrymore recommendation).

After my InterAct apprenticeship, alongside my work with Paper Dolls, I went on to work with many Philadelphia companies, including Juniper Productions (Associate Producer), Shakespeare in Clark Park (Associate Producer, Director of Communications), 11th Hour Theatre Company (Director of Communications, Executive Director), and Gretna Theatre (Director of External Relations) before striking out on my own as a freelance publicist and marketing specialist (Grayce Carson Communications).

From a performance perspective, I continued on the audition circuit for a while before finding absolute joy in being a company member, in Paper Doll Ensemble as well as Archedream for Humankind: a blacklight mask, dance, and puppetry group.

As a Pennsylvania native, I am proud to be part of the vibrant Philadelphia art scene and look forward to continuing my work creating, producing, and marketing all that this city has to offer.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Like, share, comment, and engage with the content artists are putting out on social media! It’s 100% free to like their posts and share them to your network, but makes a huge impact.

Take your kids to see shows! Raising the next generation to appreciate live events and experiences is critical.

Donate! In a dream world, we would have adequate federal funding to support a vibrant creative ecosystem across the country that fosters empathy and compassion in every American citizen. Unfortunately, we are far from that dream. Instead, the arts relies on the generosity of donors and foundation support. If you love live theater, check out the smaller venues and organizations that could really use your support.

Try something new! Wicked is great, but instead of seeing Wicked every year, try a brand new musical or play that you might find you love event more.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I have struggled with chronic illness my entire life. I was diagnosed with asthma at 11 and ulcerative colitis at 14. During my junior year in college, I was performing in Venus in Fur when I came down with pneumonia. My parents had to drag me home and force me to rest, but I still had video meetings with my co-star to run lines. By showtime, I was still on medication and would do an albuterol nebulizer treatment in the greenroom before curtain, but audience members were none the wiser.

This is just one example of when having an autoimmune disease threw a wrinkle in my plans, but I refuse to let it keep me down. I am actually currently producing and performing in my own one-woman show, Iris’ “I’M OKAY” Tea Party, which plays on my health journey and includes musical numbers/interruptions from my own organs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.graycecarson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graycecarsoncomm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graycecarsonartist
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayce-carson-366583a5/
• Other: https://paperdollensemble.com/

Image Credits

Kim Carson
Emilie Krause
Rosie Simmons
Amanda Jensen
Jasmin Carroll