We recently connected with Alejandro Hernandez and have shared our conversation below.

Alejandro, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I never think about whatever a regular job would be, but the last time I thought about quitting a career in theater was during Much Ado at A Noise Within which is weird because my experience there was amazing all around. But I struggle with immense self doubt which I still have bouts with to this day. But towards the end of the run I started thinking what the hell am I going to do when this is done, Everyone had another job lined up, or some sort of plan and I had nothing to go back to or look forward to. But the most random thing opportunity came up when my SM Mentor from East Los Angeles College asked if I could come back to assist a show and somehow that led to a flow of job opportunities after, not all of them were paid of course but there’s always something to gain from a new opportunity.
I don’t regret choosing to pursue a career in theater arts. This path has opened up a world of happiness and experiences that bring so much joy to my life. Whether it’s acting or stage management I am over the moon to be able to do what I love and never want to imagine a life without this and it makes me even happier to work with those that have the same aspirations and drive that I come to work with everyday.

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.

I am 28 years old and I am an actor and stage manager. It’s funny how that came since they come off as two very different positions. Acting wise I always loved performing whether it was on a stage or just randomly in front of family, but I didn’t take it seriously until college.

I had enrolled in a dialects class without really knowing what that meant and I didn’t think to check until the day before. I remember we were two weeks into it and we were getting into British dialects and I got paired up with my now good friend Joseph who very much seemed to know what they were doing. I felt horrible but luckily he gave me great direction. When we presented, it was so awkward as my he was getting notes and our professor Vanessa definitely knew him already, but the first comment I got was, “Where the hell did you come from?”. She encouraged me to audition for the play she was set to direct so I did and I never took another business class.

Stage management was very random. I had only been an assistant and the mentor, Jenny, asked if I would give it a shot. No way! I was beyond terrified to do that but somehow she convinced me. It ended up being a vital experience but not a fun one which I prefer not to get into. But the results leading up to today proved to be very worth every production I have worked on.

I did not think these positions would compliment each other, but being an actor has definitely helped my work as a stage manager and vice versa. As an actor it helped with memorization all around from lines to movement to even tracking other actors movement. For stage management, there can sometimes be a disconnect between stage manager and cast but luckily with my experience it became easier to develop a connection since I can actually use the phrase, “I know what it takes”.

I think my proudest moment so far has been recently with my work at New Swan Shakespeare Company in Irvine as well as presenting my Stage Management work at the American College Theater Festival.

ACTF was very eye opening. I didn’t accomplish anything competitively, but I took some amazing workshops for Stage Management that made me realize I wasn’t ready to take the next step. Ultimately it made me decide to work on another production at my college after I had announced that I wouldn’t manage another show there. But as this current production is near it’s end, it proved to be vital to my confidence in working as a stage manager.

New Swan challenged me tremendously and I really thought I couldn’t get it done. With Twelfth Night and Measure for Measure being the shows for this season, I had three characters that I needed to prep, memorize, and perform as well as shadow the SM Team of Twelfth Night. The scariest moment was when the actor I was understudying got sick and I had to perform his track, but everyone dropped what they were doing to help me get ready and I felt so supported. Once the shows closed, I felt so accomplished and was ready to return to my college to stage manage, ironically I was going to manage Twelfth Night.

I think the one attribute that separates me is that I adapt to situations. I understand that not everything will go my way, but I can learn how to be compatible in a new environment instead of trying to change it to benefit only my needs.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I have two since I have two career paths.

For acting, I never go into studying a character thinking how it can make me shine or look good. My job is to do justice to a character and make sure it is done proper enough to make a statement for the audience. The best thing about it is you never know who is listening in the audience. You are unknowingly making audiences happy, making them think, making them feel and I think that is beautiful. Performance is more than a show, it’s someones story, someone’s life, maybe even someone’s inspiration and I love being able to work for that.

Stage Management is just as rewarding, but with my experience it feels that the role is changing. I know I’ve only had my experiences at ELAC, but so far the rewarding part about the job is developing a respect for all aspects of theater. Being the main bridge of communications for directors, designers and actors showed me what it really takes to put a production together and how necessary good communication and respect is to create different worlds in a production.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Whenever I work on a production, no matter what position I am in, I always invite family and friends to come see it. Unfortunately, some tell me that if I am not performing, why bother. I think everyone needs to look passed whether their loved one is performing or not because if you aren’t able to support them, support the work they want to be doing one day. Just because you aren’t seeing them physically, doesn’t mean their hard work isn’t noticed. Remind them that their designs, management, etc. are just as important in theater.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ahernandezacting.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alejandonuts/?hl=en

Image Credits

Francois Pierre Couture

Jesus Enrique Lopez Vargas

Crystal Ruby Juarez

Aung Kyaw