We were lucky to catch up with Arianna Case recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Arianna, thanks for joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

I experienced beginner’s luck when I booked my very first audition after college – Little Shop of Horrors in 2009 at Texas Repertory Theater. Wow – what was easy!

No – little did I know that it was just good timing and I did not book a thing for a good year after that. I did not understand – why do some places get back to you, but others don’t? Did I not sing well, dance well, read well, what is the issue? It very easy to get bogged down in those things and worse (this was before social media was what it was now) compare yourself to other people.

It took me a very long time (and I am still learning this lesson) to realize that there are SO MANY factors that we cannot control in auditions. The best we can do is prepare the best we can and leave the room knowing that you got to perform for 2 minutes! I take preparation very seriously, so I really make a point to be as prepared as possible for every audition. Early in my career I invested in acting classes which really helped me with auditioning, and since then there are a lot more opportunities for adults to invest in classes, ranging from scene work to audition techniques.

I have to be comfortable with what I have to offer and know that it is enough. It is an ongoing process for me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Born and raised in Houston, I started in dance because that is what my sister did, so it felt like the natural next step. I loved dance, but early on I knew it was never something I was going to do professionally. I discovered theater at 11 when I did a production of Grease. It was such a rush doing a musical! I dabbled in it a little in middle school, but by junior year of high school, I traded dance team for the thespian society. I never looked back. College is when I really became serious about performing, I graduated Stephen F. Austin State in 2009 with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Theater. Those early moments on stage are some of my fondest memories. When I returned to Houston, I had no idea what a rich and vibrant theater scene we had here. I began auditioning, seeing plays, taking classes and building a community. Houston has given me some amazing opportunities, I have been lucky enough to perform with some amazing theater companies and worked on everything from plays, musicals, staged readings and workshops. It has changed so much since I first started and seeing the new talent come in every year never ceases to amaze me.

When I worked in the box office at Texas Shakespeare Festival, I remember one of the company members said, “I just want to do good work, I don’t care where it is.” That is what I strive for. People think Broadway is the end goal (and for some it is, and that is ok), but there are a lot of opportunities everywhere – even in your own backyard.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I got pregnant in August of 2024 – it was my second pregnancy so I was pretty nervous. Luckily everything went well and I delivered a healthy baby boy in May of 2024. Postpartum is something you can’t really prepare for, at least in my experience, it was so much more difficult than I had anticipated. I had a vision in that I would give birth and just BAM – my life would go right back to how it was. I was even auditioning for plays until I was about 8 months – thinking – I will be able to do this!

Fast forward to 6 week postpartum, I get a call from my boss that the company is making budget cuts, and they had to let me go. Devastated does not even begin to explain it. I felt lost, confused and mostly just hopeless. I am someone who is very task and solution oriented, a problem solver. Yet I could not apply that those skills to this.

I began interviewing for jobs probably sooner than I should have (my first few interviews were not my best), but I was lucky enough to find a great place to work. So there I was, a working mom, trying to adjust to a huge life change, a new job, and trying to find my sense of self again. It sounded like it should have been a smooth transition, but it was much more difficult than I expected. I was still so angry at what happened, and I felt like I had been failed and it wasn’t fair. I should have felt great, after all I found a job relatively quickly – what was missing?

Finally – after getting the help I needed, I realized that there was no set “time” on when things would get better. I just had to go thru the feelings, as uncomfortable as they made me. I kept thinking, “in 6 months, I feel better, in 10 months, I should be fine,” but for once I had to throw that out the window. This was something I could not put a deadline on. I just had to go experience it – the pain, the unknown, the confusion, all of it.

I can’t remember exactly when the shift happened, but it did. Now it all seems like a distant memory. Trauma effects everyone is different ways, but the important thing is recognizing that you need help and not being afraid to ask for it. That’s what I had to do. Things do not always turn out as they plan, but if you are able accept the feelings and go thru them, the most unexpected shift can happen.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I got really serious about pursuing theater in college. In some ways I am grateful that I was older because I had a clearer understanding of who I was as a performer and I was able to pursue it on my own. However, the type of performer I was in my 20’s is so different from the performer I am now, nearing 40 years old. Oddly, even though I have improved tremendously and have so much more life experience – it is still sometimes just as difficult as it was when I was just starting out. There are less women in my age range, however, it all comes down to so many things beyond my control – which is still a lesson that I am learning.

Now I am at a place where I am a completely different type and I am having so much fun exploring that. I said to my voice teacher recently, I am in my “mom, witch and wife era.” It is an exciting place to be, and I want to experience that onstage. Those really meaty roles that seemed so unattainable when I was younger actually seem like I can reach them now. I think about quitting every now and then, but what fun would that be? I want to do good, quality work – even if that means 1 small project a year, just as long as I am being challenged. My drive to be better still somehow is there, and I owe it to myself to see it thru. That’s why I keep going.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ariannabcase
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arianna-case-b439b554/

Image Credits

Tasha Gorel
Claire Logue