Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayana Bey.

Hi Ayana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

Well, I was the little kid who made up shows and made my family watch them in the living room every time I had a new one. When I was 11 I saw Ragtime on Broadway and it changed my young life. From that moment on I knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to be a broadway actress. It became theater kid central from there! I went to college, majored in Musical Theatre and worked in regional theatre’s around the US for 5 years. Then I decided to go back to school for my masters degree in acting and ended up at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, after which I moved back to the US and started working again. This time it was a mixture of regional theatre, cruise ships, and booking my first national commercial. Around 2019 after 11 years in the acting business I was trying to figure out a new way to operate in a system that has us auditioning constantly but not working constantly and getting very tired of my survival jobs. That same year during the run of my first Off-Broadway show I met my voice over agent and was introduced to a new avenue within the industry. I booked my first voice over a month after meeting her and I knew my prayers had been answered. Then when the world shut down in 2020 I had voice overs to depend on because I was able to build a home studio. I was also enrolled in a course called The Creative Entrepreneur Project which was moved online. In that course I pivoted out of building a musical theatre coaching business into a podcast, hence my podcast The Artist Pivot, which is now a double Signal Award winning podcast! From 2020 until now my journey has been figuring out how to live a fuller life because pre-pandemic me was so tunnel focused on theatre that I missed a lot with my family and friends. I now have voice overs, podcasting, coaching/mentoring, and acting to balance as well as intentionally living and traveling.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

No it has not been a smooth road at all! Now has it been a fun road…yes! Some of my struggles along the way were, 1) finding survival jobs that would still give me the freedom to audition without calling out or missing a shift, and 20 struggle with the “why not me” mindset when I found out someone else got cast in a show I wanted. Finally realizing that what is meant for me is for me, and that I live life in divine time if I just slow down and look around, has been helpful in smoothing out my road. Not staying that there aren’t still struggles because this acting thing is hard, but it’s getting smoother and smoother as I settle into knowing my self as a woman and an artist.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I am an actress by trade, but also a singer, voice over artist, award winning podcaster, mentor and coach. I am so very proud that in 2024 I premiered my very first solo cabaret in NYC! It was called “In Pursuit of Joy” and was an evening filled of fun, later, and joy! I am also very proud that my podcast The Artist Pivot won the 2024 Bronze and Listener’s Choice Signal Awards in the Artists Shaping Culture Category.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?

Everything you need is on my website www.ayanabey.com. Contact form and email plus links to my podcast, cabaret, coaching, voice overs, instagram etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ayanabey.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayanambey
• Other: https://www.ayanabey.com/theater

Image Credits

Cover Photo/Headshot; Ambe J Williams; Cabaret Photos: Blaine Pennington