We were lucky to catch up with Alanna J. Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alanna J., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Just this week, a friend reminded me I could probably stand to loosen my grip, and enjoy the rollercoaster more. I think that’s what success might be about- staying open and ready for anything. It was a reminder I needed. My route has always been a roundabout one, and often the jobs or roles I end up loving most, were never part of my original “plan.” I used to envy people who had a singular vision and seemed to just… get there: no curveballs, no distractions. I thought, “Wow, they must know themselves so well that their goal is nonnegotiable.” Either that, or they lit candles and manifested it to the moon. And maybe they did! But I think what I’m constantly learning, is while I’m busy having singular goals, life is busy cooking up something even stranger and more exciting, the kind of experiences so great, you could never have dreamt them up.

When I do give up a little control, everything feels possible. Like this summer I was feeling particularly bold, and went after a life-changing audition in LA. I was playing Jane in Pride & Prejudice in New Hampshire, flew out of Boston at 6am, auditioned in LA at 10am, then hopped back on a plane and landed back in rehearsals til 9pm, and then sang in a 10pm cabaret in the theatre’s lobby. I hit the pillow with a newfound level of exhaustion, but feeling like I had really pushed myself (and maybe time traveled?) and whatever the outcome, I had succeeded.

Alanna J., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well… I booked the job in LA: I’m currently playing Hodel opposite Jason Alexander in a new L.A. production of Fiddler on the Roof directed by Lonny Price.
Whether I’m acting in them, writing them, producing or directing them, I want to tell stories about iron-willed women. There are so many to tell!

I come from a long line of these women myself- Balaboostas, as we call them in my New Jersey Jewish family. That’s a yiddish word for the kind of woman we’re talking about, the ones who are great at whatever they take on, simply because they have the ironclad confidence to do so. Anytime I get to tackle a story about a woman like this, I feel like I’m making my own Balaboostas proud, and I’m proud to live in a time where we’re really ready to celebrate them.

I love working in an industry where I don’t have to be just one thing. As an actor, I’ve been lucky enough to work on a few splashy sets, and at some amazing theatres all over the country. But it wasn’t until I started writing that I began to feel some ownership over my career. I like writing comedies that poke fun at the ridiculousness of being human. If I can take the stuff that swirls around in all of our heads and makes us feel crazy, and throw it on a screen so we can all have a good laugh about it, I feel like I’m doing my job.

But the thing I’m proudest of this year is launching a podcast with my Dad (cute, right?). It’s a finance podcast called “Dan has a plan: Beyond the balance sheet.” He’s a Certified Financial Planner and I’m financially clueless, and together we talk to experts from every field and learn how finance is so much more than 401K’s. You can listen on Spotify/Apple Podcasts.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

A few years ago, I was working on a project with an incredible group of women, and one of them shared an essay entitled, “How to make space for quality to show up in your life” by Danielle Laporte. The essay uses an interior design metaphor about having an ugly chair in your room, and wanting to replace it with a cuter, better, more perfect chair. Her advice? Get rid of the ugly chair first, before you’ve found the perfect replacement. Take risks, fortune favors the bold, change is good- all lessons that continue to stick with me every step of the way.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

This is so selfish but, hands down, the most rewarding part of my job is getting to work with veterans of stage and screen. I think I’m an old soul. Nah, I KNOW I’m an old soul. Even when I was little, I was always drawn to the adults in the room. I was the kid at Thanksgiving who instead of playing football with her siblings and cousins, would hang back in the kitchen and listen to the adults chat over a pot of soup. I don’t know, maybe I thought they had the key to life (they did and they do). So the fact that I’m in a career where I’m always working with people smarter, wiser, more experienced than me is right up my alley. I love standing around a coffee pot on rehearsal breaks and hearing crazy stories, acting advice, career conundrums. It’s the connection for me. I look forward to the day when I’m the old lady mentoring a little shaina maydel like me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alannajsmith.me
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alannajsmith
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/alannajaclyn
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/6utvHb2yh4OQ4Ic6p5hRYN?si=0c86b8e8ff7643e3

Image Credits

Danielle Nowak, Mark Garvin