We were lucky to catch up with Aubyn Philabaum recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Aubyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

Oh geez I feel like I’m constantly learning new lessons – but a moment I often think about happened while waiting tables years ago. I was clearing dishes off of the table of a large party. My guests were commenting on how impressed they were with all of the plates I was able to carry, so I kept going – stacking more plates, loving the attention. With the last plate I (and all the dishes) went crashing to the ground. The sound echoed through the restaurant. Broken dishes and food were everywhere. My Manager later said to me, “You don’t have to be the hero all the time, Aubyn.” I think about that a lot in both my acting and coaching – when my ego gets in the way and I start trying to prove something, the work fails. There is no strength in blind self-interest.

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 back background and context?

Absolutely! I’m a professional actor, acting coach and teacher – I’ve been acting since I was five, and coaching and teaching actors for about 15 years. Five years ago in Los Angeles, I opened Book The Room Coaching for the Professional Actor, which provides One-on-One Acting Coaching, and a Master’s Approach to the Self-Tape Audition. Last year, I began the Aubyn Philabaum Acting Studio, which is geared towards Beginning and Intermediate level Acting Classes for curious artists in Tucson, Arizona.

I work intuitively in my coaching and teaching – instead of using a formulaic or methodical approach, I combine my classical training (BFA in Acting, Boston University; MFA in Acting, The Yale School of Drama) with training from numerous private classes and studios in both NY and LA. I take bits and pieces from various teachers, and incorporate them into the work. All pieces of knowledge, ideas, steps in the process of how to break down text and build a character – are tools for the actor’s toolbox.
Students are given room to breathe in their journey as they find their character – testing different ideas and choices.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

It’s my goal for every actor – every person – that comes through Book The Room Coaching and the Aubyn Philabaum Acting Studio to feel seen, heard, and celebrated for their uniqueness. Every human has a story to tell and their own divine way to tell it – whether through body and voice, through writing, directing…I aim to hold space for artists of all ages, to let them know that their voices matter, and the world WANTS to hear what they have to say. Our imaginations are tempered at an early age in this world – and what a detriment that is to our humanity! Reconnecting with our bold imaginations, our wild and beautiful spirits can – I believe – bring people together, through common understandings, interests, shared experience – and also by teaching each other. There is healing in communication, through stories. And a story begins with one voice.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I recently made two big pivots – personally and professionally. I left LA and moved back to my hometown of Tucson, AZ to spend time with my parents, help out. Everything being online, it seemed like it was going to be an easy adjustment – but then the WGA (writers guild) strike followed by the SAG-AFTRA (screen actors guild) strike lasted the majority of 2023, which meant I was out of work as both actor and coach. (I was and still am in full support of both strikes). So, another pivot – I opened an in-person acting studio in Tucson. These transitions have been full of learning curves. I am re-learning a town I haven’t lived in for over two decades. And, I went from living in the two largest entertainment markets in the country (New York and LA), to a town that has a very small (albeit slowly growing) entertainment market. So, what is the vibe here? How do I reach potential clients? Who are the potential clients? The Studio will be evolving for a while. As will I, in this town. It is a new world for me. I miss the big cities, the communities where I was surrounded by colleagues engaged in the same industry as me. But I wouldn’t change this move for anything. Being with my family is the greatest gift, and Tucson is a really special city to wake up in every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.apactingstudio.com
• Instagram: @booktheroomcoaching
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubyn.philabaum
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubynphilabaum/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/aubyn-philabaum-acting-studio-tucson

Image Credits
Ann Marie Donahue Photography Last 30 Photography Michael David Designs