We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandon Billings a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?

Am I happier as an artist or creative? Well, both. Actors are both artists and creators. We’re always creating art for people to see, to hear, and to reflect. I have been working professionally for about 4 years and have just begun a new adventure diving back into the world of education. I am working towards obtaining my MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) in acting at the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. But, during my 4 years working professionally, did I ever think about what my life would look like with a regular job? Of course, I did. I thought about it constantly until I had the realization that what I do as an actor/creator is MY regular job. This is my life now, for better or for worse. I believe I’m married to my work for the rest of my life. I came to this realization when I was hired to be an actor for a production that I worked so hard for, only for our closing weekend to close due to COVID-19-related illness. I was devastated. It felt like there was no closure to all the heart, sweat, dedication, long hours, sleepless nights, and work we as a creative team put in to tell a beautiful Latin story for our Colorado audience. It damaged me for some time. I took almost 6 months off from performing because I was so keen on never feeling like that again, but I realized something incredibly important that changed my perspective on being an actor in this modern age. The work we put into our rehearsals and our “actor homework” is the art. The performances are the presentation of this wonderful world we created. Even though this beautiful production closed early, we still created impactful art and told a story that audiences were captivated by. The production was “The River Bride” by the wonderful playwright, Marisela Treviño Orta.

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?

I come from a small town in Colorado called Alamosa. I was born and raised by my amazing parents who actually encouraged me to become an actor. Shocking I know. After my senior year of high school, I went out to Los Angeles, California to begin being an actor with little to no training whatsoever. After living back and forth for a couple of years between California and Colorado, I was struck with a heavy case of racism in the industry. Upon my first meeting after an agent panel, I met with a potential agent with the hopes that they would sign me and I could begin auditioning for various projects. However, the agent began asking me questions about my ethnic background. Asking questions like, “how Mexican are you?”, “can you speak Spanish?” etc. After telling said agent I couldn’t speak Spanish fluently, he looked me in the eyes and said “well I can’t really hire you now can I? If you are a Mexican who can’t speak Spanish, then I can’t get you cast in telenovelas.” Yep… So I quickly left Los Angeles for good and began my undergraduate theatre training at Adams State University in Alamosa Colorado. I returned to my hometown for a few more years because I became fully encompassed in the theatre training. I graduated with honors in 2020. In 2021, I moved to Denver Colorado to begin my acting career and quickly began booking contracts with various theatre companies in or around Denver. Now, 4 years later I am in Florida to obtain my MFA degree in acting. I get asked consistently, “What will you do with your MFA degree upon graduation?” My answer… I simply do not know. But what I do know is that I have faith that my path will be my path, and it will be the path that was meant for me and only me. No one else is in charge of my story but me.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is the ability to share stories with audiences. Stories are literal windows into other lives and cultures. People go to theatres and cinemas to be entertained, but sometimes they come out of those experiences with a difference in perspective. We are constantly evolving as human beings, and that in itself is such a complex thing to grasp a hold of. But as an actor/creative, we can aid in that ever-evolving state of being by creating characters and telling stories that reflect human interaction.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Theatres are struggling. There is no secret about that. I think that our American culture and society should take a page from the amazing artists and theatres in London. Here in America, Theatre is a product. It’s all about money. The theatres that have little to no financial support are the ones that are taking the risks and telling stories that major market theatres won’t even come close to touching. Truth is, how many times can we pay for a regurgitated production of Oscar’s and Hammerstien’s Cinderella? Not saying there is anything wrong with that show, some have their opinions and are allowed to have them, but the production itself is just over-done in my opinion. When will audiences let go of old traditions and begin embracing the new wave of theatre, the new stories written by and for artists of color, by queer artists, by kids whose parents take them to see productions of “The River Bride”, of the musical adaption of “Raisin”? Time will tell, but the art of theatre has been around since the Greeks and will continue to be forever but the question always remains…how can we do better? How can we be better to one another?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brandonbillings.net

Image Credits

Sarah Roshan
Rachael Mccombs-Graham
Amanda Tipton