We were lucky to catch up with Cher Álvarez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cher , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I had an incredible high school drama theatre teacher, Kylene Hurley and she really was the first person ever to provide me with a foundation for acting. It was seeing her love for the craft that I believe really inspired me. I loved watching her direct, she always approached the work with so much heart and truth. It fueled me to want to start getting to know myself on an intimate level as a storyteller.
I would definitely lean more into the discipline of the craft not to speed it up but to build a routine, a ritual. It’s a an intricate process to build a world for a character and it requires patience and a willingness to reflect. You’re a detective in a way and its crucial that you set aside time to re read that script as much as possible, all the answers are within the story.
For me the obstacle is myself. The imposter syndrome, the self sabotage that kicks in. I have encountered it with every project. Now its just a matter of what narrative I choose to entertain. Because its a choice right? You have the power to pick and choose your thoughts, and I’m giving myself more grace these days to sit in the discomfort of the feeling, accept it, and then let it go. And I do that at least 20 more times that day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I came into show business kind of by force. A loving force. I was a competitive swimmer for quite some time and when I finally had the gall to say ¨hey, this isńt for me anymore ¨ my mother was incredibly supportive but she was a single mom raising three kids and I needed an after school activity because she couldn’t afford to leave work early. So she did her research and saw that my high school was holding auditions for the spring musical ¨Sweet Charity ¨. I had dabbled in a play here and there growing up, but this felt way more vulnerable and it had me feeling terrified. But I got in and instantly fell in love with the community. A bunch of loving, wholesome humans that were all owning their freak flag and it helped me to break out of my shell. The stage gave me access to explore myself. To make a choice, to play, to explore the boundaries of failure and keep expanding. And I didńt know until my junior year in high school that this was something I could potentially pursue on a professional level. My friend told me about unified auditions taking place in Chicago and we went together with our dreams in our hearts, a headshot that was not really a headshot of me and a resume that was short and sweet. I was so ignorant as to what kind of material I should have for these kinds of auditions. So I chose what felt most relatable to me, what felt closest to my heart. This led to me pursue a BFA in musical theatre at Webster Conservatory in St. Louis Missouri. My four years in undergrad were some of the most harrowing yet rewarding experiences. I met some beautiful people, got the opportunity to perform in Cuba, and met one of my favorite mentors Tim Ocel who helped guide me to deepen the work and that took me to spend one of the most incredible summers at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. And to this day those actors are some of the best artists and humans I have had the privilege of sharing space with. They taught me about text analysis, the power of my voice and how to use it in theatre, because there, very rarely are they miked. Just wholesome people that love the hell out of storytelling. I was introduced to collaboration there and that’s where the fire really began for me.
I continued my journey to do my first big role at Milwaukee Rep playing Emily in ¨Our Town ¨and that show right there ignited something in me, and I just knew that I had made the right decision at least career wise with my life. You have moments in rehearsal rooms where you are just looking around and its all just a bunch of big kids with life experiences that have broken us or expanded us, but yet here we are channeling the inner child to explore the human condition.
I then continued the next phase of my life and pursued my career in the Chicago market, and that was absolutely incredible. I got to experience an array of shows and directors, work alongside other working actors that shared a similar love for the craft. I got the opportunity to play at some of my dream houses, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, and The Goodman. I couldńt believe that a young latina was able to be playing at these houses. It was a rare to see that. I did an all femme latina show at Steppenwolf that explored the ongoing battle of feminicide specifically in Mexico. And that process changed the way the I approached my work. Also it illuminated the importance for me of the courage to speak on issues that are present and alive today and how theatre is a place, a platform where we can explore those boundaries. This has led me to play roles on camera, on stage, where Ím always trying too find the ways of where the character meets me, but also what can I learn from them too. What is being revealed in this moment of time for me. It’s all always revealing itself to you. And for me it’s important to have faith in yourself and your capabilities.
That stuck with me. The power of being a latina and making the choice in every room not to conform, but to always serve as a vessel for honesty. It’s not an easy business to advocate for yourself, but its important to find the courage to do so for the next latina paving their way.
I’m proud to have chosen this way of life. Sure it absolutely has its challenges and you’re constantly facing unemployment, but you start to find ways to feed that hunger to create. There are so many avenues to take and so many sides of the business to learn that I am barely starting to tap into.

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

Latinos are underrepresented in this industry. There is so much history and many stories that I’m sure are buried for a myriad of reasons. But, its my goal to uncover the truth for myself and humanity at large. And that all starts with me. I’m the bones of that, I believe storytellers are healers. I know, its absolutely esoteric, but I strongly believe we have the power to heal, to regenerate. We just have to be willing to unveil the truth. And I want it to be uncomfortable. I get just this one life in this body of mine. So why not learn and access the parts of myself that terrifies me. If i want to do that on a prolific level such as the stage or on camera I have to be willing to love and heal myself.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

My teachers, my mentors. Building the trust and surrendering to being a student. The accountability is so crucial, especially when things get difficult. Ím working with someone right now that has absolutely changed my life for the best. It’s really an incredible moment in time and space when you allow yourself to be seen. It’s scary, yes absolutely, but to allow someone in, to be a reflection of you, best thing I could have done for myself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Thnx4chering

Image Credits

Headshot but Dana Patrick