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

Cynthia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

If I could go back in time I most assuredly would have started my creative career sooner. I officially started my creative career at the ‘ripe old age’ of 28. I say ‘ripe old age’ because most of my peers at my acting conservatory were recent high school graduates. Whereas this was their ‘college’ experience, I had already completed my undergrad degree in another area altogether, and therein lies the reason for my ‘late start’. I was one of two students who were considered to be the oldest students in the entire school; he was 33. Although I started ‘late’ I believe doing has allowed me to enjoy some advantages. Embarking on such a career at the age of 30, for example, meant I had a certain amount of life experience to know who I was and what I believed for the most part (about any number of things). As I result, I was able to show up in a certain way whenever I entered an audition room, agent’s meeting, or what have you. I didn’t always get it right, but when I did I was proud of my decisions. Unfortunately, I don’t think I would have been as steadfast had I entered my creative career at a younger age. As an introvert, I hadn’t ‘found my voice’ so to speak. Being unsure of oneself leaves too much room for others to take advantage. Trust me when I say I have seen my fair share of such things. With this in mind, it is plausible that I began my creative career at just the right time.

Cynthia, 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?

Hello to those who may be meeting me for the first time! Hello again to those who may have met me! My name is Cynthia Garcia and I am the Founder/Executive Director of Exalted Arts, a professional, non-union theatre production company. I got into this business of entrepreneurship because I wanted to bring a different type of theatrical work to the marketplace; one where God was present in a real sort of way, as opposed to being a joke or a caricature. I started my career with acting and slowly found my way into writing plays. I eventually ended up establishing Exalted Arts as a means by which great theatre could be produced without compromising the values in which I believe; but rather esteem such values, and challenge the perspectives of those who are both like-minded and those who are not. At the end of the day, really great theatre holds up a mirror to society. With Exalted Arts, I saw an opportunity to include a segment of American culture that is often overlooked or belittled in the world of theatre and I took it. As a result, we are a theatre company committed to developing bridges between theatre arts and Christian-faith based interests; what sets Exalted Arts apart is it is a theatre production company committed to enriching faith. This means its work runs the gamut of getting down and dirty with the issues of the day to presenting light-hearted entertainment that delights the heart. It also means Community Prayer is offered on a regular basis where everyone is welcomed to attend.

What I am most proud of are the core values this non-profit theatre company has established over a period of time. They are: people, integrity, humility, boldness, biblical truth, and excellence. Abiding by these core tenets helps Exalted Arts stay accountable to the people who follow, patronize and donate to its cause, as well as remain accountable to itself. What I want potential followers, patrons, and donors to know about our work is it centers around 3 main components: God, people, and compelling/meaningful theatrical works. It is for this reason that we actively seek to work with local playwrights whose voices are yearning to be heard and align with our mission, as well as provide performance and enrichment programming for middle-school students all over the City of Houston.

I wasn’t always aware, but Exalted Arts is the company I have always wanted to lead.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the journey of watching a thought I had being actualized in terms of either words being produced on a page, an actor speaking the words of a character that was conceived, and/or finally seeing the work realized and made available for the enjoyment/scrutiny of the public at large. Whatever the final outcome of feedback that is ultimately received, there is no greater reward than ‘birthing the baby’; talk about elation.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A story from my journey that illustrates my resilience was when a New York talent agent (who shall remain unnamed) ‘read me the riot act’ so to speak. This is another way of saying that she was severely unkind to me. Ms. Agent met with me as a favor to a well-known comedian, who happens to be a family friend. I was so excited to get my foot in the door and thought since I was in the door that said agent would be impressed with my study, my monologues, some of the work I had the good fortune to garner on my own, and my continuing pursuit of working on my craft. This was not to be my lot. After listening to my monologues, Ms. Agent asked me about my goals/plans. I shared with her my desire to work on Broadway, and after having realized this dream move to LA to garner some film work. Ms. Agent literally laughed in my face. She pointed out that I didn’t have a reel, how the competition was so great in LA, that there wasn’t a demand for my ‘type’, and basically that I had a long way to go. She was brutal in her delivery and her demeanor. She told me to tell ‘comedian friend’ to give her a call when he’s back in New York. Needless to say, I was deflated when I left her office. In my conservatory training, I had been taught that the acting world was small, that one had to ‘mind their ‘Ps’ and ‘Qs’, etc. In other words, one did not want to have a ‘bad reputation’ while trying to get a ‘reputation’. All this was in my mind as I held my tongue and walked out of her door (after having thanked her).

However, this episode bothered me for days. I was so confident in my skill set prior to meeting Ms. Agent, but now I started to doubt myself. She was the ‘expert’ right? She should know, right? Little by little I became angry, and I decided that this agent’s behavior was highly unacceptable, highly unprofessional, and very unnecessary. I reasoned that since I was an ‘unknown’ anyway, letting her know my stance on the matter wasn’t too much of a risk after-all. In that moment, I decided that my own thoughts about my talent, my vision, my goals was what most important–not a mean New York talent agent.
With resolve, I purchased stationary to write a most gracious letter pointing out the flaws in Ms. Agent’s perspective, as well as her character. Couldn’t she have treated me more kindly since I was referred to her by someone she knows? I let her know that her opinion was of no consequence to me, and how unfortunate it was to meet her. I kept to the king’s English, using not one profane word; simply expressing my experience of her, and how being in a seat of power could be used in a more productive manner than the way she had chosen. I had my say. The burden of my grief dissipated. I got my ‘mojo’ back. The rest, as they say, is history.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.exaltedarts.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exaltedartsusa/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExaltedArtsTheatreCo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exaltedarts/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/exaltedartsusa