Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erica Doran. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Erica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. 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’ve been performing from a young age but I really fell in love with musical theatre in high school. From there I knew I wanted to pursue a career as a singer and actress and was fortunate to study musical theatre in a competitive BFA Program at Syracuse University. My education at Syracuse also afforded me the opportunity to study in New York City for a semester, fully immersed in the city where it happens with acclaimed professionals as my instructors, and that education was immeasurable. I was easily able to transition to living in New York City as soon as that semester finished. When you’re a performer, the learning is never done. Even after finishing college I continued taking voice lessons and attending professional workshops and coachings throughout my entire 15 year tenure living as a professional performer in the City. I think the more you can study and the more perspectives you can gain from industry professionals, the better off you will be in the long run. We are never done learning – the industry is constantly changing and with it so are the styles of singing and performance that are revered and expected. The biggest obstacle that stands in the way of learning tends to be money – the top tier coaches and teachers in the Broadway world are extremely expensive. I was lucky to train with some of the best but it came at a massive cost so I did not get to work with them as often as I would have liked to. I’m not certain I could’ve sped up my learning process too much… we all learn at the pace that we learn at and often times with performing and musical theatre, a lot of the skills you learn are acquired from actually performing. And we don’t have much control over how much work we get to do. So much of what I know and use now on stage I got from being in shows and working with great directors who helped me to grow. I think the more theatre that you can do, the better you will get at being on stage. Especially if you’re lucky to work with strong directors.
Once I left New York and moved to South Carolina my entire life focus shifted to teaching the craft I once used to make a living. I still perform here but not nearly as much, though I do find that it is very important for me to keep MY skills sharp so that when I am teaching others about singing and acting, I know I’ve been practicing what I preach. I am now working to educate myself on the best practices for teaching voice to aspiring singers and I am having a BLAST being a student again and learning all about something I am SO passionate about. I have found voice coaches and teachers and establishments that I look up to, whose methods I really admire and believe in, and I am constantly studying different and exciting methods for teaching voice. I look forward to continuing my education and growing as a voice coach so that I can fulfill my personal mission – instilling a love of musical theatre and performance to help others find confidence in themselves and passion for being on stage telling stories that can help change the world.
Erica, 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?
My name is Erica Doran and I am a voice coach in Greenville South Carolina. I fell into voice teaching by accident – I moved to Greenville after spending 15 years of my life working as a professional actress and singer based out of New York City. In my performing career I toured internationally in musicals and with the USO Show Troupe, performing for military around the world. I’ve done shows Off-Broadway and had the chance to perform some of my dream roles in theaters around the United States. When not in musicals, I sang in piano bars and jazz clubs in New York as a side job. I was super fortunate to have an incredible career and to sing on some amazing stages – my last one in New York being New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Times Square in 2021. Once I said goodbye to the city and moved to South Carolina I wanted to stay close to theatre as it is where my heart is, so I volunteered to assistant music direct a local community theatre production of Newsies. While there, one of my chorus members asked me if I taught voice lessons. I had truly never considered it but she asked if I would try because she liked our work together on the musical, so I gave her a practice voice lesson. From there, my studio was born! I learned that I loved teaching and I was able to get some great results from my first few students, helping them find and expand their voices safely and effectively, and helping them book work in local theatre productions. I was hooked quickly! My company is called Made for the Stage and my main focus is on musical theatre and pop singing. I am super passionate about helping instill confidence in my students – both in themselves and their voices. For me there is just nothing better than singing and I love to connect with people on that and help them access safe and healthy sounds that they love! I am extremely proud that in just two years I have seen over 100 students, I started teaching at a local college, and I have put on two successful cabaret performances with my talented students. I adore being able to go to pretty much every single show happening at the many theaters around town and see multiple students of mine gracing the stage after we land them their roles with excellent audition packages we practice together. I find the work incredibly fulfilling and I’m excited for the studio to continue to grow!
Have you ever had to pivot?
So my whole business now is a HUGE pivot. I started out as an artist and performer myself and I did it for YEARS. Living as an actor in NYC – it becomes your entire identity. It HAS to. It is a major grind that comes with many struggles so if you don’t pour your entire body/heart/soul into it you are bound to give up quickly. Plenty of people do, and there is NO shame in that – it’s NOT for the faint of heart. I pursued the Broadway dream for YEARS and never quite got to where I wanted to, but I knew after all the work that I put into my craft that it wasn’t for lack of talent or skills. There are many other aspects that go into making it (partly luck and right place right time, also partly who you know in the industry which was always tricky for me.) After many years grinding it out trying to reach that top goal I started to get tired and was no longer feeling fueled by life in the city. When the pandemic hit in 2020 I took it as my sign from the universe – there was no longer a theatre business happening and it was uncertain how long things would be down. I knew that was my chance to step away. I told myself I was just taking a gap year from the city but I think I knew deep down maybe it would be longer. Once I moved away and allowed life to take me where it would take me (I completely chose Greenville at random knowing NO ONE here. Talk about a pivot!), I knew I just couldn’t handle life in New York anymore. Things felt a lot easier, it felt easier to breathe. So I slowly built myself a new network of friends – I met local actors and artists, volunteered my time and voice to projects locally, and I “accidentally” started a voice teaching business that has become my new love! Along with that I also met my now husband, bought my first home EVER, and became an adjunct professor of voice at a local college. I have absolutely no regrets and am so in love with my new life and all of the beautiful changes that occurred by taking a leap of faith and letting the Universe show me my next course of action!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
That old saying – do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life? It’s really true. If you’re blessed to be a creative person who is fueled by the arts – you’ve got to utilize that. Even if you don’t do it for a living – creativity is a gift not to be squandered or taken lightly. Not everyone has got it. I have always had an artist’s heart and have been fortunate to spend almost my entire adult life doing work that had SOMETHING to do with the arts or singing. When I first moved to SC I decided I wanted to try and get a “normal” job and I did have a couple of them for about a year and a half before my inner artist started kicking me from the inside and I started to feel awful, like crying every other day because I felt so unfulfilled. So I left my “normal” job and threw myself back in the artist pool – starting my business as a voice coach working with other artists. And though it’s a lot more of a struggle when it comes to making a living and guaranteeing financial stability – I am SO much more fulfilled when I am connected to the arts. My SOUL is happy. And that’s more than most people can say in their chosen careers! Music and art is healing – it touches people, it can change opinions, move mountains, heal the world. To be a part of that and to do it for a living is such a gift. Being able to inspire a younger generation of singers and artists is even more powerful than just doing it myself – I feel like I get to be a tiny part of so many legacies that are yet to come as my students go out and help heal the world through their art.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @madeforthestageSC
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madeforthestageSC
Image Credits
Katherine Escobar Photography