We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gail Cronauer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gail below.

Gail, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Everything that I do is connected to encouraging, supporting, instructing, guiding people to move toward their personal goals, using their creativity and as yet unlocked potential. When I was a child, my dad built a blackboard for me in our basement so I could play teacher to my toys and siblings! I have remained a life-long teacher – and learner! In college and grad school, studying theatre and the many skills and disciplines it entails, I took advantage of every opportunity I could to pass on what I had learned to others. Being present when someone experiences a moment of discovery, an “Oh, wow!” moment, enriches both their world and mine! I find that teaching is one of the best ways to deepen my knowledge – and to reveal areas in which I need to, want to, explore more. As a student, things were not always presented to me in a way that was clear, interesting or accessible. Instruction often lacked an atmosphere of passion, positivity and joy. I work to find ways to rectify that in all I do. As an acting teacher and a director, I have witnessed the power of creativity and expression, storytelling and community: in classroom work, performance, discussion or simple human interaction. A few well chosen words, a recommendation, a connection can direct someone to a near or distant goal – including ones that may seem to have little or nothing to do with the arts. As an actor, I am happiest and most productive when I am in that “zone.” The same is true of real life situations. LIFE is a creation!

Gail, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in New Jersey. I started dancing because I had flat feet. Acting was just the next step. I headed to Ohio after high school where I earned a BA from Antioch College and an MFA in Acting from Case Western Reserve University. I’ve taken courses and workshops in numerous areas – e.g., dance, improv, psychology – and am certified by the National Michael Chekhov Association as an instructor of that dynamic approach to acting. I teach Chekhov classes at Theatre 3 in Dallas to professionals and students as well as non-actors seeking to expand their expressive skills, confidence and overall well-being. I continue to teach acting, auditioning and acting on camera privately, at 1106 Lupo and Media Tech Institute. My background in voice and movement adds to my skill and effectiveness as a performance and life coach. I am passionate about guiding and supporting emerging artists and human beings!

I have taught on the faculties of Southern Methodist University, Webster College, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Illinois State University. I led the Theatre Discipline at Collin College in Plano, Texas, retiring in 2020 to focus on work in the film/television media, as an actor, teacher, writer and whatever else I may discover.

I got my SAG-AFTRA card working on the series Guilty or Innocent? filmed in Dallas and have been fortunate to work on a number of memorable projects: The Vast Of Night, One of These Days, Te Ata, Flesh and Bone, The Newton Boys, Carried Away, Boys Don’t Cry, JFK. I became a member of AEA (Actors Equity Association) while working at the groundbreaking Stage One. I have received numerous awards and nominations for my work with local theatres including Kitchen Dog Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Undermain and Shakespeare Dallas, where I played Emelia to Morgan Freeman’s Othello.  I was thrilled – and terrified – to play Richard in the Judith Shakespeare Company’s off-Broadway production of Richard III, as well as Macduff in the all-women A Macbeth at Dallas Theater Center.

I have enjoyed working on several webseries including Delphis (I play a dog), Bail Out, Makin’ It and Piggy’s Lament, and a number of remarkable short films: (S)hit Squad, Baked Potato Night, Mama Love, Cinephiles, Pasture Prime. Highlights of my directing career include working with Joe Bob Briggs on his one-man show and staging the opening and closing ceremonies of the 3rd International Women’s Peace Conference.

I currently serve on the DFW local SAG –AFTRA board and am Vice President of Women in Film Dallas and on the President’s Conference of Women in Film Television – US.

I am represented as an actor by The Campbell Agency, The Krasny Office (TKO) and Cohen Entertainment. I am an activist and extreme recycler. In my spare time, I enjoy dancing to the radio, making noise, digging in the dirt, working with tools and learning new things – especially languages. I am the proud mother of choreographer Adam Hougland and teacher/artist Noah Hougland.

I look forward to collaborating with people who are creating content (films, stage productions, podcasts, events, experiences) that sheds positive light on the human experience, offers hope and explores solutions to contemporary problems, big and small.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The acting profession is unlike any other. While building and experiencing your own life, you are simultaneously experiencing and learning from the lives of all the characters you are portraying. It is education by the immersion! The creative community required to stage a play or shoot a film or TV show is a microcosm of the larger society. We are actively engaged in finding out how society functions – or doesn’t – each time we go to work. The level of trust, communication and cooperation required is nourishing and reaffirms our trust, our belief, in humanity.
Much is now being said about the unreasonable demands creatives – especially actor and writers – are making of those who often employ them. What we are asking is that our work, our creative labors, are respected and rewarded in a way that allows us the security and comfort to go home after a day on set, enjoy a meal, time with the family or friends, a good night’s sleep, and the health and energy to get up in the morning and prepare to do again what we and our audiences love.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There is nothing fair about being an actor – or any creative, for that matter. It is seldom easy. It can be glorious one moment and non-existent the next. We work to take control of our careers but those who cast and applaud – or don’t- have the real control. Yet we love it: transforming, telling those stories, illuminating the human event. Once you have experienced this, it is hard, it can be impossible, to leave it- because it is thrilling and so needed.

Being a creative is NOT like riding a bicycle. Your need to develop new skills, to study new fields, to go beyond where you have been, is ongoing.

My creative work, at this point, is primarily as an actor. This is a tumultuous time for creative workers. I say WORKERS because that is what we are. Workers who need to find or develop ways to be paid a living wage for what they do.

Old models and systems are changing and we must change with them. We are still uncertain as to what that will mean. More self-generated content? Movement to platforms such as TikTok, YouTube or their off-spring? Creating new methods of distribution for our work, regardless of the format?

Any, of course, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and its potential threat to the creativity and earning power is a huge concern. Actors and other creatives are leading the fight to establish protection and regulation in that area. This is an issue that affects all of us.

Contact Info:

• Website: imdb.me/gailcronauer
• Instagram: @gailcronauer
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gail.cronauer/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/gail-cronauer-9647344/
• Twitter: #gailcronauer
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/DallasGail
• Other: https://activepitch.com/gailcronauer