We recently connected with Jim Anzide and have shared our conversation below.

Jim, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I was drawn to the theatre at a young, so performance has always been a part of my life. After getting my Masters in Fine Arts at The University of Washington, I knew I had to make a choice to move to New York or Los Angeles. LA, at the time, was the land-of-the-walking-headshots. Very little legitimate theatre was going on and young actors just put on showcases to get an agent who could walk them into the tv or film career of a lifetime. I was a dime a dozen.

After a year with a well-known agent and a bunch of auditions, I was able to get few small roles on television. The lack of an outlet for my creative expression was killing me. I had to do something! I worked in the non-profit sector most of my young adult life, so the idea of teaming up with a couple of like-minded friends from the repertory theatre world, who just so happened to land in LA as well, was a no-brainer. Within a few months of meetings, our 99-seat, not-for-profit dream was a reality – Circle X Theatre company was born in September of 1996.

Our fledging theatre company still exists today as it heads into its 27th season! Our logo was from a symbol that was given to immigrants who newly arrived in America through Ellis Island, NY. If your character, health or mental capacity were in question, your lapel was marked with a big, chalk X. If the final authority deemed you unfit for the New World, your X was circled. This now meant you “did not belong here” and with your new moniker you were sent back from whence you came.

Little did I know that my penchant for developing and working for non-profits along with my theatre background would lead me to the most meaningful project of my life so far. As a white, cis-gender, gay man in America I had few hardships but many more opportunities because of my inherent privileges. It wasn’t until January of 2008 when I was sitting at an intersection in Hollywood on a rainy day that an epiphany would come to me.

I had just campaigned for the Obama Administration and was elated with our victory. I had also campaigned against Prop. 8 which was a religious-right backed proposition that would stop people like me from getting married in the country that I loved. It would stop me from raising a family. It would attempt to erase my very existence. And it passed… As I sat in my rain-soaked car at that intersection in Hollywood I realized that at each road facing me was a tour bus of some sort: Starline Tours, The Dead Celebrity Tour, and finally Golden Age of Hollywood Tours. Sitting in my anger at the recent landslide passing of Prop. 8, I thought, “Why don’t the gays have a tour?!?!” I rushed home and googled “gay history tours” and there was virtually nothing.

I was determined to start something that was not only educational but also wildly entertaining. Imagine my surprise when I cracked open the book GAY LA and discovered that the gay civil rights movement started in a living room in Silver Lake in the 50’s. That the LAPD had to call for back-up against a cavalcade of angry drag queens in a coffee shop in 1958 – 11 years before Stonewall! And that the very first people of the land where our City of Angeles stands, the Tongva, believed in gay marriage, gay adoption, transgender and the idea that homosexuals were a gift to their tribes because they had “two spirits”. Thus, Out & About Tours was born and is now a part of the The Lavender Effect. The Lavender Effect LGBTQ+ Educational Tours are for everyone: young or old, gay or straight, plastic or paper.

THE LAVENDER EFFECT® is a nonprofit project of Community Partners that is Advancing the Future of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Allied (LGBTQ+) Heritage & Culture! Our Oral History Projects, Educational Seminars, PRIDE Explorer® app and Participatory Experiences reach a global audience to share authentic stories of LGBTQ+ Pioneers. Celebrating LGBTQ+ Heritage & Culture helps to demystify our diverse communities, reduce shame, combat homophobia, and empower youth.

Jim, 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 inspiration has always been to be part of something larger than myself. I’ve always thought that I am some sort of oracle who doesn’t know what the message is but when it reveals itself, I’ll be ready to speak the words. I know that can sound Narcissistic in a way, but it’s not about my message being anything more than speaking something that people need or want to hear at a certain time. These days we are surrounded by political leaders, media moguls, and CEO’s that believe their every word is golden and that we should believe every last syllable that they utter. Even at 3am on Twitter…

My belief is that the field can, and will, lie fallow for days, months, sometimes years. If something is not ready to make manifest, you must busy your time by having life experiences that will continue to keep you enthusiastic and hopeful and if and when something percolates, bubbles to the top and is ready to be expressed that one does it without ego and personal gain in sight. Just articulate to the best of your ability what it is and why it must be said NOW! This has historically been my goto for many of my projects, productions, etc. The waiting can be very frustrating, but when the message arrives and others hear it and respond – it is life changing.

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

I know it’s been said many times before, but it is crucial to initial success and continual success to know the following: YOU WILL FAIL!!! It doesn’t matter how many times you fail, it’s that you get back up EVERY time. As an actor, it is part of the business that for every job you book you will be turned down for hundreds. It’s just the nature of the beast. It’s the same in business too. For every idea you have, there are probably thousands of people across the globe who have the same idea. Maybe not, if it is so original, but that is a rarity.

If you have a great idea, you must take the time to nurture it carefully, You need the time to hone it as well. This takes time and patience but it ensures that you will run into fewer obstacles when you unveil your new idea to the world. These days everyone with a smart phone is a critic, an influencer and/or a naysayer – you must avoid the pitfalls of a bad debut because the critical world is not forgiving. Thank goodness they can be forgetful, sometimes after just a few week. If your idea trips on its first steps out into the world, rethink it, reshape it, let it evolve and if it’s that good of an idea – it just might work the next time. Keep at it!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’d have to go with the idea that “Opportunity Knocks” is complete and utter BS! You can’t wait for someone to knock on your door and invite you to the table. Instead, buy some wood, nails and a hammer. Build the damn door and open it yourself!! Hell, build the table too!!

I signed with an agent before moving down to LA and I thought my career would flourish after my first audition. It was incredibly naive and ultimately crippling after just a short time here. Having lead roles most of my life, I was sure I was a hot commodity and the next new thing. A friend of mine always humbly reminds me that “Actors are found objects”. Just because you trained for years, done a million shows and make people laugh at dinner parties doesn’t mean the kid walking his neighbor’s dog at the right time and the right place is not going to get the job on the new show that runs for 12 years!

The same goes in the business world. You must create your own demand! Money helps but should not be an obstacle to you realizing your dreams. Money comes. If your message is spot on, people will hear it and respond. Stop looking at your phone – no one is calling!  

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thelavendereffect.org/tours/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/circlextheatreco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-anzide-7b3a083/
• Other: I can also be reached at [email protected]

Image Credits
Jillian Armenante, Andy Sacher, Jim Anzide