We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Juliet Fischer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Juliet thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
A few years ago I was in an existential crisis. I had been married 15 years, my kids were 11 and 14. I had done what I thought a ‘good mother’ would do. I had put my needs on hold to take care of my family. I would do a local show every now and then, but for the most part, I was ‘mom’ or Dougs wife. Enter an old friend of mine who was directing the show 9 to 5 and needed a strong female to play the lead. He asked if I could do it. I jumped at the opportunity. It was fantastic and filled my creative soul in ways I didn’t know I needed. I felt like I had been reawakened. But when I would go home after the show, I realized how unfulfilling daily life was. Cue mid-life crisis. I fell into a deep depression. Like bottom of the barrel ‘I’ll never be happy again’ depression. I couldn’t get out of bed, I didn’t want to parent. I didn’t want to cope. Just a horrible sense of not belonging. To my husbands credit, he encouraged me to write. Writing has always help me unclutter my mind. So I did. I wrote about my life performing in NY and the journey to motherhood/wifedom. The more I wrote, the more I realized I had a good story to tell. So I found songs that fit the story I was telling and came up with a one woman show. I called it My Midlife Cabaret. I booked a theater before I could chicken out. I was terrified. To stand in front of an audience and talk about your most personal fears and talk about your depression seemed crazy. The first show sold out in one day. The audience feed back was better than any thing I could have imagined. I got personal emails and Facebook posts thanking me for saying what they couldn’t. For making them not feel alone. So I booked another show, and another. I performed the show a total of 5 times, and every show had the same reaction. Broadway world came to my show in LA and gave it a rave review, but not just for my performance, but for the subject matter. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done and the thing I’m most proud of. Through creativity I wrote myself out of my depression. It took a long time. It wasn’t over night, but it helped so much. I’m a better person for having gone through that dark time, and writing that play helped me realize I’m a true artist. So many of us performers have imposter syndrome, where we don’t feel like a ‘real’ actor/performer. But after producing that show, I know I’m where I’m supposed to be.
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 got into the entertainment industry through dance. I started out as a ballerina. I LOVED ballet. But after puberty I was no longer the skinny rail that was so popular in the 80’s. I was told I was too big to be a ballet dancer. I was crushed and it took me a while to regroup. I took a gap year after high school to work on a cruise ship as a dancer. I had done a fair amount of theater in High School so when I got home I decided to audition for schools for acting. I was accepted to UCLA. I was hungry to get into the ‘real’ world, so I got my BA in 3 years and moved to NY 2 weeks after graduating. I lived in NY for 9 years. I performed on Broadway and in National tours and at Radio City as a Rockette. I left NY at 30 to try my luck in LA where I met my husband. We settled in the OC to raise our kids. This business is all about reinventing yourself. It’s a hard business in general and especially so for aging women. I’ve learned that you can’t wait for the business to come to you. You have to create your own business and be patient and always have a side hustle. After writing my one woman show I realized I can write my own material. I’ve written a sitcom pilot and I’m currently working on a screen play. I have no idea if they will get picked up, but it keeps me in the business and keeps the creative juices flowing.
I have to constantly remind myself to trust the process. All you can do is put yourself out there. Sometimes the smallest thing can lead to something big. Last year I did a small local play that went to Off-Broadway for 7 weeks in NY.
I also teach dance at Chapman University and have my own Dance Fitness business. That’s my side hustle. It’s perfect for me as it’s still in the business to a degree and I get to help other dancers and people stay in shape. I have so much knowledge in me, it’s great to get to pass that on.
When I was younger I was pigeon holed as a ballerina. It’s taken me a long time to realize a true artist can be good at many mediums. I dictate who and what I am.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
15 years ago my husband and I took over a struggling women’s only fitness center. We revamped it and brought in classes. At the time Zumba was the big hit, so we added those classes every day of the week. We found a great instructor and business really picked up. Lo and behold, our instructor ended up in the hospital with an appendicitis! Good instructors were very hard to come by, so my husband looked at me and said, “you could do it!” Mind you, at the time our instructor taught 15 classes a week. I was 38, and definitely not in cardio shape. I learned her class in one day, and then stepped in. I was exhausted! 15 cardio classes a week?? Luckily I only had to do that schedule for 6 weeks. Once she came back I took over 2 classes a week. (Much more feasible) But I did save our gym for the time being, and it forced me into a new position as teacher. It’s been 14 years now. I still teach 3 classes a week and have built up a nice following. We no longer own that gym, but my clients follow me wherever I go. My dance fitness business had made it through 4 different locations, all of Covid, when I taught online, and now in my current location. I’m proud of my business and the kind of teacher I have become.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to never stop creating. I’ve been called a “renaissance man”.. I’m a performer. I sing, dance and act, but I’m also an amateur artist and a woodworker. I performed on the silks, and I’m teaching myself the ukulele, slowly. If I don’t have a show or a project to keep me busy, I get restless. Covid was difficult for me. Not having an outlet to perform was hard. So I painted, built a table, learned the uke. It wasnt enough, but it kept me sane. If we’re not moving forward, we’re moving backward. There is no staying in place. There’s a saying for dancers, “you don’t stop dancing because you get old, You get old cause you stop dancing. “ and I think that idea is true in all areas. When we stop being creative is when we stop growing as a human being. My goal is to constantly create. Even if it’s just for me. I want to create things that MEAN something to me. When I was young I spent so much time trying to figure out what ‘they’ wanted. “They being the casting directors, choreographers and producers. But now I know most of the time ‘they’ don’t know what they want until they see it. If you create something real and from the heart, people recognize that. So stop trying to impress people and just be true to yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: Julietfischer.com
- Instagram: @juliet_still_kicking
- Facebook: Juliet Fischer
- Youtube: Juliet Schulein
- Yelp: JFit dance fitness
- Other: TikTok @danceschu