We recently connected with Laura Ekstrand and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I went into college an English major, and by sophomore year I had declared Theatre Studies as my major. There was a magnetic pull that I couldn’t deny; all over campus there were flyers posted with auditions for all kinds of shows, and I couldn’t keep away from them. I took the introductory Theatre Studies class, and my section was taught by a student in the Yale Drama School MFA program. It felt challenging, exciting and essential. After that class, students had to audition to remain in the program, and I made it into the sophomore year acting class, and also an advanced class that focused on physical acting of all kinds. My pursuit of acting gained momentum, as I performed in five plays a year while doing classwork and working on and off-campus.

As graduation approached, I noticed that classmates were dressing up for on-campus interviews. There was no question that I would not be doing that. Because I lived in New Jersey, I knew I could go back and start auditioning in New York. I immediately booked a tour (non-Equity, educational), and I was off and running.

Laura, 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 spent the years after college acting in a lot of plays in New York, mostly showcases, and teaching acting to kids. I went to graduate school at Sarah Lawrence, where they welcomed a multi-hyphenate who wanted to learn more about acting, directing and playwriting. I always saw my career in the arts as including all of these skills, and after a year as a casting director for film, was reaffirmed in my desire to create an environment where there was room for me, and other artists, to grow and explore.

In 1994, a friend and I started what is now Vivid Stage. At the time, it was called Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, and was intended to be an ensemble of actors who would take charge of their own careers and create work for themselves and others. Thirty years later, the company is still an actor-focused organization whose goals are to challenge and nurture the person and the artist, and to accommodate the changes life brings as it makes a creative home for an ensemble.

Over the years, the company has grown and changed with the field and the world, but also as a result of the specific interests and skills of the company. We now focus on developing and producing new works, so cultivating relationships with playwrights is a high priority. Vivid Stage is the only professional theatre in New Jersey that has a resident improv team, The Flip Side. We have become more interested in working in other media, including a podcast, an audio drama, a web series and a feature film.

Some of our twelve ensemble members have been in the company for almost the entire thirty years, and the newest member has been around for only two. We take our commitment to artists seriously, so we want to invite only those whose work we know well and who are compatible with the existing group. We also want to make sure that long term company membership works with their career and personal goals.

I feel strongly that the quality of work that goes on a Vivid Stage, no matter what the medium, is a product of a supportive, trusting environment where we prioritize playfulness, respect and kindness. We are all free to take risks because we have eliminated the fear of rejection, which often plays a huge part in an actor’s experience.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Most young theatre artists have experience with teachers and directors who were rude, abusive or unkind. There’s a belief among some that in order to produce something good, the process needs to be difficult. And that any behavior is acceptable as long as it’s in service to a successful final product. This is the short-term way of thinking that sets up artists to burn out, and to keep moving from one job to the next with no expectation that there will be accountability for anyone’s bad behavior.

After having my share of these experiences, I began to question the veracity of this assumption. Why couldn’t the process be joyful and positive? And don’t happy people do better work? I felt, even as a young artist, that if I was in it for the long haul, I couldn’t afford to be unhappy and stressed all the time. Having high standards and providing a kind and supportive atmosphere are not mutually exclusive. In fact, both are necessary for artists to thrive and be challenged.

There were a few times over the past thirty years that someone entered our circle who didn’t understand or abide by these principles, and we quickly showed them the door. I have always explained what kind of culture we strive to create and maintain at Vivid Stage, and also been clear when that culture has been violated. In fact, our original motto was: “Nice people who are good.” And it’s still our conviction that this environment is possible if we work at it every day, like any healthy relationship.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There are two most rewarding aspects for me, one of which is inward-facing and one of which is outward-facing. The first involves the deep satisfaction I get from putting the right person in the right place to absolutely shine. I know the ensemble members (and any guests we hire) well enough to cast them well – to utilize their talents and specific strengths in order for them to do their utmost onstage. I love the click that happens when an amazing person is doing their best work.

The second is when we affect the audience deeply, whether it be with humor, sorrow, outrage, or any empathetic response we elicit. I love to sit in the audience and feel them rocking with laughter, or sniffling, or vocalizing a spontaneous response to a moment. That’s what we’re there for: to make a connection and to touch their hearts and souls in a way that sends them out the door a little different from when they walked in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vividstage.org
• Instagram: @vividstagenj
• Facebook: @vividstagenj
• Youtube: DreamcatcherRep
• Other: https://www.lauraekstrand.com

Image Credits

Joseph Sbarro, Andrew Binger, Jeff Rhode