We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lorean Mapp. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lorean below.
Alright, Lorean thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I can honestly say that the timing was just right for me to start pursuing my creative career in a professional manner. I believe that every play, every murder mystery dinner, etc led me to the path that I am on now. Those experiences inform who I am as an actress and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
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.
For as long as I could remember, I have always been a performer. I would love to make anyone who would be in eyesight laugh and smile. Of course being the center of attention helped! Haha. I never really thought of foraying into performing or acting- it was just always something I loved to do. It wasn’t until I took a drama class my freshman year in high school (Meghan Markle was actually my drama TA) that I had my first experience in theatre. The scene was the Odd Couple and I played Oscar Madison. The exhilaration I felt on that stage- hearing people laugh- the thrill of it all- I was hooked. However, it wasn’t until two decades later that I really stepped into exploring that further. While working at a University, one of my graduate assistants mentioned that he was connected to a local theatre. He suggested I try it out and I never looked back. That experience led me to contacts who have been able to lead me down the path of taking this to the next level.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I think community theatre is such an undervalued resource in the acting community. I think that most aspiring actors want to go straight to Broadway or to the silver screen- and oftentimes they see it as the ONLY path. I know that I did. If it wouldn’t have been for my graduate assistant bringing it to my attention, I would have never known what an amazing experience community theatre brings. The sense of safety to be your authentic self and take risks, is unmatched at my local theatre, Pelican Playhouse.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an actress is the ability to express myself in ways that I never knew I could. It allows me an outlet to be passionate; an outlet to put my heart and soul into. The transformation of when you first are cast in a role, to opening night, is beyond rewarding. We take rehearsals very seriously at the Pelican Playhouse because we are all so very proud of the roles we take and how we bring that character to life on the stage. Waiting in the wings on opening night and taking my first step onto the stage is such a rush. When all is said and done, and I say my final line on closing night, the reward is knowing I’ve made the audience smile and laugh; that I’ve taken them away from this reality and transported them into the reality of our play- if only for an hour or two.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lolo8284?utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorean.mapp?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: http://www.pelicanplayhouse.org/