Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Gardner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

I can still remember the very first time I earned a paycheck for performing live on stage – I was 14 years old.

It was a wonderful (although now defunct) children’s theater company in my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona called ‘Cookie Company’, named so due to the milk and cookies audience members received after the show. I was cast in a supporting role in a production of Androcles and the Lion, directed by my childhood mentor, Alan Prewitt. I was paid $100.00 for my work. The show was a triumph for me, as I had only previously been performing in nonprofessional children’s theatre, and this was the first time I was cast with professional actors on a professional level. I enjoyed every moment of that production, which was the first of many collaborations with Alan, who I still enjoy a close friendship with to this day.

I recall my mother telling me that I’d probably want to remember this first paycheck, and encouraged me to make a photocopy before cashing it. I still have that photocopy somewhere around here… I think in a scrapbook from my grade school days.

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.

You wouldn’t think of Phoenix, Arizona as a mecca of live theater, but during the 1970’s and 1980’s theater was thriving. My family had always been a supporter of the Arts and both my mother and my grandmother held season tickets to the oldest theater in Phoenix. It was there I saw productions of Evita, The Front Page, Little Shop of Horrors, Noises Off, The Gingerbread Lady, Annie… musicals, comedies and dramas. Sitting in the dark and listening to the audience’s response; hearing them guffawing with laughter or watching them wipe away their tears – I was hooked. I wanted to be up there with those actors, creating the story and affecting the crowd.

Of course, I was still quite young, and there weren’t too many parts for a pre-teen. My mom wisely enrolled me in summer theater projects and after-school programs, where I began to learn the fundamentals of performance: mime, stagecraft, improvisation, body movement, and vocal projection. From there, I began to audition for various children’s theatre companies that focused on producing shows with child actors for family audiences. My very first stage production, a version of the fable The Princess And The Pea, had me cast in a small cameo role as ‘Princess Stella The Strong’, who was a weightlifting princess. The character had only one scene but once I walked onstage and got my first laugh, I was truly bit by the acting bug. I knew I wanted to pursue this as a career.

From there, I continued working in children’s theatre until I was cast in the production that I previously mentioned at the Cookie Company – but I was also in high school by that time, which sorta kicked the door of my theatrical training wide open. I studied theatre as well as competed in speech and debate, I began auditioning for more professional productions around the city (helped by the fact that I finally had a driver’s license), I joined improv companies and had leadership roles in the Masque and Gavel club at school. I was one of the busiest teenagers you could know. In those short four years, I think I performed in about 25 various productions both at school and in the community.

After graduating from high school, I was accepted to Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. I continued studying and working in professional theatre as a Union actor for years after that, until I finally made the decision to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Film and Television.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an actor are the creative families you build with previously unknown people. Particularly in live theatre, working on a production with other artists forces you to make a deep connection quickly, in order to build the illusion that audiences will see on stage, or on TV. But usually, you don’t know these actors before you show up on day one, which means you have a short amount of time to grow familiar with one another. There is something wonderful about that, because the work is hard and you really must rely on and blindly trust in one another. And that bond creates a family, one that continues far beyond the end of the show or the shoot. Theatre people become extended family and stay that way. It’s truly a magical part of the business.

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

One of the things that most actors – most ARTISTS, truly – are asked on a regular basis is some form of the commentary “Are you still doing that acting thing?” It’s a joke among our community, but something we all share: family members, old friends, old colleagues, asking us earnestly if we are still chasing the dream that isn’t actually paying the dividends of the rich and famous. But this is the choice we’ve made, and not because we expected to be make millions entertaining the masses. We do it out of a sincere love of the craft; a love for the art of creation. We knew walking in that our chances for massive success was small, but much like beauty, success is in the eye of the beholder. And many of us consider it a success to continue working in the craft that we love dearly.

It doesn’t always feel great to hear that question, but if you’ve been in the industry long enough, you’ve thickened your skin against much of the rejection that comes with the profession.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.MichelleGardner.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/BrassyLoudMouth
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/BrassyLoudMouth
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/michellelougardner
• Other: Linktr.ee/BrassyLoudMouthhttps://greysanatomy.fandom.com/wiki/Myrna_Schmitt#Notes_and_Trivia

Image Credits

Credits (in order that they were uploaded):

1. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), “Everyday Is A Holiday (With You)”, Season 18, episode 6

2. Unreported Story Society “The Harvey Weinstein Trial”

3. Headshot taken by Troy Blendell

4. I Think You Should Leave (Netflix), “Thanks For Thinking They Are Cool”, Season 1, episode 2

5. Theatre of Note, Performance Marathon “ROAR”

6. Horrible Bosses 2 (Warner Brothers)

7. “You Make My Dreams (Come True)”, ASL music video

8. Chance, directed by John Crye