We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Norman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I think that the biggest risk that I take, each time I practice or perform improv, is in my character work. Over the years I’ve found that the characters that I develop in my scene work are actually different versions of myself. Some positive, some not so much. So, I feel like when I’m developing these “characters,” I take the risk of exposing my true vulnerability towards my scene partner and/or audience.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a lifelong Gainesville, Florida native and feel fortunate to have been exposed to so many various art mediums while living here. As a child, I was always drawn to the more creative aspects of life.

In 2015, I signed up for a community improv class and thought that it would be a good way to blow off some steam. At the time, I was a Pre-Kindergarten teacher and owned a food truck with my roommates, all while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education. By the third improv class, I was hooked for life. My teacher was dynamic and supportive. He was clearly passionate about improv and healthy self-expression. I soon quickly realized the connection between improv and social/emotional regulation. After the class finished, he asked if I would be interested in joining a community improv group. Flattered by the offer, I was eager to join his group. Seven years later, I’ve grown so much as a performing artist and have found a way to connect my passion with education.

Pre-pandemic, I hosted monthly improv classes for families at one of the local library branches. My aim was to teach and role model healthy communication between parents and their children through improv. I had a solid following and enjoyed the challenge of meeting families where they were at when it came to their communication styles. I facilitated over 12 sessions and connected with 60 families.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had known how common imposter syndrome is in performers, especially female performers. There were a few years where I felt as if I needed to achieve more- get more stage time, take more workshops-in order to consider myself an “actual artist.”

I wish I had taken the initiative to network with other female improvisers sooner in my performing arts career.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the connection that gets made between myself, my scene partner, and the audience. Hearing the crowd snicker or chuckle really boosts my energy when I’m on stage.