Life & Work with Georgia Warner of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Georgia Warner

Hi Georgia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a “creative entertainer” who comes from a long line of showbiz folks, with an emphasis on groovy grandpas. My great-great-grandpa, Harry Warner, was the eldest of the Warner Bros and co-founder of the famed studio. My great-grandpa, Mervyn LeRoy, was a Hollywood producer and director, known for iconic works like ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ My step-grandpa, Tony Walton (or “Popup,” whom I lived with for much of my adult life), was an Oscar-, Emmy-, and three-time Tony-winning production designer-turned-director, and perhaps my biggest champion in this prickly industry. I have always aimed to follow in the footsteps of the movers and shakers who came before me.

Acting has been my primary passion for as long as I can remember. Although my parents severed romantic ties when I was a wee worm, my writer mother and sound designer father frequently collaborated on children’s theatre productions throughout my youth, with my mom penning the book, my dad composing the music & lyrics, and me taking to the stage at as young as five-years-old. They supported me in my quest to become a “real live actor” (and ideally, a good one) by allowing me to work with a private acting coach after school, attend theatre camps most summers, ship off to an acting-centric boarding school when I was only thirteen, and major in acting in the liberal arts university I attended for two years before realizing that—while more training would always be available to me—it was high time I take the leap and do the thing. So, I moved back home to NYC to hit the ground running.

I worked with a few different agents and managers before finding the right fit, but once I had a supportive team behind me, I began booking a fair amount of regional theatre, which led to off-Broadway theatre, which led to Broadway theatre (a dream come true!), and—in between stints on the stage—I started doing more TV work, securing a handful of guest star roles, and a few indie films which helped me discover my knack for, and love of, directing.

After sporadically coaching actors on auditions and role preparation for several years, I launched Georgia Warner Studios: a full-service self-tape production studio offering private audition coaching and small group workshops for professional and aspiring actors. In tandem with my own acting career, helping fellow performers unlock their full creative potential has proven to be my greatest joy.

Last year, while working on the world premiere production of ‘The Pianist’—(a stage adaptation of Władysław Szpilman’s Holocaust memoir that inspired the film of the same name)—I started feeling quite emotionally depleted by the gravity of the material, and—in conjunction with the frigid New York air—found myself craving sunnier skies and sillier stories. So, when the production closed, I bought a used car, loaded it up with all my belongings, and made my way out west in early 2024, hoping to land in more comedic pastures. (As it happens, I did the exact same thing back in 2014, following a production of ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’; now I have a running joke that every ten years, I do a Holocaust play, lose my mind, and move to California!)

In the nine months that I’ve been back on the Best Coast, things have been lookin’ up for ol’ G. Dubs! I’ve gotten to play fun supporting roles in two upcoming feature films (‘Exposure’ and ‘Get Off My Lawn’), voiced several characters (including the title role and villain) in the animated ‘Lucky Ladybug,’ worked as the on-set acting coach for the short film ‘Ganache’ (directed by my brilliant partner, Justin Powell, who recently did his own VoyageLA interview!), and—perhaps most fun of all—I currently play the mad scientist, Stella, in ‘The Lunar Light: Discovery,’ an immersive experience that combines VR space travel, interactive theatre, and escape room puzzles, running in Santa Monica indefinitely. Getting the opportunity to play with improv comedy, clowning, and crowd work on a daily basis has been chicken soup for my soul.

I’m also thrilled to announce that I will be re-launching Georgia Warner Studios on the West Coast in January 2025! GWS will have its hub in Santa Monica, where I will be teaching a new set of classes and offering professional self-tape services for LA actors of all levels. (Actors can stay informed about discounts and upcoming workshops by getting on the GWS mailing list at www.GeorgiaWarnerStudios.com )

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’d like to meet the actor who claims to have had no struggles along the way—and flick them in the forehead.

In his industry seminars, Popup used to tell his students: “If there’s ANYTHING else in the world you can imagine yourself being HAPPY doing, do that instead; this career should ONLY be pursued by those who would be miserable if they weren’t doing precisely this.” For better or worse, I believe I’m in the latter camp.

I have certainly had lengthy dry spells—pockets of time during which I’ve wondered if I’m ever going to book work again (and I don’t just mean during the pandemic or the SAG strike)—but every time I consider jumping ship, a new opportunity presents itself and lures me back in.

One of my professional struggles has been being “between types.” In high school and college, it seemed like no one knew quite what to do with me. I was consistently called back for multiple roles within the same play, but then cast as none of them. Luckily, this chameleonic quality proved to be an advantage later down the line, when I pitched myself to an agency as an ideal understudy! “Need someone to cover the demure ingenue AND the brassy courtesan? I got you!” The agency took me on, and lo and behold, my first off-Broadway acting credit was ‘Napoli, Brooklyn,’ in which I covered the role of Vita, the confident, outspoken Italian-American, as well as her mentally handicapped shrinking violet of a sister, Tina.

Another struggle that has come up for me (and which I feel quite self-conscious about) has been a heavy dose of imposter syndrome.

For instance:
I was extremely lucky to have acted in several plays that Popup directed. The most notable (or at least, most high-profile) of these was a production of Peter Shaffer’s ‘Equus,’ starring Alec Baldwin in the role of Dysart. I played Jill Mason—a role that many young actresses would have fought hard to play, but didn’t get the chance to, because the director “gave the part to his granddaughter” (me). Did I have to audition for the part (and get Shaffer’s and Baldwin’s approval)? Yes. Was I good in the part? Yes! Would I have gotten the part if I weren’t the director’s granddaughter? …I have no idea.

My challenge here is trying to assure myself that “connections can get you an audition, but they can’t get you the part.” Even though I work extremely hard at my craft, my fear is always that I’ll be written off as a nepo-baby (or, nepo-grandbaby, as it were) who didn’t actually earn her place in this industry. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities I’ve been granted through sheer luck and circumstance, but I often feel like I have a lot to prove, which can be a gift and a curse.

Similarly, before I launched GWS, I suspected I would be a good acting teacher, but always thought to myself, “what right do I have to charge people money just for them to study with a non-celebrity who doesn’t even have a college degree?” It wasn’t until a friend from my same college advertised a class he was teaching that I even considered teaching one of my own. When I saw his post, I thought: “well, he has even less of a ‘right’ to be teaching acting than I do… he’s never even worked professionally (yet)… who would sign up for his classes!?” But, people did! Because he believed in himself and in the practical wisdom he knew he could impart. So then I thought: “if he can do it, maybe I can, too.” And then I sort of expanded that to a mantra of: “if someone can do it, maybe I can, too.”

But the “you have no right” voices are still quite loud in the back of my mind, so giving myself permission to be proud of my accomplishments and stand behind my skillset has been a challenging journey of self-acceptance.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work history in the creative realm has been eclectic, to say the least. Aside from acting, directing, and coaching, I’ve worked as a producer, freelance casting director, script consultant, arts & culture journalist, fantasy writer, enigmatologist (puzzle designer for escape rooms and the like), emcee, and commissioned parody lyricist.

I don’t think I’m “known for” anything professionally—(maybe being a “sexy clown”? or, “crying at the drop of a hat”?)—but on a personal level, I’m often associated with puns and wordplay—at least, that’s the common denominator of most of the memes I receive.

There are three things I’m most proud of, and I’m going to share all three of them with you:

1. Curley’s Wife
— From the time I first read “Of Mice and Men” in middle school, I was obsessed with the character of Curley’s Wife. I remember getting into a heated argument with my teacher and the other students about the nature of the character. She was not a “tramp” or “tart,” I argued; just a lonely woman seeking validation and acceptance. I was told that I was wrong; that I just “didn’t understand the character.”
I have been fortunate enough to play Curley’s Wife twice now; at the Pioneer Theatre Company in 2012, and at Bay Street Theatre in 2015.
The first time I played the part, PTC asked me to write an article for their theatre blog about my own interpretation of the character. They published my op-ed, entitled “Of Mice and Men… and One Sad Girl,” to the blog, and I didn’t imagine it would gain much traction…
A few years later, I was stunned and delighted when a middle school English teacher reached out to me, sending me his students’ written responses to my essay, about how their opinion of the character had changed after reading my words. Apparently, my little blog post had been circulating around the midwest, and had found its way into various teaching curriculums as required reading for students discussing “Of Mice and Men”! It was a deeply validating full-circle moment.

2. The Power Ranger
— A young man reached out to me about joining my 4-week acting intensive, “The Seasoned Actor Workshop,” because he wanted to play a Power Ranger. He had no interest in “acting,” he told me; he JUST wanted to play a Power Ranger. (Amazingly, he is not the only client I’ve had with Power-Ranger-tunnel-vision.) I let the young man know that while I would be happy to work on Power Rangers material with him for the first week of class, I couldn’t sustain that for the full four weeks, and we would have to diversify our material. After some initial protests, he agreed.
It was clear this man had never acted before. He had stiff, pre-planned deliveries; he didn’t listen to his scene partner, didn’t try to affect them; watched himself so closely, made no discoveries… he was the toughest nut I’d ever had to crack… but, over the course of eight weeks (he wound up signing up for two of my workshops back-to-back), I guided him along a path of total transformation. By the final week, he had the whole class—and me—and himself—in tears, with a dramatic monologue he would not have begun to know how to approach two months prior. When he “graduated,” he started booking work in indie films, and has been a working actor ever since. I am so proud of the un-learning and re-learning and complete 180 I was able to help him achieve. He solidified my confidence as an acting coach. Now I truly believe I can cultivate exceptional work from anyone who’s willing to put in the effort.

3. “SCROOGELTON”
I pride myself on being a meticulous parody lyricist. For reasons too bizarre to unpack in this interview, my brother Joel and I took it upon ourselves to create a ‘Hamilton’/’A Christmas Carol’ mash-up called “Scroogelton: A Christmas Musical”—a 40-minute, true-to-the-novella retelling of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ set rhyme-for-rhyme to the music of ‘Hamilton.’ In the early days of the Covid pandemic, after many months of solitary isolation, I recorded a haphazard, one-woman-show version of our creation, which can be watched at www.Scroogelton.com
Could it be viewed as a “manic breakdown”? Sure. Is it my magnum opus? Absolutely. “Scroogelton” is nothing short of total insanity, but I’ve never been more proud of anything I’ve made.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My aforementioned partner Justin created a wonderful resource for actors called “The Acting Notes,” which consists mostly of recognizable and respected actors sharing tips, tricks, and sage wisdom that helped them along the way. You can check it out at @theactingnotes on social media and YouTube.

Pricing:

• Virtual Coaching: $80
• In-Person Coaching: $100
• Self-Tape + Coaching: $125
• Self-Tape + Coaching + Editing: $150

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.GeorgiaWarner.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/verygeorgia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@verygeorgia

Image Credits
Justin Powell, Mia Allen