Life and Work with Stefanie Black

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Black.

Stefanie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story is pretty simple. From as early as I can remember, I was a theater geek. I remember my mom taking me to see CATS on Broadway when I was just three years old. Her version of the story is that, during the point in the show where the “Cats” come out into the audience, I was so scared that they were going to steal my jujubees, that I clutched my candy tight to my chest, eyes wide open, frozen in my seat.

Now, I don’t remember the candy part, but I do remember sitting on the edge of my seat, wide-eyed, and full of a kind of excitement that most three-year-olds don’t often experience. My experience of theater stayed with me in such a way, that when people ask me how I became an actor and a theater maker, I always answer, “I have no idea, I was born this way.” I know I know, that sounds so cheesy, but its true. I don’t have an “origin” story when it comes to my choice of career. I didn’t break my leg playing softball (I was killer Softball player, by the way, just ask my dad) and somehow found my way into the high school auditorium just in time for play tryouts (that’s bad high school theater lingo, FYI); I was always that kid singing and dancing their way down the aisle on an airplane or mouthing the words to ANNIE from the wings, as my older sister performed. I have been very lucky to have parents who, not only supported my love of the theater but introduced me to it and continue to expand their love and knowledge as I do my own.

So many of my family traditions revolved around the theater. As a Jewish kid from PA, every Christmas consisted of Chinese food and a Broadway musical, followed by a sing-a-long to the show’s soundtrack in the car on the way home. Every summer from age ten, I spent performing my little butt off at a performing arts camp (Frenchwoods Festival of the Performing Arts) in the Catskills; (We even performed at the same summer resort that “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” was filmed at.) and it was during those summers that my fate was sealed. I knew right away when it came time to apply to college, that I wanted to go to NYU and study drama. And so I did. And so, I met five incredible ladies that would become my sisters for life, but also my partners in creating IAMA Theatre Company. After college, I spent a few years in New York, doing what most drama school grads do. Waiting tables (very poorly). Auditioning. Drinking. And making cheap fun theater in the basement of a church or under a bar. We figured out how to do it all and for NO MONEY. When the last of my besties moved to LA, I knew it was time to consider putting away my wardrobe of black and pulling out the florals.

So, I became a California girl. Kicking and screaming for at least three years, obviously. I hated traffic. I hated the sun. But I still LOVED THE THEATER. The choice at the time was pretty simple. I didn’t know how to make a film or tv show. I didn’t have an iPhone (no one did yet), so my friends and I made theater. We started IAMA in a living room with eight people and a ton of energy. It’s funny, as I think about my story and how IAMA came to be what it is, I realize, while I never thought I would be an Artistic Director of one of the most exciting young theater companies in LA and if I’m bold enough to say, maybe the country, but as IAMA grew, it was a seamless transition for me to step into the role(s) I fill with IAMA.

I’m proud to say that I make my living as the Co-Artistic Director of IAMA Theatre Company and as a television actor. I also teach and coach acting at John Rosenfeld Studios in Hollywood. In the last five years, I have expanded my path to include directing for film and television. I have directed multiple films, which have played film festivals all over the US and Canada. As an actor, I have been lucky enough to have appeared on some of the best shows on tv. I spent half a season on ABC’s Scandal, playing Holly, gal Friday to the Attorney General, turned deadly assassin, and most recently, as the old classmate, turned love interest, Charlotte, to Kevin on NBC”s This Is Us. While I’m incredibly proud of my acting career, the thing that I am the proudest of is my work at IAMA Theatre Company. It truly is my greatest achievement to date. I know this is the path I was meant to take.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oof. Smooth? I don’t think so. I don’t think I knew what a real panic attack was til I was trying to figure out how to produce a world premiere play for $5. Honestly, all the “struggles” I’ve had, have really been stepping stones. Each hurdle that comes up for me, is usually followed by me learning ten new ways to make something happen. I’m struggling to find a director for a certain play and in turn, I meet ten directors, I didn’t know before and have now expanded my arsenal of artists to work with, making the IAMA family grow. If I can get specific, I would say, the biggest hurdle has been just staying the course. No one was putting a gun to my head, saying “Start a theater company with no money and see how long you can make it last!” I chose this path. I succeeded and failed with no instruction manual.

The theater resources in LA are not as cut and dry as were in New York, so I’ve learned to get creative. I’ve called on favors and appealed to others’ artistry to get the help I needed. I rarely take “No” for an answer. I will say, being one of the younger Artistic Directors in town can be challenging. Sometimes, I’ve felt that I haven’t been taken seriously, because I’m young and because I’m a woman, but I’ve never let that stop me. I just make myself heard. I ask questions. I learn what I don’t know. And, I practice my craft all the time. I read the plays. I act all the time. I go to the theater. I spend a lot of time chatting with young actors or theater makers who move to LA and are just starting out. My biggest piece of advice is always, make good friends and keep them.

In a city that can be very isolating and self-serving, having your “people” is crucial to making good art. For me, it’s been everything. The other thing I say is, own your power. I know I’m good at my job. There are a lot of things about being an artist and working in entertainment that causes me to doubt at times, but I am a damn good Artistic Director, and I’m not afraid to say it. It’s taken me a while to step fully into my power. I’ve been afraid of hurting people’s feelings or not being able to make everyone happy. And now I know I can’t. But I am an advocate of artists first and that makes me a good leader. I’ve learned to put the integrity of the work first and I am so proud of that. So, stand up for yourself. Be proud. Be loud. Don’t let anyone make you think that just because you’re a woman that you can’t do anything. When I was a kid, I told my mom I was going to be president and be on Broadway. I know I”ll make it to Broadway. And who knows? Maybe I’ll be president of something someday? I’ve still got plenty of time.

Please tell us about IAMA Theatre Company.
IAMA Theatre Company was found in 2007 by a group of us who had mostly met at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Designated by Playbill as “one of 20 regional houses every theater lover must know,” IAMA is a Los Angeles-based ensemble of artists committed to invigorating live performance for a streaming generation. Through cutting-edge, cool and hyper-modern stories, IAMA is invested in the immediacy of production and strives to bring audiences out of their personal space and into a shared experience. Plays generated at IAMA have traveled to off- Broadway, Second Stage and the Roundabout Underground, and have been performed regionally and internationally. Ensemble members have been featured in numerous critically acclaimed TV shows and films as well as in a vast array of theater and live performances all over the country — most recently, IAMA co-artistic director Katie Lowes and her husband, IAMA marketing director Adam Shapiro, appeared on Broadway in Waitress the Musical. IAMA earned the Ovation Award for Outstanding Play in an Intimate Theatre for its Los Angeles premiere of The Recommendation. In 2017, TV producer and creator Shonda Rhimes announced that she would become IAMA’s first-ever “Patron of the Arts” with a generous endowment from the Rhimes Family Foundation. We’ve been focusing on developing new plays and musicals for the past 11 years, providing many opportunities for emerging and established artists, seeking to help theater artists make a living wage.

 

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I think in the theater world it been a boy’s club from almost the beginning. Remember, women weren’t even allowed on the stage to perform during Shakespeare’s time. Our lives and experiences were being dramatized and we weren’t allowed to be a part of it. Women have had to fight their way onto the stage and into the leadership from the beginning. I think there are a lot of things that contribute to those barriers, but mostly, I think it’s just that change is scary. There isn’t a lot of risk-taking in the commercial theater world, especially in larger theatrical institutions, historically. People stay in their roles for a long time. They build legacies, but all it takes is for one door to open and for strong women to keep that door open. I’ve seen more and more women fill open Artistic Director positions in theaters across the country in the last year than in the last decade. I’m so proud to be in a position and a profession that can provide opportunities to female storytelling. In particular, we are living in the age of the female playwright. It’s exciting to see so many new voices being produced all across the country. Art reflects the times and right now, Time’s Up. Women are taking the power they’ve always been capable of and collectively we are stepping into roles that before we were told we couldn’t.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thestefblack.com iamatheatre.com
• Email: stefanie@iamatheatre.com
• Instagram: @blackski21 @iamatheatre
• Twitter: @thestefblack @iamatheatre

Image Credit:
Brooke Nevin, The Riker Bros, Phil Eisen

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