Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Hopper.
Lindsay, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I great up in Northern Virginia, right outside Washington DC. I had a pretty normal life, growing up in the suburbs outside a major city, far enough away that I was able to run around and play outside in the summers, go to the pool with friends, bike to the neighbor’s house, but close enough that I felt the magic of a bustling city.
I was always drawn toward performing, which was terrifying when I was younger because I was a super shy kid… like couldn’t get up in a room full of people without crying shy. But I remember very vividly going to see a children’s theater production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at this outdoor theater by my house and being mesmerized by it. After the show, the actors all signed our programs and I thought they were the biggest celebrities ever. I started ballet classes when I was three years old and I was too shy to dance. I would sit on the side and watch the routines. I’ve always been an observer. But sure enough, when it got to recital time, I was the only one who knew the routine, even though I had never actually done that. That may have just been a superpower I had when I was a little kid because I do not think I could pull something like that off now! Fast forward a few years, I started taking piano lessons and playing in competitions. I was a bit of a perfectionist, I would practice and when I would mess up a note, I would bang on the keys… that is until my parents told me that if I kept doing that, they would take me out of lessons! So obviously I stopped doing that. Perfectionism is something I’ve had to work to outgrow, but I think its’ something that exists in a lot of artists.
When I was 12, I found what would end up being one of my great loves (even though I didn’t realize it at the time): Singing. I joined the middle school choir to be in class with all my friends. We all had to do a small audition, and when I got my class schedule, I had been put into the advanced choir. I was devastated. I wanted to be in class with my friends! I complained to the school, and after about a week, they were looking at moving me to the regular choir class, and I remember the teacher at the time sat me down and urged me to reconsider. She saw something that I wasn’t willing to look at. But whatever she said worked, because I decided to give it a chance. And I am so happy that I did because that one decision shaped the entire course of my life.
I went on to start doing musicals at local community theaters. Even though I was still super shy, something about being on stage and singing and dancing made me feel incredibly comfortable. I was even lucky enough to do two shows with my dad, who was always a big musical theater fan, and 1 with my little sister! I guess you can say it was a family affair!
In high school, I sang in the Madrigal group, and we would meet before school at an ungodly hour to rehearse. But it was worth it. We would put on these amazing renaissance gowns and sing a capella versions of all different genres of songs at competitions, events, we went to Disneyland, Canada, even England. This group is what made me want to continue pursuing performing as a career.
I originally was going to go to school to be a vocal performance major, and I had nine schools I was going to apply for, 8 of them as vocal performance and just one, NYU, as musical theater. I had my heart set on going to Tisch. I did early decision and went to NYC to audition in the fall, and I didn’t get in. But I was hooked. In my head, I was thinking “well, I sing, and I dance… I should just do musical theater!” and I went into my guidance counselor’s office and decided to change all the schools I was applying to at the last minute. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. I ended up going to Catholic University in DC and now hold a bachelor of music in musical theater. I met some of my best friends and had some of the best experiences there. And it didn’t hurt that it was only 45 minutes from my parent’s house – that definitely comes in handy when you’re a college kid!
I moved to California right after college, not fully sure my path, but I’ve always been one to follow my instinct. It’s served me well. And through a series of events, I ended up in Hollywood, joined an acting class, got a waitressing job and I’ve been here ever since! I was fortunate over the years to find my artistic community at The Richard Lawson Studios, book some acting work, and move away from working in restaurants. I learned to act on camera, which is a very different world than the stage, I meet an incredibly talented and generous artist, Angeliki Giannakopoulos, who helped me really become a producer, and I teamed up with one of my best friends from college, Kelly Tighe, and another friend who I met through RLS, Beth Berlin, to start producing content with our company, MiddleClass Aftermath.
I’ve probably made over 30 short films as a producer and, in a lot of instances, an actor. I was able to make a huge dream of mine come true when I executive produced/music directed and performed in a sold-out two-weekend run of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins with a cast full of my incredibly talented friends. And last year I made my directorial debut with “The Doppelganger”, a dystopian short film written and executive produced by Jorge Ortiz, who also starred in it. That film has been to 3 festivals so far.
Additionally, in 2018, I came on as the Los Angeles associate artistic director for LaTiDo, which is a music and spoken word cabaret company that started in Washington, DC, and expanded to NYC, then Los Angeles and, most recently, Pittsburgh. We were doing shows every other week at Bar Lubitsch in West Hollywood, and are now shifting to the digital platform until we are able to do shows live again.
In general, I have really been trying to utilize technology in order to keep creating in the current circumstances, which has been really fun for me because I’m a huge nerd!
Has it been a smooth road?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a completely smooth road but I do not think I’ve had as many struggles as most. I was very fortunate to have parents that allowed me to believe that I could do anything I put my mind to. I never felt any kind of limitations in terms of what was possible outside of my own fears. They have always been and continue to be incredibly supportive. I think the hardest time for me was when I was new to Los Angeles, I didn’t really know anyone, I was working multiple jobs and had not fully realized the work ethic it took to be an actor. Once I had the revelation that acting is a full-time job, just like any job, and the discipline it takes to be successful, things started to shift. My focus changed. I realized my purpose, why I’m doing this with my life, and I am now able to see very clearly what I want for myself and what is possible. Being attached to your purpose is a huge game-changer. Once I found that I felt like everything else fell into place.
Please tell us about MiddleClass Aftermath.
MiddleClass Aftermath is a production company created by three female filmmakers. With most of our work, we expose the realities dealing with the fallout of the middle class, and the various ways it shapes the people who are in it or touched by it. We aim to produce content that prompts questions, finds the humor in trivial things, and push the limits of what’s “comfortable” in order to affect change. Currently known for our online comedy content. Most recently, we produced a short film that was all shot and edited during the stay-at-home orders in Los Angeles, which went on to win the audience award at the Bigfooters At-Home Film Festival in early May. Additionally, we produce, write, and star in an ongoing live sketch comedy show called “The ____ Show”. We are consistently developing new content, including a feature film project and an episodic series in the works.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I can honestly say that I have no idea where it is going to end up, but the film and theater industries are in a sea of big shifts and changes. The way we work is going to be different, at least for the near future, because of the pandemic. The unions put out a 36-page safety guide for producers, which is incredibly necessary, but it’s changing the way everything is done logistically. Not only is the way we shoot going to be different, but I think the content that’s being made and how it’s made will change, and even auditioning is going to be very different. I can’t see casting directors going back to in-person auditions, probably ever. I think in-person auditions will become what self-tapes used to be, which is the exception, not the rule.
Outside of the pandemic, I think the industry, and the world really, is making some huge, necessary systematic changes. I’m starting to see changes made both in terms of gender and racial inequality. I think we will start seeing more diversity both on and behind the camera and the stories being told will represent more people, which I think will make things way more interesting!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.middleclassaftermath.co
- Email: middleclassaftermath@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/middleclassaftermath; www.instagram.com/linzhopper
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/middleclassaftermath
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/mcaftermath
- Other: www.lindsayhopper.com; http://www.youtube.com/user/middleclassaftermath
Image Credit:
Doug Spearman, Jaclyn Chessen, Steve Sornbutnark
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