Life & Work with Hope Levy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hope Levy.

Hi Hope, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter of folk-pop and I am excited to share my journey of writing and putting together my new show called “The Connie Converse Universe starring Hope Levy” opening May 20 & 21st at the El Portal Theatre “Monroe Forum” in the Noho Arts District.

I was born in Los Angeles but when I was five, my parents moved my brother and I to Marin Country, where I had the opportunity to sing live in various venues beginning at age seven in Golden Gate Park, The Lion Share and on radio stations as part of a kids singing group known as “The Valley Voices” as well as record a 45 record called “Hope and Her Friends” produced by Unity Records. I also recorded tracks with folk singer Malvina Reynolds (“Little Boxes” song fame) as well as records for Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich. I then starred in numerous commercials and was the host for three years on a kid’s local Bay Area television show called “Just Kidding” for KRON, Channel Four.

After graduating high school in Sebastopol, California, I returned to Los Angeles to go to Cal Arts in their BFA program. However, I took a leave of absence, got a job performing as a singer-dancer on Princess Cruises as a “Star at Sea” and never made it back to Cal Arts!

I went on to perform lead roles in the original Los Angeles production of “Les Miserables” at the Century City Shubert Theatre, “The Rocky Horror Show” at the Tiffany Theatres, the lead role of “Mary Bland” in Paul Bartel’s, “Eating Raoul, The Musical” directed by Scott Wittman at The Odyssey Theatres, Justin Tanner’s “Heartbreak Help” at The Cast Theatre, and “Showboat” & “The Music Man” at The Hollywood Bowl.

I always had a yearning to become a voice-over actress so after taking improvisational classes at The Groundlings and voice-over classes with The Voicecaster, Sue Blu, Donna Grillo, Michael Bell and Bill Holmes to name a few. I also created and ran a very successful company, “Voice Actors Network” from 2009 before selling it to a fellow voice-over actor in 2018.

I still work as a voice-over actress on numerous animated shows; I am the “Mom” of Boss Baby in “Boss Baby: Back in Business,” the animated show on Netflix, various rescue cars on Disney Jr’s, “Firebuds,” the beloved character Rebecca Chambers in the classic game Resident Evil’s “Bio Hazard,” the American dubs of “Howl’s Movie Castle” and “From Up on Poppy Hill”, commercials, and live action. I also sang the beloved “Welcome to Duloc” song, co-written by Mike Himmelstein, for the Dreamwork’s animated film “Shrek.”

I made two CDs of original music which are streaming on Spotify (“Menagerie” and “Far Sawrey”) and have performed all over Los Angeles at venues including The Hotel Café, Federal Bar (in part with Hollowbody LA), The Trip, Redwood Bar, and Cinema Bar.

How did I become involved with the project I am now premiering called “The Connie Converse Universe starring Hope Levy??

On August 11th, 2022, I read an article in the New York Times Magazine written by Hanif Abdurraquib entitled “The Art of Disappearance.”The story chronicled an enigmatic singer-songwriter named Connie Converse who disappeared without a trace in 1974.

The loose ends surrounding her self-activated disconnect from society, and her uniquely personal songs of longing, remorse and ironic humor, led me down the Connie Converse rabbit hole, hungry to learn more.

Connie Converse is a person we can all relate to. Someone who, after experiencing repeated rejection of her idiosyncratic songs, gave up her dream of pursuing a professional career as a singer-songwriter and took a survival job–before choosing to disappear over a decade later never to be seen or heard from again.

Amazingly, Connie’s original recordings, made in a friend’s kitchen in 1954 on his reel-to-reel tape recorder, found an audience fifty-five years later when the original demos were put out on CD and went viral on Spotify in 2009. Then in 2017, an all-star tribute of her songs were recorded by the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Martha Wainwright, Karen O and Laurie Anderson.

Did Connie live to see or hear any of this? Or is she choosing to remain reclusive? No one knows. No one has heard or seen her since that day in August 1974.

(If she were alive today, she’d be 98 years old.)

A book about Connie’s life was just published in May 2023 written by Howard Fishman which sheds new light on her personal life.

I’ll be performing my interpretations of the songs of Connie Converse and look forward to sharing stories of Connie’s as well as her own.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I was a child actor in Marin County in the late 1970s, it was all very easy for me. I sang on records and jingles and every commercial I’d audition for I booked. I worked on a kid’s television show for three years, “Just Kidding,” and honestly I thought I was too lucky with my childhood acting /singing career! I actually felt guilty that jobs came easy for me while others struggled.

When I graduated high school, I wanted to go to a theatre college and become a trained actor and I felt I needed to struggle to be a better actor! I also always wanted to be a waitress! I quit college after one year at Cal Arts to study acting with teachers in Los Angeles and paid for my classes by working as a waitress in Century City at a diner called “Heaven Pop Cuisine!” I waited on The Bangles, Bea Arthur, Rod Stiger, Elton John and a famous football player named Happy! It was a fun time. I was also auditioned for television and had a lot of callbacks and close calls which is how I finally learned the meaning of being a struggling actress. I had four callbacks for the television show “My So Called Life” and was heart was broken not landing the role of Claire Danes best friend.

However, I did land a job in my first Equity show when I joined the original Los Angeles production of Les Misérables at the Shuburt Theatre in Century City. I understudied and went on for my dream role which was playing “Eponine” who sings “On My Own.” I also fulfilled a long-standing dream of performing on stage at the Hollywood Bowl when I played a lead role in the musical “Showboat” and sang “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” for 17,500 people! Talk about a THRILL!!!! I fell into voice-over acting, another dream of mine, after taking numerous voice-over classes and privates from other working voice-over actors/teachers. I decided to finally have a baby when I was 39 because for the first time, I was able to earn health insurance for my husband and I and yes juggling auditions with a baby was a challenge. Fortunately, most of our voice-over auditions are recorded at home so working around a crying baby while challenging, was workable!

My son is now a teen! He too used to be a voice-over actor and I was the stage mama since he was working more than me most of the time! My son Sam Lavagnino was the voice of the beloved character named “Catbug” on an internet show called “Bravest Warriors.” Sometimes it was a challenge watching my amazing son work 10x more than myself but I also was always very proud of him and his natural acting chops! He too never had to struggle as an actor when he was a kid!

Other challenges are trying to stay on top of social media and still create new music while working on being balanced, joyful and getting fresh air when I start to feel too stressed out! Also now hoping to fill the theatre I have rented to premiere my new show, “The Connie Converse Universe starring Hope Levy!”

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am still auditioning for voice-over animation, games, and commercials weekly out of my home studio and work recurring on a Disney Jr. animated show called “Firebuds”. Sometimes I audition for on-camera roles on television or for commercials. I also keep busy doing ADR jobs which is “Additional Dialogue Replacement”.

Basically, filling in the behind-the-scenes with voice-over and sometimes even a principal role needs to be replaced.

ADR is another area of voice-over, I have been blessed to find work in. I can sound like a young girl or boy preschooler or a newborn baby as well as a teenager and then turn around and voice the mom or teacher or nosey neighbor or wicked stepmother as well! I have a wide range as a voice-over actress so sometimes I voice creatures as on the Netflix show “Sweet Tooth” where I play a chipmunk-looking creature with some human vocal qualities mixed in along with animal sounds! I actually voice this role with another actress and together our voices are fused to make the character of “Bobby” come to life!

I’ve lately been contributing original music to other people’s projects and had my music featured in an indie film as well. I love scoring to pictures and hope to have time to do more of this as well!

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I worked two days on the film The Black Stallion when I was twelve but all our school scenes were sadly cut except for one scene in the auditorium.

I was one of the singing kids in the M&M’s candy man commercials back in 1976-78

I sang backup as a “Sexy Worker Bee” for animation TV music writer Mike Himmelstein in his band called “The Rumblebees.”

I sold overhead projectors at Cotsco. I sold VAX vacuums at Adray’s Electronics. I stocked shelves as a purchaser for 3M products at KMART.

I went to seven different schools because we moved seven different times. My dad liked buying houses, fixing them up and selling them before house flipping was even a thing!

We sold one of our amazing homes my dad renovated in San Rafael to Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.

I sang for James Cameron in the language of Navi which I learned for his film, “Avatar” and he complimented me on my singing too! 🙂

Pricing:

• $25.00 general seating for my show
• $30.oo for a cocktail table

Contact Info:

• Website: Hopelevy.com/news
• Instagram: @hopelevy20
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopeLevyFan
• Twitter: Hopelevysings
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HopeLevyFan
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/hopelevy
• Other: https://tinyurl.com/HopeLevy20 

Image Credits
Photos taken by Jonna Coleman and the photos of Menagerie, under the tree, and pixs with the guitar were all taken by Tom Lavagnino. “Connie Converse Universe starring Hope Levy” Fliers created by Fivrr artist Potraitart.