Today we’d like to introduce you to Juls Hoover.
Hi Juls, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hi! My name is Juls Hoover, I am a Southern California native. I attended undergrad at San Diego State University where I studied Psychology and Theatre Arts. The summer before graduating I attended the British American Drama Academy’s midsummer program in Oxford. Last year, I completed my masters in clinical psychology at Antioch University with the specialization in Addiction and Recovery. Currently, I am working at two treatment centers and with couples in private practice. Throughout the week, I teach yoga both in studio and in private sessions. Finally, whenever the opportunity opens up, I am acting, directing, and producing various theatre and film projects. Coming up in November, I will be starring in Simon Stephens’ Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle alongside the incomparable Paul Eiding and directed by the profoundly talented Cameron Watson. Heisenberg will open at the Skylight Theatre in Los Feliz. Please consider donating to our Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heisenberg-tup/heisenberg-by-simon-stephens-directed-by-cameron-watson
Tickets: https://bravespaceproductions.ludus.com
In every space that I have worked and played in, the values of intentional collaboration, dynamic compassion, truth, and respect have nourished success. The idea is that these spaces become brave spaces. A brave space is crucial when asking someone to suspend disbelief and imagine, or when offering a space of recovery and healing, or when curating a space to rediscover your relationship with movement, breath, and the body. Brave spaces have saved me, not just in my creative and physical experiences, but in my own recovery journey. I will be sober eight years in October. I promised myself that I wouldn’t share about my sobriety on a grand scale until I could provide the space and opportunity for others to explore theirs.
This month I officially launched Brave Space Productions LLC. The Brave Space mission is to create spaces that nourish the creative process by ensuring that curiosity, authenticity, and compassion exist alongside fear, failing, and uncertainty. Currently, Brave Space Productions LLC is accepting submissions for projects that exist in the arenas of theatre, film, therapy, yoga, dance, and education. In these spaces, we aspire to encourage an alchemy that honors the nuance of the human condition. Now is the time when we must do the brave thing and allow connection and love to illuminate our fears.
Bravery AND fear, not in spite of.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely there were/are challenges! I think when you produce or attempt anything, finances are always going to be the boulder that needs to get to the top of the mountain. But, that’s part of the process.
The best way to ensure that I get through these challenges and maybe find pleasure in pushing the boulder up the hill (thanks Camus) is to keep people smarter than myself in my orbit and to never hesitate to ask for help.
Another good practice to get into, is to approach everything with a beginner’s mind. It could be that the struggle is that it’s time to learn something new and I might just be uncomfortable because the next step is uncertain. More than likely, there’s a Sisyphus around the corner that knows the uncertain mountain better than I do.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Southern California native and grew up in Rialto, California. At a young age, I had the privilege to be taken into Los Angeles to see theatre at the Ahmanson, the Pantages, and the Geffen. Juls fell hard when she began attending the summer youth workshops at The Pasadena Playhouse. During middle school and in high school, she continued to act and direct for several productions at school and in the community. I continued to San Diego State, where I studied theatre and psychology. While at SDSU, I attended the Midsummer program at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England. After graduating from SDSU, I moved to Los Angeles and continue to evolve and embrace the multi hyphenate actor/writer/director/producer for both theatre and film. While living in L.A. I have studied with Helen Hunt and Richard Gilbert-Hill and the Gordon Hunt Acting Studio, Rob Nagle, Armin Shimmerman, Ann Noble, Cameron Watson, Abbie Cobb at AFA, and Sam Anderson at The Road Theatre Co.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have some exquisite and immensely talented mentors/friends including Ann Noble, Dr. Wendy Harris, Paul Eiding, Rob Nagle, and Cameron Watson, to name a few.
My parents have shown unconditional love and support my entire life. I would not be alive today without them. They have saved me over and over and over again. Any success I have is theirs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bravespaceproductions.com
- Instagram: @bravespaceproductionsllc or @thejulshoover
- Facebook: Juls Hoover
- Youtube: Juls Hoover
- Other: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heisenberg-tup/heisenberg-by-simon-stephens-directed-by-cameron-watson
Image Credits
Juls Hoover Headshots: Sean Kara Headshots/Photography
