Today we’d like to introduce you to Romy Turner
Hi Romy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
How I ended up here is a bit of a crazy story. Straight after graduating high school, I completed my bachelor’s degree in music, majoring in musical theatre. That was a two year compressed course. Once that was completed I was still barely 19 and I needed a break and to figure some things out for myself, so I stepped away from performing and the arts for a few years. Then, in 2021 I was living and working in Sydney, Australia, we were in the middle of one of the longest lockdown stretches the city experienced, and I was feeling pretty despondent about my future prospects. I’d also started a new job 4 days before everything shut down, so it was an interesting time. On a whim and definitely with zero expectation, I applied for a scholarship at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. I had taken an online class with them a few weeks previously and I thought it couldn’t hurt and it gave me something to do. My best friend and I stayed up late one night writing one of the craziest essays I’ve ever written. I got reference statements from some teachers I had worked with previously, I submitted and then didn’t think much of it again. A few weeks later I was called in for an initial zoom interview which turned into another interview with more people, which turned into a zoom call with the president of the institute and an offer of a fully paid scholarship in the name of Lee and Anna Strasberg. To say I was shocked was an understatement. It was 3am in Sydney, my cat was wandering around in the background of the call and I was half dressed normal, half pyjamas. It was a very strange circumstance to have such a life changing event occur, but it makes me chuckle now!
I was able to travel out here a year after I was offered the scholarship and spent the next year studying with some of the best teachers in the world and working with truly amazing new talents. Since graduating from Strasberg I have been the busiest I think I have ever been in my life! I have filmed 5 shot films with some really fantastic up-and-coming directors; some of which have already started winning awards at film festivals, and made my off-Broadway debut. Twice! I am so lucky to have been able to work in professional settings with major award winning creatives and artists who have taken a chance on me and my talent and have allowed me to learn as much as I can from them. It’s safe to say that the last year has been the steepest learning curve of my entire life and I have loved being able to truly throw myself into the work.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think anyone would be being honest if they said that their journey in life – in whatever form that may take and in whatever industry – was a smooth road. Everyone experiences hardship and struggles along their way, whether they be big or small. I am very fortunate to have an incredibly supportive family and friend group who have been unbelievable in my pursuit of my career and my move to the US. On a personal note, home is a long way away and there is no guarantee for anyone trying to make a career in the arts that you’ll find success. There were definitely times in the lead up to actually making the move here and my first few weeks in the US, where I was pretty convinced that I wasn’t going to stay. I was really lonely and the city was just so big and intimidating that I didn’t want to stay here. The reason I ended up staying really has nothing to do with me – of course I started to meet people and got to know my area more – but it really is entirely because of my support system, my family and my best friend. Having a group of people around you, no matter how far away they may be, has been so important in bouncing ideas off of, reminding me to laugh at myself when I am in my head about things, and, when I’m tired, reminding me why I decided to move here in the first place. Sometimes they have more belief in what I can do than I do, so I will always say that everything I am doing and any success I receive here is a team effort, because there is absolutely no possibility that I could do anything without them; I am just one part of a very special team, who are making this happen.
Professionally, I have really struggled with the idea that as a woman in musical theatre there was a direct link between how high you could “belt” and how “good” or successful you will be. Now, this is absolute rubbish. I’d like to get that out of the way, because it has taken me many years, and stepping away from performing entirely for a time, to realise how far from the truth this mindset is. This was never something that was ever said outright, thank goodness, however, it is something that when discussing with friends and peers in Australia, is a feeling that was shared by many people trying to enter the industry or were attending university.
To clarify for those who are not singers or who are not a part of the singing/musical theatre communities, according to Wikipedia, “belting” can be described as “…(when) a singer carries their chest voice above their break or passaggio…” In layman’s terms, and how it was described to me for a very very long time, “belting” is pushing your chest voice as high as possible. I could try and explain how wrong this definition is myself, however, Emily Kristin Morris, a multi-skilled performer and founder of the EKM Vocal Studio summed it up perfectly when she broke this definition down and explained that in reality “…pulling your chest voice above your first passaggio is when you start screaming, is when you start hurting yourself…”
It has only been in the last few years that I have understood this and have had to work really really hard, with the support of some truly incredible vocal coaches that I have had the immense privilege to be able to study with, to unlearn this as both a physical way of singing, but also as a mindset. The idea that I just wasn’t good enough because I struggled to sing a section of one song – which I was trying to sing in the completely wrong way mind you – meant that I would never be as successful as the girls I saw who could sing them with ease. This was by no means easy though, and sometimes I have to remind myself today that not only am I capable of singing that material, but that it has absolutely no influence on my worth in the industry or my self worth! It’s a lesson I wish I didn’t have to learn but I am so glad for it and the self-confidence I have gotten as a result. If I were to give any advice to young performers who are feeling like they are being asked to push themselves in ways that, in their gut, they know is off; trust your instinct and find the people who are going to support and encourage you on your unique path! There is no ‘right’ or ‘correct’ way to create a career in this business; just trust yourself, surround yourself with people you trust, and don’t give up!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have only been in the USA for a very short time – under two years now – but I have had the immense privilege to be in many challenging and amazing productions. Across film, TV, theatre and musicals, I have had the chance to broaden the expectations for what characters I could play and work with some of the most promising and talented rising stars of the future as well as established award winning creatives. The two projects that stand out the most so far from a professional stand-point would have to be my recent productions of The Duchess of LES and The Frankenstein Project.
The Duchess of LES, written by Denis Woychuk, directed by Randy Simon and produced by RSFWolf Entertainment LLC, tells the story of a community in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the 1980’s, when the area was known as Little Ukraine due to the high numbers of Ukrainian immigrants who called it home. The musical focuses on the lives of five women, Simon, the love-struck romantic, who is desperately in love with Yulia, her in-and-out-of-jail brother’s wife, Miss B, Simon’s little sister, Richie, her best friend, and Mrs Torchenko, Yulia’s mother who might also be a mob boss. I played the role of principal standby for Simon.
The Frankenstein Project, written, directed and produced by the multi Emmy Award winning, William Electric Black (Ian Ellis James), retells Mary Shelley’s classic gothic story of Victor Frankenstein and the creature he creates that goes on a vengeance fuelled quest to destroy the lives of not only Victor himself, but everyone whom he cares about. I played the role of the Monster, or Frankenstein’s Creature.
These productions not only afforded me my Off-Broadway debut, but they offered the opportunity to be a part of brand new, world premiere productions. It is a privileged position to be able to build a show from the ground up, knowing that the work you are doing will form the basis for which all subsequent productions work from. Having that amount of creative freedom was such an incredible experience, and being encouraged to bring your wildest and most out there ideas about a moment or a character was such a gift. Those environments aren’t always the ones we find ourselves in, so for that to be my debut experience, I am in no doubt about how lucky I have been.
Something that I have really come to believe through this entire process, though, is that there is never a “too late” or “too old” when it comes to pursuing what makes you happy. Going back into a study environment a few years after completing my degree, where I have been able to travel, grow and mature as a person, has proved to be the biggest gift I could have been given. I was in a much better position to learn and try new things, as well as having more confidence in myself and trusting my gut more on what is the right thing for me. I would say to anyone, especially anyone looking at going into the performing arts or creative careers, I know there is so much pressure to succeed before a certain age, but I promise you, your time will come when it’s the right time for you. There is no time limit on when you can start building the career that makes you happy. To say I was shocked by the level of support and encouragement I have received since moving, would be an understatement. Not only have I been given the opportunity to stretch myself and the boundaries of what I thought I was capable of, but I have been able to perform in incredible productions, work with supremely talented actors, collaborate with award winning creatives, and prove to myself that I am capable of more than I ever thought possible. You can never predict what opportunities the world will put in your path. You just have to be in the right place to take advantage of them when they come around. I’m having an absolute blast and I just hope to keep getting better and better.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
The emotional answer to this question is my family and friends. I will shout about them from the rooftops if I’m given the chance! I moved over here still very much during the pandemic, in 2022, and just the fact that we were able to get me out here was a minor miracle. I know lots of people try to be a successful actor – you only need to beat a non-union actor at an open call at Pearl Studios at 3am in January to see just how many there are! – and unlike conventional careers, there is no guarantee of success. A lot of the time, whether you get or don’t get a job are down to factors that you have no control over. It’s really tough. Add in being 16,000 miles away from home and things can get a little wobbly sometimes. But my team has never let me down. They have always had my back. Whether it’s a (virtual) shoulder to cry on, some tough love to pick myself up, dust myself off and keep going, or many many facetime calls that last for hours which include watching movies together or trying to play boardgames, they have always been there for me. Unquestioning and infinitely supportive. They probably have more belief in my success than I do sometimes! And I truly cannot explain how grateful I am for them. Not everyone has the privilege to have a support team that is so fully committed to helping you make your dreams come true, and I am so lucky to have mine. I would not have been able to do this without them. Any success I have here is ours, not just mine.
Professionally I get happiness from a mix of things; primarily, being able to live the lives and tell the stories of people who otherwise may have never had the opportunity to share their experiences, and to get to experience things that are so far outside my own reality. There are so many amazing and wonderful stories that exist around us every day and, at a time where you only need to watch the news for five minutes to get a pretty comprehensive idea just how tough people are doing it, being able to step out of our own lives into the reality of someone else is something I think everyone is appreciating. Personally, I love seeing characters who defy expectations and push the boundaries of what society attempts to impose on them. I love seeing multi-faceted women in particular; women who are loud and unapologetic and defiant and strong, but are also dreamers and romantics and intellectuals and introspective, who show that there are so many ways to be intelligent and who sometimes fall in a heap and make mistakes, but who are able to have a cry, pick themselves up, dust themselves off and try again. They are my favourite kind of characters to see because they remind me of the people I see everyday. They are the people who I look up to, the people I want to be like, the people who teach me how to be better, not only at my craft, but just as a human. They are the people whose stories I love to see told. They are the stories I want to be a part of telling. That’s why we all do what we do; or at least that’s why I do it. Because by stepping into the shoes of the character you are going to live with for the next three hours on a stage or for the next year on a film set, you learn so much about the world and about people and about how to make the world a kinder and more empathetic place.
The other reason why I love doing what I do is a little selfish, but it’s definitely one of the coolest things and that is you get to do things and learn skills that you would have no real reason to amass in any other career. If you ask any actor what their special skills on their resume are you will get told a list of the most random yet most incredible skills. Things you didn’t think it was possible for just one person to be able to do. Whether that’s something as simple as learning to make a latte to play a barista in the background of a tiny short film that no one will probably ever see, all the way up to learning to horse ride for a period drama, learning stunt fighting for an action film, learning to hold your breath for extended amounts of time, learning aerial acrobatics, learning to speak another language, learning how a surgical procedure happens and how to correctly use legal jargon. All these skills and experiences are things that no other profession can say it brings together. I see myself as so lucky that I get to play in this sandbox where, like I said before, I get to tell these incredible stories, but I also get to constantly be learning new skills and pushing myself to try new things. I don’t know about you, but a job that does that has to be one of the coolest in the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://romyturner24.wixsite.com/official
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romy_turner/
Image Credits
The Frankenstein Project Images – Photo by Desiree Conston
