Today we’d like to introduce you to August Gray Gall.
August, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I moved to LA from North Carolina back in 2016 to pursue my BFA in Acting from CalArts. I’ve dedicated the last four years to acting but growing up it was just fun and games while I studied to attend Universities in my home state. It wasn’t until the beginning of my senior year in High School when I felt like I was doing something wrong. I asked my dad for advice and he told me exactly what he thought. So, I applied to 18 acting programs across the country at the very last minute. I didn’t even tell my mom for a month what I had done. The auditions in New York are what finally blew my cover. I had changed my path in the blink of an eye simply because my dad said “trust your gut.” He was right.
When I got to CalArts I was a very different artist then I am today. Immediately, I was immersed into a community that was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The collaboration between art forms was groundbreaking through my eyes. Nothing seemed to be in the way for students who were studying at CalArts. We could question everything and anything without censorship. We could forget about any limitations. Experimental was the normal. I was overwhelmed by the opportunity and trust we were given. I am so grateful that I was provided a safe space to learn and grow across all platforms, art related or not.
During my four years at CalArts, I performed in several theater productions and short films. I thank the faculty for letting me play such daring roles in traditional shows such as Uncle Vanya and Much Ado About Nothing. I learned to bring my unique self to every role I was given unapologetically. When you do that you can’t go wrong. I was also cast in my first feature film at CalArts. I played the role of Oliver in Lisa and Liza which actually premieres this year. It’s directed by fellow students Liat Benezra and Shianne Yang, two amazing female film directors.
In the Spring semester of my third year, I was cast as Taylor in the National Tour of Nap the Play, along with several other CalArts students. The show was written and directed by my dear friend and genius collaborator, LaurenSage Browning. The piece tackled conversations on suicide prevention and depression specifically in young adults. This was my first time participating in Theater for Activism and it opened up a whole new side to what I thought performing could be. We traveled all across the country within three months and even made our Off-Broadway Debut at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City. We performed for thousands of people that summer while also participating in silent protests, prevention workshops, and partnering with suicide prevention organizations created to help handle such a heavy topic. This show started a huge shift in my career and helped me learn how to develop stories that I want to tell.
I’ll never know a more freeing place than CalArts for someone who doesn’t know who they are, and who wants to explore that deep question through their art practice. It’s hard to have any regrets with my time at CalArts. And as someone who is graduating this month, my life is about to take another leap for itself. The road ahead is unclear, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Great, 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?
There’s always ups and downs if you’re an artist. Especially if you’re a queer artist. As someone who just recently came out to my family and friends, I haven’t fully experienced what it’s like to be gay in the industry yet. I am exceptionally nervous to enter Hollywood as a queer actor knowing that my path is there only because it was paved by so many before me who had it a lot worse. It’s gotten better but there’s still a lot of work to be done. I want to help with letting go of negative stereotypes while also embracing my community for what we are and nothing less.
I’ve spent the last several years hiding my true self and pushing a straight agenda within all the work I produce. I struggled with internalized homophobia growing up in the South and it’s taken a lot of hard work to finally love who I am. This has definitely impacted the way I approach my acting. I am currently working on projects that allow my sexuality to exist without it defining the entire character I play. Growing up and creating a different version of myself for my peers was definitely difficult but I think my art has helped me break away from that deteriorating image and allowed me to flourish better than ever.
Please tell us about your work.
My work is changing so fast nowadays. I’m constantly evaluating how I can approach my craft from another perspective. I’m starting to experiment with new forms such as dance, painting, directing, and writing. It all excites me. While I was at CalArts, the courses that I pursued the most were actually movement-based. The first thing I do when I find a character is let go of the text and work physically with my body. I am a very physical actor; it’s how I connect with my emotions fastest and in their purest form. It’s fascinating to me. Whether it’s dissecting the everyday habits of a stranger on the street or evaluating the impulses shifting through every muscle of your body, I want to try it. I could spend hours in the studio without any text and feel sustained by the infinite ways your body can make you feel. For actors our body is our instrument. We have to take care of it and practice using it everyday. Movement has helped me connect and trust my body so that I can truthfully transform when I’m on stage or in front of a camera.
My latest project involved a lot of extreme movement. I was supposed to play Sonya in the CalArts production of Uncle Vanya the week COVID-19 hit Los Angeles. Our show was cancelled immediately. However, the rehearsal process was life changing. Our director, a queer artist herself, wanted to create a melodramatic, genderbending, extravagant world within Chekhov. The leading men were cast in the roles traditionally played by women and vice versa. We were told to play with every emotion at its highest peak at all times. Sonya, who is miserably in love during the entire play became someone very untraditional when I decided to play her. My physicality was purposefully over the top to express the pain that she was going through while also keeping her in a comedic environment. The show was also in the round, so as the actor you’re constantly changing your arrangement to create a different experience for everyone in the audience. I never thought I would have the opportunity to play such an iconic character simply because of gender. That was ignorant of me. Of course, I can.
The world is changing and I’m happily along for the ride. In the future I want to facilitate queerer art. I want to continue questioning society’s idea of what queer means and define it myself. I’ve taken up writing lately and it’s felt really good to write roles for myself and my peers where we can control the narrative. Where we get the opportunity to say: Here’s what we’re making. This has allowed me to unlock so much creative freedom in my work.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My all-time favorite childhood memory would have to be when I visited San Diego with my mom on one of her business trips. I remember it was the summer before high school started. She was in meetings for a whole week so I basically had every day to do whatever I wanted. In San Diego?! I couldn’t believe it. I feel like I explored the whole city. I found these other kids who also had parents in meetings and we went on all sorts of crazy adventures. I never saw those kids again but for that week we were inseparable and best friends immediately. I remember thinking they were so cool. They were all a couple years older than me so they taught me how to skateboard, surf, and how to get in all kinds of trouble at the beach. I never saw them again but for that week we lived through a lifetime of memories. It’s also when I fell in love with California and knew I’d make it my home one day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.augustgraygall.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @augustgraygall
Image Credit:
Cathryn Farnsworth, Hao Feng, Jacqueline Cook
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
