Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Gibson.
Carrie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Although I was always an actor and creator at heart, I took the safe route and received a MA in psychology in my 20’s and worked with individuals and groups on addiction and family issues. One day I had an epiphany that it was time for me to work on my own happiness as a way to bring happiness to others. I started a theater company that would combine social issues and music into original plays that would spark dialogue in school settings. The Growth and Prevention Theater became known in the Northwest for both high-quality professional productions and sparking debate on topical issues like diversity, gender equity and more. Through combining my knowledge of empathy and psychology, I was able to co-write plays on relevant issues.
From there, I cowrote two people plays with my writing partner of over 20 years, Anthony Curry. We decided it was time for adults to grapple with the issues we were presenting to high school students. Tony and I have toured plays on diversity, disabilities, gender equity and veterans to the FBI, the Pentagon, major corporations and colleges around the US. We would find people to interview on a subject and sculpt their words into a play. Our task as actors was to become them without imitating them. We wanted to demonstrate active empathy. Our experience led us to the genre of screenplays. We take a true event we come across and use it as a springboard to fictionalize a story that hopefully will move people. Our first screenplay is being produced in 2020 and shot in Morroco. As an actor, I have transitioned to film and TV work. The authenticity I learned through all this work has led to a successful few years with roles on The Politician, Superstore, All Rise, Lucifer, Scream Queens, Bones, Jane the Virgin and several feature films.
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?
God no. Haha. Lots of ups and downs. The challenge with being an actor is staying available for the next opportunity. I struggle with the need to be productive all the time. Being actor does require a lot of effort and time but there are still quiet periods that are very challenging. The writing has been key and I am part of several a cappella singing groups. I joyfully sing in Blindside- a trio. I also started an a cappella group, The Sound of Musical, that sings theater and film musical songs.
Also in the 1990’s we were confronting homophobia and racism head on in schools. I witnessed a lot of pain that my actors of color experienced as they encountered attitudes and prejudice on the road. We were put on the Christina Coalition Enemy list which turned out to be less of an obstacle and more of an inspiration. Racism and homophobia was more blatant then though sadly that seems to be the case again in the last few years.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My writing partner and I have developed a unique style to writing. we are pretty confident we can tackle any writing challenge that comes our way because we have very different perspective but value similar things.
As an on camera and VO actor, I have really learned how to approach any part with the same commitment to authenticity and empathy I have brought to all my work. I have a simple home studio I use as a voice actor.
My trio sings a mixture of genres and is ready for any event.
My musical theater a cappella group is ready for events where people want to experience parts of musicals without going to the whole thing 🙂 We have sung in quite a few senior centers.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The ability to listen and the willingness to think outside the box. I believe active empathy, the art of imagining how it feels to be the other person is the key to everything. Also, my Buddhist chanting practice believes in dialogue as the key to world peace and teaches us to never give up. Those are key ingredient.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hadtobe.com, www.carriegibsontheactor.com, www.thesoundofmusicalacappella.com
- Phone: 3109265818
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: carriegibsontheactor
Image Credit:
Headshots by Exactdigital
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.
