Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Taylor.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jade. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am an actress/dancer/singer living in LA and since I could remember, I’ve been singing and dancing! I started taking dance classes when I was three and I fell in love with it. I’m so glad that I was taken to that first dance class it was the moment I first found my place. My goal as a dancer was to be well rounded so I learned as many styles as I possibly could. I really enjoyed ballroom and so I started learning more styles involved with ballroom. When I was six years old, I joined a competitive cheer team! This taught me about being a team player and pushed me to work harder to become better. I did competitive cheer for ten years and it gave me a lot of insight that has helped me now with my career. As I got older, I met a teacher from school who encouraged me to follow after my dream of being an actor. That teacher always was encouraging her class to follow after their dreams and was so kind I know I wasn’t the only kid she inspired! I started auditioning for anything and everything I could find. I would research as much as I could about the characters I was auditioning for and I would spend as much time possible learning everything there was to learn about the show, plot, and characters and this is still something I do to this day with each and every audition.
Researching and learning about a character has always been one of my favorite things in acting. There’s always that moment when you find the connection between you and that character and you feel calm at an audition because you played the character the best you could play it and you gave it your everything that is one of my favorite moments. I then got cast in my first show! I was the youngest in the cast but I loved every second of it. Being the youngest pushed me to try and be better at every rehearsal and I will never stop pushing myself. The show was such an amazing experience and since then, I’ve been working professionally in theater and film. I am constantly working and improving my craft. I still take constant dance, voice, and acting lessons. I am also trained in aerial on silks, Lyra, trapeze, and more. I’m currently working on a completely virtual production of a Midsummers Night Dream! It’s been amazing to work on a project like this and to see how technology can be used and the ways live theater is evolving!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s definitely not been a completely smooth path. With acting, there comes a lot of rejection there are so many things in an audition room that you cant control there is only about 10% of things you can control when it comes to your audition. You will hear this a lot but no matter how many times you hear this and no matter how many times you tell yourself this it still hurts when you get that email letting you know you weren’t chosen. Actors main job is to be great auditioners which can be hard going into room after room praying you get a callback to find out you got nothing, but getting cast in a show makes it all worth it. This is a career where you just have to keep going and never give up even when things get hard. As well having the right skill set is very important and it can be a difficult road to getting that skill set. I had to train for many years and sometimes it felt like I was going nowhere I would be in the dance room practicing the same four steps over and over getting trying to get the technique down and make it smooth but it felt that it wasn’t coming together. The feeling that I wasn’t as talented as the girl standing next to me in the audition would creep in every once in a while, but I had to learn to not focus on others I could only control what I do so I keep training and pushed through the hard times when it felt like my career wasn’t going anywhere. No matter what, I don’t give up. I have such a passion for my career and I will always continue to better myself and work hard.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am an actress working in LA so my business would be me and what I can do with a character to make them come to life. I’m constantly improving myself and working on my skills. I have done all different kinds of forms of acting from Tv to musical theater. Musical theater was where I really got my start. I remember the first time I ever saw a live show I was in awe. The costumes, the set, everything being right in front of you from the minute I entered that the theater and the overture started, I couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear. I think an actor’s job is to be able to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances as an acting teacher I once had said. It’s our job to make that character be real and truthful to make it seem as if you are truly just watching their lives unfold whether on screen or on the stage.
When people see me perform, I want them for the 45-minute episode or 2-hour live show to be completely immersed in what’s going on to be able to escape for just a few seconds. Its always been a goal of mine to be someone’s favorite tv show. We all tend to have that one show that we always go back to and watch over and over just our favorite show and the actor in that show that in one way or another we relate to, my goal is to play that character and to inspire another person to follow their dreams whether its acting or any other field. I think acting in musicals, film, and tv is very important because having an escape is very important and sometimes seeing characters do the impossible makes you feel like you can do anything.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My mom is the biggest inspiration in my life! She drove me around to all of my rehearsals, cheer practices, costume fittings, audition, she always encouraged me to keep going and has always said I could do anything I put my mind to. She has never missed a single one of my shows and is always front row to see me. She always will tell all of her friends to come to see my shows and I can always hear when their in the audience during bows cheering me on! I owe so much to her and everything she has done for me. I don’t know if I would have the confidence to walk into an audition room or perform in front of so many people if she hadn’t of been there to guide me and cheer me on. She taught me how to write business emails, and how to make business cards she has just also been there when I needed her. I have truly had the best role model!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jadetaylorbway.wixsite.com/jadetaylor
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadetaylorbway/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jadetaylorbway
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5jWDOegmsO8rrEC-4uIb0Q?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Amber Shea Hodge, Stephen Adams
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