Today we’d like to introduce you to Meg Evans.
Meg, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Originally from San Diego, CA. I guess I was always aware that I grew up in paradise but knew I had to get out. I don’t even know how old I was when I moved from Los Angeles to San Diego – I was an infant, taken in by my grandparents after my mom passed away suddenly when I was eight months old. My grandparents took me in as their own. After the passing of my grandfather when I was seven, it was just me and my grandmother. She had an absolute love for all things arts and culture. She immersed me in theatre, opera, ballet, cooking (which I still cannot do to this day!). I was that kid to watched Mary Martins, Peter Pan on repeat, who would rather see Les Miserables than whatever Disney show happened to be on Broadway. My grandmother will forever be the most important person in my life, she is with me in everything I do.
When she passed away before my final year of high school, I promised her that I would attend Brandeis University (and that I did). I received a BA in Theatre Arts and Hebrew Language from Brandeis. I moved from Boston to Dublin Ireland for an MPhil. in Theatre and Performance from Trinity College Dublin. I wanted to move to the closest piece of land that wasn’t the United States, I guess. My time in Dublin was incredibly informative. In addition to my Master’s, it was my intention to be the first certified AcroYoga teacher in Dublin. I connected to the practice of yoga during my freshman year as an undergraduate. To me, there was no greater gift than to study yoga and theatre arts side-by-side. I came back to embodiment and have studied movement practices ever since. From Dublin, Ireland I moved to Barcelona, Cataluyna for five years teaching and sharing the practice of yoga. I had a teacher in Boston who asked me what I wanted to be, what I wanted to do… he said “always go back to the very first thing you remember wanting to be”. The call for acting and theatre only got stronger.
I always knew that I wanted to pursue an MFA in Acting. It was recommended to me not to apply until after the age of 25 and on my 26th year, I applied and moved from Barcelona back to Irvine, CA to be a part of the MFA Acting program at the University of California, Irvine. The call to UCI was so strong and I could not have imagined a better program for me. I believe it is the most eclectic MFA Acting program in the country with such a strong emphasis on the physical body, movement and physical theatre. It truly focuses on the whole actor. Three years later, after receiving my MFA in Acting only a week ago, I am delighted to know that I without a doubt made the right choice. I am currently in transition out of school and into the professional world of acting in Los Angeles, CA.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Breath in and a breath out. I like to believe that the universe does not deal us anything we are not equipped to handle. Learning at a young age that I did not have a mother, that I was to be raised by my grandparents. I don’t recall feeling or knowing that my at-home situation was different. I had the greatest grandparents one could ever have. After the loss of my grandfather at seven years old, I felt surrounded and all too familiar with death. I lived a lot of my childhood in fear and particularly worried for my grandmother who became my sole guardian and my best friend.
When she passed away before my senior year of high school it’s almost as if I had blinders on to focus on getting through and making my way to college. I don’t remember a lot of my senior year, I was experiencing too much all at once. Trying to process her loss, navigating my final year of high school, selling our house in La Jolla, CA. All of these experiences are so deeply a part of me and I am sure they will always contribute to how I act and interact with the world. They have also provided me with the opportunity to do some soul searching about what I love, who I am, what I want. These experiences have taught me love and above all, resilience.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I recently graduated from the MFA Acting Program at the University of California, Irvine. I hold a BA in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University and an MPhil in Theatre and Performance. I am an actor, voice actor and physical theatre artist. I also have spent the past 12 years absorbing and sharing the practice of Yoga and AcroYoga.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe we experience things when we are meant to receive them. Grateful every day that I landed at the MFA Acting program at UC Irvine – it was absolutely meant for me and the people/classmates I got to experience the program with. We were meant to go through it together and with each other.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.itsmegevans.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmegevans/
Image Credit:
Wari Om Photography
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