Meet Natalie Holt MacDonald of Beverly Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Holt MacDonald.

Hi Natalie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a professional actor, singer, dancer, and voice teacher in the Los Angeles area. I have been working professionally as a stage actress for over a decade in regional theater, touring productions, theme parks, and cruise contracts. I have done some tv and film projects as well, but my current passion is musical theater. As a member of Actors Equity since 2022, I have proudly worked locally at several well-known theater companies including 5-Star Theatricals, McCoy Rigby Entertainment, East West Players, The Colony Theater, the El Portal, and Musical Theater West. In fact, I just opened Hello Dolly at Musical Theater West on October 18th in Long Beach in the role of “Minnie Fay.”
I got my Associate’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Moorpark College, and then during the pandemic I chose to get a Bachelor’s degree in Entertainment Business from the Los Angeles Film School. Using my degrees, I chose to begin giving back to the community. So, in March 2023, I opened my own voice teaching studio called NHM Singing Studio. I am located in Beverly Hills inside of Beverly Hills Playhouse, however, my coaching services are open to everyone regardless of whether they are a student at BHP or not. I have had the absolute best time being a voice coach. It allows me to develop other voices and talents while still pursuing my own career.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has certainly not been a smooth road. In a business that offers luxury services (not necessities), I’ve found that consistency has been the biggest obstacle to overcome. And honestly, that’s a challenge that I’m still overcoming. My theater career has had it’s moments of both feast and famine, and there have been times when the economy has seriously affected my voice teaching. I’ve quickly found that it’s normal to think that every show might be my last, or that I might need to find another more consistent job than voice teaching.
However, I think that what has gotten me through is the knowledge that I can stop at any time. I can move onto another job whenever I like to, and I have other options if I need them. That mentality also allows me to truly be grateful and satisfied in the moment, to truly savor every experience, because it may be my last. I don’t know what the future holds, and I will always try my absolute best in every circumstance; but with this perspective, I can release a lot of the stress and the desperation of always finding the next gig.
I’ve also found that having a solid routine at some point in my day when I’m not working on a show is a great way to keep on track. It helps me to find stability in a consistently unstable career environment.

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?
As an actor, singer, dancer, and voice teacher, I find that my true specialty is being a character actor. Looking at my resume, I’ve played ingenue roles and the comic relief roles, and even sexier roles that I wouldn’t have normally seen myself in. For example, I’ve gone from playing Sandy in Grease to Rudolph in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, to Linda in The Wedding Singer, to Minnie Fay in Hello Dolly. And honestly, I wouldn’t want my career to be any other way. I love manipulating the way I talk, do my makeup, move, and sing so that I can be completely lost in the character. I like to consider myself a chameleon. That doesn’t mean I’m a method actor. I don’t necessarily want to stay in the mindset of a character 100% of the time I’m working on it. But I like to be intentional with how I handle the character. And that may mean I dress the part for every audition or dress a certain way for a designer run. Because, not everyone may be able to envision me in the character. So, it’s my job to help them see what I can do.
One of the biggest things that has helped me with that, is also to do everything full out without any fear of making a fool out of myself. Especially in the rehearsal space. Even when the director is blocking out a scene with me for the first time, I try to bring a full-out performance the way I prepared it first, because then the director can make an honest assessment of what it will look like and make adjustments from there. It allows the director and I to gain each others trust and respect so that we can collaborate more successfully, and hopefully deliver a compelling performance to the audience.

These are just two of the qualities in my work that I try to communicate and develop in my students as well. I try to teach them as many tools as I can so that those tools are available when they need them.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
A sense of accomplishment is one of the biggest things that brings me joy. Whether it be checking off a box on my to-do list or figuring out a puzzle, I just love creatively solving problems. This is what excites me most as well being an actor and a voice teacher.
With my teaching, each student feels like a living puzzle. Each person is so different, and how they learn and experience the voice is different too. Some students connect more on an emotional level, some on a more technical level, and even some from a famous singer they are inspired by. Often times, when teaching a student a new skill, I’ll find myself communicating the same concept in 20 different ways until something I say or do finally clicks. And that moment, when a student makes a discovery, is such a beautiful moment.
As an actor, I love finding discoveries in my character, line-delivery, and all the other small moments that the writers and directors give the actors. In going through a script, reading between the lines, or understanding the bigger picture in a scene is such a fun way of finding deeper levels to everything you are saying.

Pricing:

• Voice teaching pricing is: $70/30min; $100/45min; $120/60min

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nhm-studios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenatalieholtmacdonald/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natalie.h.macdonald
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@natalieholtmacdonald5114
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nhm.act.sing.dance

Image Credits
Black and white images are: Eric Toms
Headshot is: Justin Powell w/Michael Roud photography
Red carpet and Hello Dolly photo are: Take Creative photography