Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Doyle.
Hi Courtney, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was little, I would (allegedly) remove myself from my high chair and begin performing what my family lovingly refers to as the “Courtney Doyle Show” during dinner. My “show” consisted of me dramatically retelling what had happened in kindergarten that day, replete with voices for all the different characters. Not long after I began this nightly ritual, my parents decided that to channel my energy, they would put me into acting classes at a local theatre school called. I began taking classes in improv, Shakespeare, scene study, and more. I immediately fell in love with being onstage, being the center of attention, and making people laugh. I grew up watching SNL, and when I was in high school, I began watching 30 Rock–Tina Fey’s show that revolves around an SNL-style late-night comedy show. I was absolutely inspired by the idea that I could make a living by making people laugh, and I decided that I did not want to be a serious Shakespearean actor but rather a comedian who spends her time calculating the best ways to make people laugh. I went off to college at Northwestern University, and while I was there and not being cast in plays (I’m not bitter…I swear…I’m not bitter…), I decided to hop on the El and ride it into Chicago to start taking improv classes at Second City. Not to brag, but I excelled in class, and I absorbed every ounce of knowledge my teachers had to offer. After completing their improv program before I’d even graduated college, I was performing in a small ensemble on one of Second City’s tiniest stages and felt like I had absolutely made it. It was the absolute best feeling in the world being able to make audiences laugh weekly for a month or so.
I decided that as soon as I had crossed the stage at graduation (Summa Cum Laude, btw…hate to brag…), I would be off to LA to start my life as a famous actress. When I got here, I was obviously nannying and working part-time jobs, trying to scrape by as best I could while trying to navigate how I could “break in” to the industry. One day, my roommate told me that she was applying to do Second City Hollywood’s work-study program so that she could start taking classes there, and so I decided to copy her and resume my comedy studies at a place that felt familiar to me. Pre-pandemic. Second City Hollywood is where I’d spent most of my evenings, either taking classes, vacuuming the floors, or performing on the stage. I was lucky to be a part of one of SCH’s longest-running sketch teams, Winnebago, as well as one of SCH’s longest-running shows called The Really Awesome Improv Show. It’s a bummer that the pandemic hit right when it did because I really feel like I was making a name for myself there.
Luckily, during the pandemic, I met my friend Ashley-Dawn, who is just as obsessed with comedy as I am. She connected me with her friend Miranda Meadows, and soon the three of us started making short comedic films together to fill the void left behind by live performance. One of our shorts, Accessories, was actually selected for a few festivals, which is so dope! Comedy is what fuels me, and being able to continue to put it out into the world has been a true lifesaver during this time filled with a lot of confusion and uncertainty. I’m not sure what the future holds for the live performance industry, but I am certain that you’ll be able to catch me on a stage or screen near you regardless.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
First of all, I have to acknowledge that most of the road bumps I have encountered are very white and privileged, as being able to pursue a life in theatre and, specifically, in comedy, is often reserved for the privileged few who can spend money on a seemingly frivolous thing. I am forever grateful for the resources and access I have been given that allow me to pursue a path that brings me joy and that is out of reach for many. But no, the road has not been smooth. In fact, like most people learn as they go through their twenties, the road is ever-winding and bending in new directions. Mostly, it’s been emotionally taxing. I struggled in college with feeling like my talent was going unnoticed and under appreciated, which is not unusual for many who attend theatre school. Rejection is just the name of the game. But instead of graduating with a newfound love for theatre and an excitement to pursue it, I graduated feeling absolutely deflated and feeling like perhaps the first 18 years of my life where I felt shiny and talented were a fluke, and that the four years I spent in college proved that I was, in fact, talentless and dull.
So I moved out to LA with a veneer of confidence, while inside I was tearing myself apart for myriad reasons. I felt like I couldn’t decipher how to “get my foot in the door” as it were, and I would stew in frustration over not being able to just “know” how to pursue a life as a performer. I have to give a lot of credit to my therapist who has worked tirelessly with me for the past two years to gas me up and help me realize that I am, in fact, awesome and that I deserve to relish in my successes. As soon as I started working some stuff out inside myself, it felt like I was better able to recognize and go after opportunities that aligned with what I want out of life instead of finding reasons to continuously thwart my successes at every turn. This is sort of a rambling and introspected response, but I guess that oftentimes my biggest roadblock has been myself. And I don’t mean that in any dramatic sense. What I mean is that I was often holding myself back as a coping mechanism to try to mitigate the return of pain and disappointment I had experienced while in theatre school. I feel like, nearly four years after graduating, I am finally beginning to heal some big emotional wounds, and this healing is paramount to my being able to continue to excel.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I am most proud of at the moment is all of the work I have done with Ashley-Dawn and Miranda. We all have extremely hectic lives, but when we’ve been able to pull together and produce one of our shorts, it’s like magic. It’s hard to remember what fuels you when you’re stuck at your desk for 9 hours a day, but being in a room with creative ladies like them reminds me why I set off to entertain, produce, etc. to begin with. When I am not writing or acting with them (or at my job) I am usually working on an independent project of mine, blogging about The Bachelor, or working as a freelance writer.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk taking? Never met her! I’m kidding, of course. I would definitely not consider myself a “risk taker” by nature, but one could argue that performing comedy is just one long series of risks. You put your whole heart out there, hoping someone will catch it and throw a laugh your way in return, and sometimes, you just fall flat. What I’ve learned as far as risk taking goes vis-a-vis comedy is that the risk is always worth it, and the first failure always hurts the most. They hurt less and less the more you openly fail. I assume it’s like being a lineman in football (I think that’s a position–I’ll have to have my sister fact check that). The first time you smack someone or something, it’s a shock to the system, but the more you do it, the more you build a tolerance for it. Or maybe football players just lose nerve endings and go numb. Is this a bad metaphor?
What I am trying to say is that anyone who goes out in front of a live audience in an attempt to entertain them is inherently a risk taker. I didn’t realize this until recently, but not everyone enjoys being put into a spotlight and dancing like a monkey to try and make people laugh. It takes a very special strength to commit yourself to going onstage or on the internet or on tv day after day and letting people watch you do what they never could do, even in their wildest dreams. Regarding risk-taking in general, I am a firm believer (and sometimes an actual practicer) of the idea that the worst thing that can happen in response to a risk you take is someone telling you “no,” which in the grand scheme of life, is really not that bad. It takes patience and practice to dig deep into yourself and trust yourself and your instincts, even if the people around you may not fully appreciate it or “get” it or support it. If 2020 taught us anything, it is that life is truly so short and can change at the drop of a hat, so let’s not waste our energy holding ourselves back from the things we really want!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.courtneydoyleactor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c_doyzee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtney.doyle.12
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Therealdoyzee
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC7yX1omWWMUrtX2EcyEuqQ
