Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Booth.
Hi Audrey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey as an actor began in the most embarrassing way possible: with my little sister recording my first kiss. At 16, I was cast in my first role as Glory in Almost, Maine. I was so excited to be in my first production, until I read the script and saw what I’d have to do…Now, put yourself in my shoes. You’re 16, you’re incredibly shy, you have debilitating social anxiety, and have never even gone on a date. And now you just signed up to kiss a boy *three times a night* in front of the entire school…not ideal. Now mix into that a little sister who attended every rehearsal– every awkward, horrifically embarrassing, cringe-worthy rehearsal– and recorded a video of your first kiss that made its way into the family group chat.
Somehow, I survived the most mortifying 3 months of my life without losing my enthusiasm for the theatre. I eventually went on to act in films, and even wrote and directed a couple under my production company, Noveltea Films. My most recent production, Petrichor, is a unique short film that challenges the exclusion of queer people from religious spaces. It is a film that I wrote, co-directed, and was a supporting actress in, and is available to view on my YouTube channel.
I’m now training in the MA acting course at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. I’m incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to learn from such incredible working actors in this field. I’ve only been here for 3 weeks, and have already learned so much. I cannot wait to see what this year has in store!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If Almost, Maine is any indication, then you’ll know it has not been a smooth road. Creative work is certainly not what my parents had in mind for me. In fact, I cried more while telling them I wanted to be an actor than when I came out as gay (and I cried a lot then). The entire idea was idiotic. I was a straight-A honors student my whole life, and suddenly I wanted to give it all away to be in some movies?
I couldn’t explain why at the time, but since starting theatre 10 years ago, I’ve begun to have a better grasp on it. Theatre and film help me make sense of a world that feels incredibly chaotic. As a young girl, I struggled with mental health issues that I could not manage. I was overwhelmed and restricted, and it wasn’t until I first started working in the theatre that I started feeling like I had the ability to fight back against the mental chains I was in. As time passed, I found more and more ways to use theatre and film as a lens to better see and understand the world. I created Biracial Beauties, a short film that highlights the unique difficulties of growing up as the child of multiple cultures in a world that loves fitting people into boxes. I even ended up making a short film about what it’s like to come out as gay while still identifying as a Christian.
With every single project I’ve done, no matter how small, I have learned something more about myself and the world around me. It truly is how I make sense of the world, and I could never give that up.
When I was 18, I didn’t know how to say that to my parents. I was deeply ashamed of the career path I’d chosen. But in spite of that, I knew it was important for me. So I kept my head down and worked. I auditioned constantly, I produced my own films, and eventually I was able to prove to myself that I hadn’t made a mistake in choosing this career. I feel incredibly fulfilled and passionate about this journey that I am on, and wouldn’t trade it for any other job.
With time, I’d even come to prove to my parents that this is what I’m meant to do. They are now two of my biggest supporters. They created the biggest obstacle to begin with, but it really just meant that I had to lock in from the very beginning. It created in me a mindset of dedication and perseverance, without which I never would have accomplished what I have so far.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I value empathy, growth, and truth above all in my artistic works. I love to pursue projects that force me and my audience to consider something from a different point of view. I love to push myself to limits that I never thought I could reach, and to share the truth of the story unapologetically with my audience.
“Why?” is my favorite question in the world. Why is this system in place? Why do we believe what we believe? Why do we do things a certain way? Why shouldn’t we try something else?
I like facing the uncomfortable questions. It’s almost philosophical. I want to develop my understanding of the human condition and the world we live in.
Don’t get me wrong, acting is very fun. If it wasn’t, I could pursue my understanding of humanity in a million other ways, including becoming an *actual* philosopher. But I find so much joy and energy using theatre and film as my medium. Why not sing a few songs as we delve into the nitty-gritty of being alive?
Who else deserves credit in your story?
As I write this, I’m sitting in my flat in Liverpool. I’ve just begun my courses in the master’s program at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. On my wall hangs a letter from the man I wish I could thank the most: my grandfather. He taught me one of the most valuable lessons in my life: to not save for tomorrow what should be given today.
A constant struggle in my life is this feeling of overwhelm, and the procrastination that results from it. But because of that overwhelm, I almost missed the chance to give something indescribably important to my grandfather before he died. That close call woke me up to the fact that life moves quickly, and I can’t keep procrastinating just because something isn’t easy. If it’s important, you need to find a way to do it now.
Because of my grandpa, I finally had the courage to post my latest film, Petrichor, on YouTube. Today, that film has hit 200,000 views.
And because of my grandpa, I had the courage to apply to a school overseas. I wouldn’t have applied otherwise. And now here I am.
So this is for him. Thank you, Popo.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.audreybooth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreybooth_/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/K3oG_LFju4U?si=QWPUAcQMRPO_r_g7
- Other: audreyboothacts@gmail.com
