Meet Seattle, WA-based Actor Audrey Herold
Audrey Herold is an actor based in Seattle, WA, and the new social media coordinator for Catholic Artist Connection! Visit her website for more information.
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Seattle?
AUDREY HEROLD: I'm originally from Burien, Washington, which is just south of the city of Seattle. I grew up and attended schools there my whole life, moved away to Vancouver, British Columbia for undergrad, and then moved back to Seattle after college in 2015. Funny story, I actually intended to stay in Vancouver and act after completing my BFA in Acting degree, but the paperwork didn't work out and so I moved back to Seattle as a fall back plan. I've thought about relocating to Chicago or DC over the years, but my family and communities are here so, for the time being, I am too. :)
How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist? Do you call yourself a Catholic artist?
I've always felt a great sense of personal mission in working in the arts. I have a lot of random talents and things I love -- history, design, writing, people -- and somehow all of those things wrapped up make uniquely qualified for a career in the theatre. You know how they say "if you can do anything else, do it"? For me it's the opposite; everything I already enjoy makes me good at what I do as a theatre artist. I do call myself a Catholic artist. I'm an artist. And I'm Catholic.
Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
To be honest, this is an intersection in my life that I've found holds a lot of tension. I've had trouble fitting in with Church friends because my choice of career for a woman wasn't "traditional" enough, and I've found it difficult to attend events or stay loyal to a bible study because -- guess what? -- it meets when I have evening rehearsals. I really appreciate Catholic Artist Connection, because it felt like one of the few places since undergrad where I really found a Catholic artist community.
Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?
I used to be really timid when it came to being open about my faith in rehearsal rooms, but over time, I learned that the more open I was, the quicker I found like-minded people. One of my close friends literally began our friendship by coming over to me during a break in the green room and said "Hey are you a Christian? I am too, we should be friends." Having that open demeanor has led other friends who aren't practicing but know I am, send folks my way when they meet other Christian actors in town.
Working at Taproot Theatre has also been a huge help -- albeit not expressly Catholic -- it's a really wonderful thing to start company meetings with prayer each week.
How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?
Something simple like the bible study thing. In undergrad my theatre department formed a specific Theatre Women’s Bible Study which met outside of rehearsal hours. I got more involved with my church than I ever had been, while theatre was shut down due to the pandemic, and people were shocked that I'd been attending the same church as them for three years. "I've never seen you!" they'd say. I pointed out that working in the performing arts meant I couldn't really attend any of the evening and weekend Young Adult events with any regularity, and multiple folks told me they'd never considered that.
How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?
I've actually found a lot of welcome from folks in my sphere who grew up Catholic or Christian, but are not practicing any more. We have a common vocabulary and upbringing and so when I mention I have a conflict on Sundays, and it's Mass -- it might be a little out of the ordinary, but they are at least somewhat familiar and generally don't bat an eye. It has also led to a lot of interesting conversations around why people don't practice any more and the ways that they've become disillusioned by church. I've learned to be a lot more humble, to talk less and listen more when people open up about their history with that, because ultimately it's coming from a very vulnerable place.
Where in Seattle do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?
I attend Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle, WA. It's actually a 20 minute walk from my apartment, which was a surprise because I moved into the place sight unseen in 2020. The church is my favorite literally because I think it is hands-down the most beautiful in the city and the warm, distressed brick interior makes me feel like I'm underground in the catacombs. It's so beautiful. If I'm called to marriage I will get married in that church.
Where in Seattle do you regularly find artistic fulfillment?
I'm part of two major theatre groups in my city. The first is Taproot Theatre, which was founded by a group of Christian theatre grads in 1976. I've worked there in some capacity (costumes, improv, touring actor) since 2016 and just joined staff this last January in the Development department. It's the place I spend most of my time and where I can drop a prayer request in the work Slack channel and know that I am immediately surrounded by community.
Audrey’s design work
The other group I am a part of is Dacha Theatre, which, although not Christian, like I said, has a lot of members who grew up in one faith or another. I'm a Company Member and we have a weekly catch-up pub night. This is often where I have my best conversations about what my faith means to me, and this group is where I get to collaborate on art that's about what the human experience really boils down to.
Dacha Theatre has been my favorite start-up theatre since they accidentally devised a play about Purgatory during the Halloween of 2018. It was an interactive piece about ghosts with unfinished business, which the audience got to help them "solve" over the course of the evening ... yeah, it was a spiritual experience and I wept for 10 solid minutes after the show ended.
How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist in your city?
I have definitely built a community. Are they all Catholic artists? No, but all of us have at the forefront of our mission to create exceptional art...and to me, that's being in the image of God. Just creating at all is an act of worship, even if the individual creating isn't necessarily aware of or intending to honor God with their craft. A lot of my artist friends are Christian, some are not, and some honestly are still wrestling with all of that. I try to be open to conversations when people ask me questions -- and believe me, it happens more often than you'd think! I've ended up explaining the Church's teaching on pornography, Natural Family Planning, the Saints, and lots of other things because someone asked a question.
What is your daily spiritual practice?
Most mornings I wake up, turn off my phone alarm and read my Blessed Is She devotional from my bed in my email inbox. I roll out of bed, start coffee, and hop in the shower while listening to Morning Prayer with the Universalis app. My goal for 2022 was to be listening to all of the Divine Office at the correct times throughout the day by the end of the year. I'm ... getting there. Throughout the day I'll often listen to theology podcasts, music or send up little prayers. I close out each day with an Examen in my Be A Heart Design planner (I use the daily lines for this!) I used to use the Monk Manual, but didn't like going through four journals in a year. Now, I use one annual planner as my journal and I've found that giving God my time in this way made a HUGE difference in how I accept or refuse to take on gigs.
What is your daily artistic practice?
When I'm in a show, I usually have rehearsals in the evenings, and so I'll often make recordings of my lines and my cues to listen to and practice throughout the day. The show I'm in now rehearses Tuesday-Saturday, so my routine is to try my best to take Sunday as a Sabbath, and to attend a fitness class on Monday nights. Even if I'm not in a show, keeping up with a regular workout and reading scripts or attending shows keeps my head in the game.
Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist. What happened, and what brought you the most joy?
Last Saturday was a really wonderful day because I got to attend morning rehearsal for my summer show which is Shakespeare's "Pericles." We're doing a very fun small ensemble version which will tour outdoor to parks this summer. I'm playing a great track which includes the wicked Dionyza, the goddess Diana, a crusty old fisherman and a knight, so I get to learn combat which is always my fave.
After rehearsal I zipped home to change into a gorgeous green silky party dress and go tend bar for Dacha Theatre's fundraising gala. I love bartending for theatre events because I get to talk to so many people, while being fun and creative in mixing drinks -- plus! I get to learn a new drink usually.
After tending bar I got to perform a few songs with the cast from our new musical "Star * Play" for donors, and so it was a great day getting to perform and chat with so many people who help make theatre happen.
How do you afford housing as an artist?
I got very lucky during the pandemic in that someone broke a lease in a building not too far from where I had been renting a month-to-month room for some time. I jumped on it and now I've been in my little studio with my cat for 2 years this month. It's tiny -- 190 square feet! My couch is my daybed! -- but it has everything I need, is so walkable and close to work that I can't beat the price and location combination. For reference I live in the Roosevelt neighborhood which is close to Greenlake/North Seattle area.
How do you financially support yourself as an artist?
I have a day job. Before the pandemic I was working full-time as a touring actor for Taproot Theatre, but I knew that I couldn't be on an educational tour forever. So, last fall I started my MFA in Arts Administration, which was a direction I'd known I wanted to explore. Being in that program has taught me so much about theatre management and it helped me to get my 30 hour a week job in Taproot's Development Department last January. So, I have a day job, but it really doesn't feel like it, because I'm working in a theatre on projects that I really do care about.
I'd worked for a long time in dead-end day jobs that I couldn't care less about, and for me, that was more draining than having the day job to begin with. Some days I miss the freelance gig life, but the instability of it was so hard on my personality type that I really prefer the balance I have now. Plus working a 9-5 means I have my evenings and weekends free for rehearsals and shows.
How do you market your art? And/or build a professional network as an artist? Are there resources you've found most helpful for artists looking to gain an audience for themselves or their work?
I generally use my social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram) to promote the projects I do next. I rarely use Facebook much now, except to update folks on my next gig. Instagram is where I make most of my connections. And then of course, seeing shows, attending auditions, callbacks and any connections I make through work or grad school help too. Seattle is a pretty small theatre town so most people know the folks you know. I've worked hard to build a reputation that makes people excited to hire me over and over again.
What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in your city?
My favorite Mexican restaurant is the one across from Taproot Theatre: Gorditos. My favorite coffee is either Armistice in Roosevelt, Resistencia (I bought a beautiful Our Lady of Guadalupe print here!) in Georgetown, or Chocolati (North Seattle).
Greenlake is my favorite place to walk or kayak, and Magnuson Park has great swimming in the summertime. The Theatre Puget Sound website and callboards are the first place to look for auditions, jobs and gigs, and Blessed Sacrament is a great, centrally-located parish with lots of activities and a strong Young Adult/Young Professionals presence.
What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists post-graduation?
1. Get yourself connected to a theatre of faith or a church that has a lot of artists.
2. Make a website -- I can't tell you how many gigs I've gotten through my website.
3. Take classes in the skills that need strengthening (voice, dance, combat, etc) and the ones that you are nervous about because those mean a lot to you, they make you more versatile as an artist, and the learning something new humbles you in a good way.