Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlene Wallace.
Hi Marlene, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my creative journey as a dancer receiving a BFA in Dance from Temple University. While completing my BFA I was asked to do the choreography for a play being produced at a large venue in Philadelphia. The director also asked me to audition for the lead role. I was cast in the role and to my surprise received rave reviews as I had never acted before. Shortly thereafter, I was asked to choreograph a piece that was performed at the Kennedy Center which was a highlight of my pursuit as a choreographer. I have since continued to choreograph for stage and film.
Subsequently, I danced with several companies in Philadelphia and then moved to New York City where I did the same. When a knee injury suddenly led to a knee surgery I had to rethink my identity as I wasn’t able to perform at the same level as before. However, I still wanted to perform and remembered how much fun I had acting, so I began taking acting classes. I studied with several teachers over the years for both stage and film while pursuing an acting career.
I found that I loved the process and wanted to share what I had learned. That is when I started teaching acting. Now I work as an actor and teacher, and love that I found a way to live my life in a way that keeps me creatively challenged.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was a big deal when I could no longer dance as my identity was totally wrapped up in that world. I was lost and depressed at the thought of no longer performing and I did not know what was going to replace it. I loved the feeling of working hard on a piece of choreography and collaborating with people to bring an inspiring and moving piece of art into the world.
Then one day I reflected on the joy I felt as an actor in the play in Philadelphia, and I realized that I could study and become a trained actor. The discipline of being a dancer really helped me to make that transition because I was very willing to work hard to learn a new skill set.
Most recently, the pandemic created some challenges as I suddenly had to hold my classes on zoom. This meant adapting and inventing new acting exercises which was a very creative process. This also led to actors having to record and submit their own self tapes for auditions which required me to develop a new set of skills including lighting, sound, filming, and editing.
Every seeming setback drove me to acquire new skill sets which became an advantage in the long run.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I teach and use a breath technique as an actor that I learned from a very insightful teacher, Carol Fox Prescott, along with techniques I learned from many other brilliant teachers over the years.
Learning to work with the breath and trust it is a profound journey of reclaiming instincts that have been perhaps buried. We all have ingrained patterns of holding our breath which stop us from crying, laughing or feeling something fully or at all. These patterns can shut us down and impede us from honoring how we really feel.
The breath work leads to very exciting performances. Watching my students learn to be in the moment without worry or self consciousness is very rewarding.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
As an actor I have to risk exposing myself in ways that may feel very uncomfortable. I am often required to expose my most vulnerable feelings including things that I may not want to feel and perhaps prefer to avoid. It is a risk to put myself out there every time I audition or perform and yet it is the nature of the game and is what makes acting exciting.
I have learned to welcome stepping into the unknown where anything can happen when I am truly in the present moment, and I like the feeling of the nerves that come up before shooting a scene or performing on stage.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marlenewallace.net/
- Instagram: marlene.wallace.actor
