Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Kulani Woodard.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
So, I grew up a few hours south of Atlanta in Albany, GA. I moved up to Atlanta for school when I got into Spelman College and quickly learned that my purpose in life was to be an artist. I discovered that around Oct. 2016 and have been creating ever since. In my first semester at Spelman, I wrote the skit, “History Repeats Itself”, a piece inspired by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, which dealt with police brutality and the state of Black America. The following semester I wrote and directed the skit “Finished What We Started,” for the 2016 Morehouse College Commencement Services. After my first year, I became interested in the production side of theatre. Since then I’ve worked backstage on several productions such as “Salt City” (Spelman College), “Interviews” (Morehouse College), “Holler If You Hear Me” (True Colors Theatre), and “Hospice + Pointing At The Moon” (Alliance Theatre). Since my first year here I’ve been fortunate to receive some recognition for my work. I was nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship for my portrayal of Gladys in Katori Hall’s “Saturday Night/Sunday Morning.” The American College Theatre Festival has also recognized my work on the traveling production, “Hands Up!” directed by Keith Arthur Bolden, which will perform next at the Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska. Last spring I was able to write and shoot my first short film, “When Morning Comes,” which discusses sexual assault on college campuses.
Most recently I was able to direct a contemporary, hip-hop version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo + Juliet” as Spelman College’s Theater and Performance Departments’ first Main Stage Director. To hear more about that show, you can listen to an interview myself and Booker Vance, (Mercutio) did for GPB’s “On Second Thought”:
https://www.gpbnews.org/post/shakespeares-romeo-and-juliet-gets-makeover-spelman-college.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely has not been a completely smooth road, but life rarely is! The hardest part for me has been being a full-time student as well as working on shows and having internships all at the same time. For months on end, my schedule will start around 9am and run non-stop from classes, to internships, to rehearsals, until about 11-11:30pm — and then, there’s homework. But those are also the days I love the most because it means I’m working! The times in between shows, or when I’m waiting for new internships or opportunities to happen, I need to keep myself motivated by writing, journaling, anything! So while it hasn’t always been peaches and cream, it’s been incredible and I wouldn’t change any part of my journey.
Please tell us about Alexis Kulani Woodard.
As an artist, I’m most excited about work that amplifies voices that are generally discriminated against and work that is deeply rooted in the truth of the human experience.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to change anything, I would be more confident in myself and my work from an earlier age! I wouldn’t wait until college to truly devote myself to what I love, I would’ve started the work while I was still in high school.
Contact Info:
- Email: alexiskw123@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/stuckwithlexie
Image Credit:
Hands Up! Directed by Keith Arthur Bolden, Stage Managed by Alexis Kulani Woodard, Performed at Kennesaw; Hands Up! Directed by Keith Arthur Bolden, Stage Managed by Alexis Kulani Woodard, Performed at University of Georgia; Romeo + Juliet, Directed by Alexis Kulani Woodard, Performed at Spelman College
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