Today we’d like to introduce you to Edi Tingle.
Edi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been quite the character. I grew up in Portland Maine, not Oregon. I was in all of the school plays and was generally the class goofball. My family (mom, dad and I) moved to Atlanta when I was 8 years old in 2003. My dad also works in film and we moved for work. It was hard for me to make friends at first. I always felt like the oddball. So, I turned to comedy as a means to fit it. When I changed schools, I started going by Edi, which is when I think I started to really come into my own.
My mom Clare signed me up for a 5-week summer intensive called Youth Creates at the recommendation of family friend Mack Headrick. In my audition, one of the people leading the audition told me, “You are the most jaded person I have ever met.” I was eleven. That’s where I met so many of my creative influences and teachers; Heidi Howard, Suehyla El-Attar, Lotte Lammers, Theresa Davis, Jennifer Kimball, just to name a few. It’s also no coincidence that all of these powerhouses are strong, badass women.
After that pivotal summer, I started interning at 7 Stages Theater in Little 5 Points. After interning and going to the intensive for a few summers I got cast in the Christmas show Krampus, that was housed at 7 Stages for over 10 years. I was cast as an elf but I was just thrilled to be on stage. Two years later, I was cast as one of the stars playing Satan’s, played by Rob Thompson, rebellious daughter, Damien. It was honestly one of the most fun experiences I’ve had on stage. My time playing various characters in the “Krampus” universe, spanning 7-8 years was truly remarkable. It really tested and stretched my acting abilities. One year, I was on rollerskates fighting Jeff Langston’s Krampus. Other years, I played a henchman of Reay Kaplan Maxwell’s villain while stealing kisses from Jessica Unker’s character when we fell in love. Andrew McGill actually wrote my character one year as “Tinkle The Elf” because my last name is Tingle and he thought that was funny. Trying to explain the craziness of all of the Krampus anti-Holiday shows is trying to explain a funny improv show; you just had to be there.
Youth Creates created an international student exchange program with Poppodium Duycker in the Netherlands and I was very lucky to be a part of it. I was 17 when I first traveled to Hoofddorp, Netherlands for five weeks. I trained in breakdancing, beatboxing, singing, ukulele, dance, endurance, rollerskating, international acting techniques and so much more that I don’t think even years later I have even processed. I do think that six months I spent in total overseas really has shaped me as a person. There’s not just one way to do things. There’s not just one way to learn things.
After I graduated high school, I had absolutely no interest in going to college. I instead started an independent film company with two of my closest friends Robert Vardaros and Christian Blaque Meier. Since the inception of Grandline Creations, we have produced several music videos, short films and have recently just wrapped our first feature film. Our short films have even landed in a few film festivals. Everything that our company has done, I am so incredibly proud of. Our company focuses on our people. We love our little family and how we got here.
Shortly after graduating high school, my dad Bob asked a comedian that he worked with, Elliot Goff, “My daughter loves Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Gilda Radner. How can I help her hone some of these comedy skills?” Elliot had just the right solution. That Christmas my dad gifted me an 8-week Improv Comedy Level 1 class from Village Theatre. I was in love. I took all of the classes I could and soaked up the comedy classes of Josh Warren, Cassidy Russell, and Marc Mooney. But life happens so I took some time off and took classes on and for for a few years. In 2017, I auditioned to be on a house team for Village Theatre and was accepted. I’ve been on Village Theatre’s house company ever since. I’m also on a few other teams around town such as McClutzkey & Sturgill and Fruits.
That has been my journey thus far but it’s far from over and I can’t wait to see where life takes me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I wouldn’t say that the road has been smooth. Ya know, sometimes you get a flat tire, metaphorically and literally. The only advice I have is to just keep believing in yourself. This industry isn’t a zero-sum game. There’s enough room for all of us. Just keep persevering.
At the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, I got into two car accidents, the latter near-fatal. The near-fatal car accident certainly informed me of my priorities.
My mother also got very sick at the beginning of the summer of 2018. My father and I were the ones taking care of her. I had to put my career on pause to be able to be there for her. In August after a long, weird summer she was officially diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. There’s no clear catalyst for Colon Cancer. She rode her bike 7 miles a day and did yoga every day. There was no warning. She was in and out of the hospital from August to November. They tried everything, chemo, radiation, etc. But she succumbed to her illness on November 15th, a week before Thanksgiving. I am so very grateful for the strong person she taught me to be. I just wish she could be here to see what else I’m going to do.
The accumulation of the whackness that was 2018 is still very real for me. I don’t think I’ve quite processed it all yet. Those struggles inform who I am as a person. Almost a year later, things are settling into a new ‘normal.’
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I’m an actor. Always have been, always will be. A great piece of advice I received from Suehyla El-Attar when I was younger was, “If you can do anything else, go do it.” I obviously have not listened because I can’t do anything else.
Having said that, I also have a lot of side hustles; I pet sit, I work for King of Pops and I sometimes dress up as Princess Leia and go to kid’s birthday parties with Southern Belle Princess Parties. My favorite of the hustles is the last one. It lets me practice my improv. For example, a month after Carrie Fisher passed away, a child who couldn’t have been more than 5 came straight up to me and said directly to my face “You’re dead!” Without missing a beat, I replied in my best princess voice “Did you know that there are different timelines happening all at the same time?” And the child looked confused, then said “No, I didn’t,” very matter of factly.
I also moonlight as a costume designer and costumer. On a few of our music videos and short films, I have designed all of the costumes. For set days, I am also the on-set costumer.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future are to do what I do now, writing, acting, producing and directing, on a much larger scale. I always have a few things in the works. I plan on never giving up. Eventually, I might move to Los Angeles or New York but that is at least 10 years down the line.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: mistereditingle
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/editingleactor
- Twitter: editingle
Image Credit:
Ari Skin
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
