Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Holland.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m from right here in Atlanta and I grew up singing and acting in school plays and taking voice lessons. I started to think of it as a career path when I decided to attend Pebblebrook High School for the performing arts magnet and the rest is history. I grew up in Atlanta and ended up going to UGA for Theatre and Women’s Studies. College informed a lot of who I am today. It’s where I learned about intersectional feminism, started to own and shape my queer identity, and really honed in on my passion for theatre and art. I was accepted into the Actor’s Express acting internship a year after I graduated college and that’s where I really fell in love with the Atlanta theater community. Since then, I have performed on many different stages across Atlanta, delved into acting on camera, and am about to start trying my hand at voice acting work.
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?
Some legs of the journey have definitely been smoother than others. A lot of the time, theater can be very sizest. For many years, I was bullied and put down because of my size. Unfortunately, this is a theme that runs throughout the stories of most of the plus size women I know. As you can imagine, this had a deep impact on my sense of self-worth and it took a lot to unlearn the negative self-talk that had been ingrained in my thought patterns. My advice to anyone else struggling with this is to start rejecting the idea that you are not good enough as soon as you possibly can. Owning my identity has opened up my life to so much positivity. I’ve become comfortable with my body, my queer sexuality, and have been able to ignore and overcome all the limitations others try to place on me.
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 specialize in stage acting predominantly. In the last year, I’ve performed in Ride The Cyclone at the Alliance Theatre, Head Over Heels at Actor’s Express, Mac Beth at Synchronicity Theatre. You can catch me right now as Christopher Crawford in Christmas with the Crawfords at Out Front Theatre, and I’m about to start rehearsals for Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience at the Alliance Theatre as a swing for all the female roles. However, I’m also very interested in film and voice acting. My next big goal is to do some work in animation voice acting, primarily cartoons and video games.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I owe a large part of my success to the fantastic education I got along the way. I’ve had some genuinely amazing teachers that have really helped me come into my own and hone my skills. Continuing my training has been the key to keeping my skills sharp and my confidence high. I also have to give a lot of credit to my family, especially my awesome parents, and best friends who are like family to me for their unwavering support. They’ve come to more shows than I can even count. They have truly laid the foundation for me to make my passions my career.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyholland/
Image Credit:
Greg Mooney, Jerry Siegel, Casey Gardner
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.
