Today we’d like to introduce you to Noy Marom.
Noy, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am an Israeli actress, active in Israel and NYC. For as long as I can remember, I loved to perform and from a very young age, my twin sister and I used to design costumes and perform in front of friends and family. As I grew up, I discovered the magic and power of how actors tell stories through theater and cinema.
I began studying acting when I was in middle school, and throughout high-school. Then I took a break for military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and after I finished my service and traveled the world for a while, I began training at the Nissan Native Acting Studio in Israel. It was a great experience and I rediscovered my passion for acting and decided to take it to the next level. So I decided to take the big step of following an old dream to study acting in New York. I was excited about the idea of studying the technique in the theater capital of the world, going through this artistic journey in the big apple and refining my craft in the city that never sleeps.
The first step was training at The Barrow Group and Grace Kiley Acting (An incredible mentor and teacher). It was my first experience of acting in a different language and it was definitely challenging but also very rewarding. And then I found The Stella Adler Studio. From the moment I walked into the studio, it felt like home. The atmosphere was so professional, but also very welcoming and I loved that there were many foreign students walking around the halls.
I auditioned and got in and I signed up for the advanced theater training two-year conservatory. It was a challenging experience to say the least, but I’ve learned so much from so many wonderful teachers and I am forever grateful for this amazing journey. At the Stella Adler Studio, there’s a famous saying that says ‘Growth as an actor and growth as a human being are synonymous,’ and that’s exactly what I felt during my time there and even more so after graduating. Like I was finding my voice.
I also really started taking advantage of the cultural richness of New York City. I went to different Broadway shows and screenings. You can learn so much about acting from watching different works and different performers. The first roles I did were mainly roles in short films. I got a chance to work with wonderful directors and cinematographers. I also acted in many wonderful theater productions. I love both equally: the intimacy and power of the camera and the magic of theater with a live audience. I feel very lucky that I have received the great training that taught me and allowed me to do both.
I was also one of the leading actresses in the theater company “Virago Ensemble”, which I co-founded with a group of fellow actors from Stella Adler. Virago Ensemble is an International all-female theater company, striving to empower women’s voices by sharing old and new works created by female-identifying writers.
We started working together and found our voice as female international artists in NYC. We’ve produced a number of very successful sold-out events, including a staged reading of the one-act play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove by Jane Chambers, and a theatrical movement piece of the short play Kiss that Frog by Serena Cates. I was lucky enough to work in many wonderful productions. This journey has really helped me develop and refine my craft and find my artistic voice.
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 have to say that I’ve been very lucky in my journey as an actor. I really had many opportunities to explore many wonderful characters and take part in great productions with amazing artists. But of course, it’s a very challenging path. You have to work really hard and to be prepared for rejection. You just have to do the work and be the best you can be and then just let go. It’s very challenging to do, but you have to flex that muscle in order to be healthy and enjoy the ride. You also have to find the balance in living an artistic life, which can be challenging but also very rewarding.
When you’re just starting out, going on auditions and trying to build your resume, the competition is fierce and it’s all very intimidating. It takes time to find your place in the industry and I think the best advice that I can give young women that are just starting their journey, is to also create their own work. Find a story you’d like to tell and find a way to tell it. Create opportunities for yourself. Go out there and audition and try to find work and projects that speak to you, but also find your artistic voice and create your own work.
When we started the “Virago Ensemble”, my Adler friends and I, ‘fresh’ out of acting school, felt that we really wanted to go out there and implement everything we’ve learned. We were extremely passionate and we also wanted to control and own our artistic choices as much as we could, so we produced our own work.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
The work that I’m most passionate about is definitely female-driven projects. I was fortunate enough to take part in many projects that centered around strong, interesting and complex leading female characters. I always look for characters that are somewhat different from me, that takes me out of my comfort zone.
Acting is also an opportunity for me to let loose and let out different sides of myself which are usually not out there. I love it and I feel like I always learn so much about myself in the process. One example is my experience working on the short film ” A New York Moment”. I played the leading role of Dana, a strong-minded Israeli girl in the big apple, trying to find her way to success while struggling to make ends meet.
The film tells the story of her beautiful yet complicated relationship with her best friend, Molly. The story takes place in a park in NYC and it gives us a look into their journey as individuals and as friends, heir hopes and dreams, love affairs, friendships and struggles. The best friends try to stay together and support each other through it all, but they’re about to face another serious difficulty along the way.
It’s a project that’s very dear to my heart. I co-produced and acted in it with my good friend Amanda Erixon. It was a beautiful collaboration between artists from different countries, and I am very proud of this film. We’re currently submitting it to festivals world-wide and it was recently announced as a Semi-Finalist of the Variety International Film Festival.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
I think that the most important thing that women can do today is to share their stories. It can be through Art, through discussions, through sharing or through any platform they chose. But if we’ve learned anything from the recent social climate, is that there is nothing more important than speaking up. Speaking up for what’s right, about what’s wrong, about what happened in the past and especially about what we can do for a better future.
I really feel like that as artists, we have a voice that we must use. We need to use the stage we’re given to chose to tell important stories and move and change people through art. It’s something that’s very important to me in my work. To move people, to show them different aspects of reality, that maybe they don’t stop to think about on a daily basis, and to affect them to reflect and allow change and act.
I really aspire to make a difference through my work and I want my work to speak to people. I want them to identify with my characters and believe that anything is possible and that they can make a difference. That’s why I like strong female characters that have something to say. That are looking for change and that sees the beauty in life and that it’s worth fighting for.
I was lucky enough to take part in many projects that shared the views that I believe in and care about. I only do work that I feel a personal connection to and that speaks to me as an artist. I think it’s important to use your voice to spread love and light. I do it through my acting and I think that people sense that.
Contact Info:
- Website: noymarom.com
Image Credit:
Rotem Barak, Kenneth Shook, Claudia Meyer-Samargia, Holly Thiel
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