Today we’d like to introduce you to Irene Polk.
Hi Irene, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been performing as long as I can remember. My mother used to tell me that as a toddler, I would grab her tambourine and run up to the choir stand and hit it while I sang – off-beat I’m sure. As I grew up in church, I sang in the choir, played the drums with the band, and I was always in the plays and performances that they had. I did some modeling here and there as well and studied dance at the Decatur School of Ballet. By the time I hit college, I wanted to explore the acting world in full. I had done small things before then, but I really wanted to formally learn and gain experience. I didn’t get a theatre degree- I ended up studying psychology- but I went to the Alliance Theatre where I studied film. From there, I did some background work, got small acting parts in movies, and eventually did an apprenticeship at Horizon Theatre. That’s the place where I met a couple of lifelong friends and really started my life in theatre. From there, I’ve been working all around Atlanta and I’ve been truly fortunate to be where I am and surrounded by an amazing group of collaborators.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. I actually really wanted to major in theatre when I went to college. My mother thought it was a bad idea and that a formal education was a better backup than the arts. In hindsight, she was probably right, but it made being an actor very hard. At Kennesaw State, like many other schools, theatre and plays were embedded into the curriculum. I couldn’t just walk in as an outsider and get a part or audition at all really. So I went to school, worked, and went to the Alliance at night so that I could get that education. It was not easy and at times very exhausting. But I wanted it, so I had to make it work through those obstacles. And the truth is, there will always be obstacles. Signing up for the arts is signing up for a lifetime of no’s, next time, maybe not. We fight and we work and we fight some more just for one win. For every casting you see, there are 30 rejected auditions behind that. But each time is an opportunity to do what you love, and that’s how I choose to see it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
When I’m not acting, I work in HR for a sales company. When I got my psychology degree, I knew that I wanted to help people in some way. At first, I really wanted to be a marriage and family counselor so that I could help repair broken relationships, but I was also interested in the business side- industrial psychology and employee experiences. And eventually, that’s where I ended up. HR gets a bad rep- and some of it’s true. Ultimately my goal is to protect the company, But I often find moments to help, collaborate with and treasure the individuals I work with. And that gives me great pride. I hope that everyone who steps away from me gains something valuable.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
To be patient and to roll with the punches. It’s very hard when you have this idea of what you want your life to be and how you want it to turn out. It can make you more disappointed at your losses, wonder why you’re failing, and how long it’s going to take to reach your full potential. But some of the things I really wanted back then and cried incessantly over, constantly wondering when- now they are right before my eyes. And it’s not over. Progression and age come with more wanting, more yearning, more striving for the next thing- and I’ll have to be patient for those things too. All in good time.
Contact Info:
- Website: irenepolk.com
- Instagram: @irenepolk4
Image Credits
Robby Owenby, Aurie Singletary, Paul Ward
