Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Danielle Lorentz of Kennesaw, GA

We recently had the chance to connect with Danielle Lorentz and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have you stood up for someone when it cost you something?
Myself, earlier this year. Might get into it in the article depending on the questions, but when my now ex-husband refused to make the smallest concession for our marriage after his infidelity, I stood up for myself and left.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I do a lot of things, actually, but as of May of this year I am the new Owner of Mad Artists’ Entertainment, a local community theatre company rapidly growing in the Cobb area.

I also teach voice on weekdays at 3 different studios and narrate audiobooks for my main income.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
The easiest way to break the bonds is losing trust through actions that don’t match pretty words and promises. Anyone can say they’ll change or say they’ll do the right thing, that part is easy. But when the chips are down, if you can’t actually stay true to your word, the fastest way to lose people is by breaking trust.

The best way I’ve seen to gain it back is consistent and genuine effort that is observable. If someone asks you to make an effort, and you promise you will, until you actually do it and they see it, nothing will actually improve in the relationship.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Earlier this year. At the beginning of March, right before our auditions for Company (literally the day before), my now ex-husband came home from work early to tell me he’d been having an affair with his best friend (a married close friend of mine) and was leaving me. We’d run Mad Artists’ together since its inception, had been married before the two of them had ever met, and I’d been struggling with the closeness of their friendship for a year at that point, vocalizing it to him but receiving no change or care from his end.

I’d never believe for one second that this was even a possibility in our marriage, and my first question to him was “What about the company?” We’d created and built this company together, it was like our child, so when he said “You can have it” without hesitation, it stung even deeper with how little he cared.

A close friend and fellow board member of MAE came over immediately and was there for me, and as we drove away from the house, he asked what the plan was for MAE now. Auditions were the next day, we had tons of signups, and 2025 was going to be/has proven to be our biggest and busiest year yet as a company. We were down a board member, the owner no less, and at a crossroads. But even so, that was the one thing I was certain of in that moment. With as little hesitation as my ex-husband had in denouncing the company in favor of his mistress, I said just as quickly “Oh, we’re doing the show. This company is ours now, and it’s going to be better than it ever could have been with him at the helm.”

So far this year, we’ve grown even more than at the start of the year, and it shows no signs of stopping. When my friend asked me that question, and in the months following, I had moments of wanting to just give up. Maybe run away and try to fully start over somewhere new and forget the horrors of my failed marriage. But I can’t stress enough how happy and proud I am of my entire team for never giving up or backing down from the challenge of this year, and boy, has it been a challenge for all of us. After preaching constantly how our group was a family, my ex-husband abandoned the family without a word, and we’ve proven through the strife of this year to be the true family that will make it through thick and thin.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Something I was told years ago by a life mentor of mine, Ron Anderson, as well as others, is: “Anyone who claims they have all the answers is someone you shouldn’t listen to.” So many directors, acting instructors, professors, etc will claim to know the “only real way” to make it or succeed in this field. There is no one way. That advice has saved me from many a bad decision or following poor guidance, and has helped get me to where I am today.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I’ve been told by many people that are no longer in my life that I come across “cold” or “unapproachable”, some even going so far as to blame those things on why they left. For a long time, that weighed on me. I’ve never wanted to be perceived that way (unless I’m out somewhere alone and don’t want strangers talking to me), and it’s scared me that I might be in my company’s setting. To counter that, I’ve tried to make a genuine effort in rehearsals to talk with my actors and production team about casual things, but it does often prove difficult for me for one reason: I’m an introverted theatre person.

It’s always proved a point of dissonance; I used to bring books to rehearsals in high school and college, would wait before pulling it out to see if anyone would approach me and want to talk, and would only pull the book out if no one did. Every time without fail, when the book came out, suddenly people wanted to talk, but by then I just wanted to read my book! I know, a vicious cycle.

Luckily, that specific situation doesn’t happen anymore, but I do still find it hard to naturally make friends in the industry with my introversion, and sometimes think I talk too much when I do get the chance to engage with them.

All of that to say, I hope as time goes on that people do feel comfortable approaching me and feel warmth in my presence, as the people who know me best do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.madartistsco.com
• Instagram: @madartistsentertainment; @daniel_lawrence_works_too; @daniellelorentzreads
• Facebook: @madartistsentertainment

Image Credits
Jordan Maldonado