Today we’d like to introduce you to David de Vries.
David, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I came to Atlanta in the summer of 1981 with no intention of staying. I was certain that I was off to grad school in the Northeast. At the time, the Alliance had an acting intern program which, on a whim, I decided to audition for and the rest is history. The internship was a great introduction to the city and the business. What I wanted more than anything was to be a working actor. And I started working–in theatre and voiceover specifically. I was in the first wave of non-announcer voices disrupting the market and I worked all the time for Fortune 500 companies like IBM and Coca Cola. I was one of Chik-fil-A’s signature voices when they were still a food-court only business model.
I also started directing at that time, starting at mid-size theatres like Theatre in the Square and Theatrical Outfit. Eventually, I was hired by the Alliance and it was a great wish fulfillment for me. I didn’t want or need to leave for a larger market because I loved what I was doing. That work kept me in Atlanta for a long time until other professional opportunities finally took me out of town for extended periods of time. After stints on several National Tours and Broadway for more than a decade, I wanted to get off the road and was looking for the next chapter in my career and a saner way to navigate my family ties. Through a lot a dogged determination and persistence, I found a niche in the audiobook business and Atlanta’s burgeoning film and television business. I have my own recording studio and stay happily very busy narrating in a variety of genres. Working in films with directors like Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard is really just the icing on the cake.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Isn’t “smooth road” an oxymoron? Being an independent artist is incredibly stressful. I liken it to jumping from one iceberg to the next in frigid waters in search of food. The work is rewarding if it’s what you always dreamed of doing. But if you have a family and other people are depending on you to bring home the bacon, the question arises about one’s own self-interest and whether it serves the greater good in terms of family.
And life on the road is hard–wonderful, but hard. Lots of new adventures and new places, but you are untethered and away from the people you care about. You work and you perform through heartbreak–death and divorce–and hope it never shows through in the work. We have a saying in the theatre: leave your baggage at the stage door. Well–easier said than done, but it’s so important to give yourself to the work. It’s the least we can do, isn’t it? We aren’t curing cancer, but we must strive to do our very best. I was a big fan of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” back in the day and I took from it an ethos of what quality means and how I must contribute to that ideal.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Versatility has always been my strategy for success as a working actor. I’ve done virtually everything there is to do to make a buck: commercials, training films, trade shows, corporate events, coaching, teaching, film, television, musical theatre, legit theatre. The more skills you have, the more ways to be successful. I’ve worked in the highest levels of the industry — Broadway, feature film, network television and I have had the honor of participating in incredibly artistic projects that have no money and don’t care about anything more than the work.
And what I have found is that the “work” is the “work”–no matter the venue, no matter the budget. It’s always and ultimately about the work. Don’t get me wrong–there are situations that are infinitely more luxurious and easy to do that work, and I relish those situations. But don’t let the shiny object fool you into thinking that it is anything more than that.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I’m not sure I’ve would have even done it! Youth gives one an unbridled audacity that propels one through the gauntlet of an incredibly difficult, often soul-killing experience. But the rewards can be rich and rare and I feel so amazed at times that I was able to fulfill so many of my dreams. Telling stories that change people’s perspectives, being a part of an ensemble of artists who share a collective vision, who believe that the whole is greater than the parts, is very special. I’m a huge sports fan. I love the drama of competition and I know what great teams experience–the alchemy of subsuming oneself to a greater purpose and throwing oneself into that mix is wondrous indeed. It’s humbling and uplifting at the same time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.daviddevries.net
- Email: david@daviddevries.net
- Instagram: daviddevries
- Facebook: daviddevriesactor
- Twitter: @lumieros
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