May 15, 2017

Meet Grant McGowen of Pinch ‘N’ Ouch Theatre in Kirkwood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grant McGowen.

Grant, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started off a working actor who was interested in learning the craft of acting and collaborating with other artists. After studying extensively in NYC, I helped found Atlanta’s Pinch ‘N’ Ouch Theatre. It gave me a home, a place to practice, and I met some of my closest friends there. It also gave me opportunities to direct, write, and teach. I’ve always been an advocate of creating your own work.

Has it been a smooth road?
It’s definitely been challenging, but somehow the work always transcends the hardships. The greatest thing about the theatre is it challenges you to open up, to be more compassionate, and learn about others through storytelling. It challenges you to have a voice, and that inherently invites conflict.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
There is so much diversity at Pinch ‘N’ Ouch, a multitude of talents, but commonly we are interested in great acting – I’d say that’s a specialty of ours. We offer some of the best acting classes and educational opportunities for actors, directors, and writers.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
There have been so many artists, who got their start at Pinch ‘N’ Ouch, go on to win awards and even start their own companies. Perhaps, my proudest moments have been when students of mine have realized they’re artists.

As for the city of Atlanta, I tend to see where it could improve, and for me, that’s in the arts. Atlanta has gotten a lot of recent attention for being a major location hub for big-budget films and TV shows. As soon as the city becomes internationally recognized for its writers and creators, and not only its tax-incentives, is when the city can rest assure it’s made it. It’ll be interesting to see what happens. There’s certainly a potential.

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