Meet Kenisha Morgan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenisha Morgan.

Kenisha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Do you remember your first love? I do. When I was seventeen, I fell in love with acting. I was rehearsing for a play, James Baldwin’s ,“The Amen Corner,” for my church’s anniversary. I played Mrs. Jackson. “The Amen Corner” depicts African American churches and the daily struggles they face in a theatrical performance. The rehearsal process was challenging for me, but even at a young age, I realized that I enjoyed studying and practicing the acting art form. For a moment, I could become a different person or live in a different country. The illusion attracted me to this specific work, and I fell passionately in love with the form. Since then, I haven’t stopped acting.

After high school, I wanted to study theatre, but I did not know how. My parents just wanted me to go to college, but I had dreams of acting. I was adamant about going away for college. I felt like I needed to go up North to truly study acting. Eventually, I was accepted to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL as an Electrical Engineering student, NOT a theatre student (long story short, I was a gifted child in math and science as well). Little did I know, Northwestern University had an excellent theatre program with famous alums such as David Schwimmer, Juila-Louis-Dreyfus, Stephen Colbert, Meghan Markle, etc. Once on campus, I made a decision to get into the theatre program. By the spring quarter of my Freshman year, I was a theatre student. In that program, I studied the great playwrights, Arthur Miller, Shakespeare, and Chekhov. I was training to become a professional actress. I was excited.

After college, I am not going to lie. I lost my way. The reality of paying bills became a major factor for me. I did take acting classes, but I was too focused on my full-time job. I was a Montessori Teacher at a private preschool in Midtown, GA. I worked there for almost five years; then, I realized that I was not truly living in my purpose. I got accepted into a NYC Conservatory, Atlantic Acting School, and moved to NYC to study acting again. It has been one of the best decisions of my life.

I moved back to Atlanta, GA after the program to save money to move to LA. My end goal is moving to LA to make it as an actress. I do not see a Plan B. My only plan is acting. Outside of acting, I started a studio that caters to young minds, Children’s Play Studios. I teach imagination classes for toddlers, acting classes for the youth (5-8), and do storytelling performances for preschoolers.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is this really a question? 🙂 I pursue acting as a profession. This road is never smooth. When I decided to move to NYC, I left everything in Atlanta, GA. I sold my car, put my furniture in storage or my parents’ place, and quit my 9-5. At the time that I moved to NYC, I had no job and no place to live. I spent the first three days in a hotel; fortunately for me, I was able to get a job by the second day (to be clear, I was applying for jobs months ago before moving to NYC). By the third day, I moved into a small room. It was small. For the entire duration of being in NYC, I moved three times in 11 months. The city is brutal when it comes to housing. Oh, I knew no one when I moved to NYC. All I had was a dream.

Please tell us about your work.
Aforementioned, I am an actress. As an actress, you begin to wear multiple hats in the profession. I have evolved into a filmmaker, writer, director, content creator, etc. Currently, I am writing, producing, editing, and starring in a MonoSeries on my IG page. The MonoSeries was born out of my frustration with people saying crazy things about my black 4c hair or my black hairstyles. The MonoSeries is called “Da Black Woman’s Hair MonoSeries” (#dbwhmonoseries). I created a character, Mel, that has personal issues with her self-worth, self-image, and just being a black woman in America. Throughout the MonoSeries, Mel interacts with different voiceover characters i.e. her mother, her father, and her best friend.

Recently, I started to teach acting classes to the youth, imagination classes to toddlers, and tell stories to preschoolers with my company, Children’s Play Studios. Children’s Play Studios is a studio I founded to cater to young minds. I was a Montessori Teacher for almost five years. I love kiddos! Anyways, I wanted to give back to the youth as much as possible. I remember being an artistic child, but I had no idea how to begin my artistic journey; therefore, this studio was created to help those children.

What makes my companies different is that I have a passion for what I do. You can never hide passion. This is what makes me proud of my companies. I have the passion and I love what I do.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The most important quality that I have to my success is my FAITH. When I got accepted to Northwestern University, my faith brought me through my challenges at Northwestern University. When I relocated to New York City, my faith got me through my difficulties. I moved to NYC with less than $1000 and I knew no one. I moved into a hotel the first 3 days in the city. Because of my STRONG FAITH, I was able to obtain a job within a day moving into the city.

In this time, a time where there are a lot of uncertainties, we all need to have STRONG FAITH. It requires that you believe it is possible even when your outer circumstances make it seem impossible. I’m not here to convert atheists into believers,but I’m here to say that my faith is real. No one will deter my faith because the impossible is possible.

Pricing:

• Children’s Play Studios: Imagination Classes: 2 Hour Sessions are $75
• Children’s Play Studios: Storytelling Performances: 30 Minutes Performances are $25 per performance

Contact Info:

• Phone: 4045523204
• Email: childrensplaystudios@gmail.com & kenisha.l.morgan@gmail.com
• Instagram: @childrensplaystudios & @kenishalmorgan
• Facebook: @childrensplaystudios & @kenishalynnmorgan

Image Credit:
Headshots are done by Dajour Ashwood of Aweditions, Inc.

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