Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelina Smith.
Shelina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
For me, it all started in high school. I grew up in a home where there was a lot of verbal abuse, mental abuse, and a huge lack of emotional security. Let’s just say that most days, I dreaded coming home right after school. So I began to participate in activities that forced me to come home late. First, there was orchestra. I was in orchestra all through middle school and was automatically enrolled in high school. My love for performing started there. However, we didn’t have to stay after school every day for practice because our concerts were seasonal. So I began to throw myself into many performing arts.
Not only did I have an excuse to stay away from home for most of the evening, but performing gave me a sense of purpose, confidence, and the adrenaline of it all just made me feel a euphoria that nothing else in this world could give me. I was in orchestra, marching band, concert choir, show choir…I did it ALL! But the art that pulled at my heart the most was theatre. I was cast in my first play in the 11th grade. When I was then cast in my first musical, that is what solidified my passion for musical theatre.
It was all uphill from there! I went to college and started off pursuing a BFA in Theatre with a concentration in Musical Theatre. In my mind, I knew that I would be on Broadway someday. But then the recession happened. It costs money to go to regional auditions. It costs money to travel to these auditions. My mother just did not have it. She was the breadwinner for so long and then the recession happened and she got laid off…making only a quarter of what she used to make before. So I had to start working.
I was a server for a while (the story of many college students lol). But because I worked at night, I was no longer able to be a part of my college’s productions because rehearsals were always from 7pm-10pm, around the same time I was carrying tons of food on my shoulders to serve hungry customers. Needless to say, I had to give up my dream and go after something more “practical”. So, I set the goal of becoming a counselor and am now in a place in my life where I am settled and independent.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love counseling. I am a super advocate for mental health and have a passion for eliminating the stigma it carries, especially for the black and brown community. But for more than a decade, there was always a hole in my heart. And deep down inside, I always knew what it was…musical theatre.
I would watch musicals to try to fill this void, and it would help at first. But after it was all over, I couldn’t help but think, “Wow…that could’ve been me”. The amazing thing about this quarantine is that it will really make you sit down and reflect about EVERYTHING in your life. One day, my husband could tell that my mind wasn’t at peace, and when I told him what I was thinking, he immediately said “You should do it! Go for it!” as if it was that easy. But the truth is, it IS just THAT easy! His support and this quarantine has helped me make the decision to go back to musical theatre.
I had no excuses. I had the time to retrain my voice, to prepare headshots, to fix my theatre resume, to get everything I needed in order to pursue this for real! The great thing about theatre is that everything happens at night, so I can keep my day job and pursue my dreams at the same time. I have already sent audition materials to one theatre company, have an interest from another, and have a live audition set up in the next few weeks for another company.
I am not sure where this will take me. Of course, the dream is to be cast in a Broadway show one day or to be a regular actor at the Alliance Theatre. But honestly, even if I spend the rest of my days acting in a small community theatre, that will be fine because I will still be doing what my soul has been calling me to do for a long time now.
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?
Well, I just kinda started lol. But I will say that it sucks that the moment I decide to follow my dreams, boom! Covid-19 messes up EVERYTHING. Most theatres have had to push back their seasons. The bigger theatres aren’t holding auditions at all. So right now, the opportunités are very limited. But part of me feels like it is a blessing in disguise because I can use this downtime to perfect my craft. And also get in shape so I can have more stamina for any musicals that I may be a part of in the future. Most people don’t know that musicals can be a FULL body workout!
The main struggles I see in the future are multiple moments of rejection. But that is just a part of the business. I will never give up and always remind myself of what made me start this journey in the first place.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
When it comes to acting, the current thing I am working on is my voice. I meet with a voice coach at least twice a month. In college, I was a soprano and it was EASY! But I haven’t practiced in over a decade. You know what they say…”If you don’t use it, you lose it!”. And even though I haven’t “lost” my capabilities, I do need to be retrained. So far it’s going well! I love my coach and she helps me push my voice to new limits. I can sing Alto, Mezzo, and Soprano ranges. I’ve also been exercising using the videos from 567 Broadway. Not only do I get an AMAZING workout, but it helps me to retrain my dancing skills. Most principal roles don’t require heavy dancing, but it can still be a full body experience, so I’m just building my stamina at this time.
I hope that people will look at me and realize that it is never too late to follow your dreams. There are many actors who got a late start. Do I wish I started straight out of college like most musical theatre actors do? Of course! But life happens. Eventually though, there will be a time in life when an opportunity to pursue your dreams will present itself. And when it does, I want people to think about my story and gain the confidence to just go for it!
Also, if I do make it pretty far, I want other inspiring actors to see my journey from beginning to end. That way, they can look at the moves I made and create a plan on what they need to get done. I look at other actor’s pages and you never see the journey. You only see what happens AFTER they make it.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My school’s orchestra would travel every year to participate in competitions. When we had downtime, the staff would schedule all these fun activities for us. One year, we went to New York City and they booked us tickets to see the musical “All Shook Up”. Not only was that the first musical I had ever been to, but it was also my first Broadway musical! The whole time I was so fascinated by the flexibility of the stage. It would move up, down, side to side. All I could think about was what it took to build that stage and all the moveable set pieces! Must’ve been hard work! Then I ended the day with having a huge cheeseburger at Planet Hollywood with a group of my classmates. I couldn’t get enough of New York. I haven’t been back since, but I really hope to visit again after the pandemic is over.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @OfficialShelinaSmith
Image Credit:
Dayra Rodriguez, Shoott Photos
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
