EP 23: Laurel Dewar: Human Resources Manager/Mom & Actor

On this episode of Second Act Actors, I interview Laurel, who was drawn to acting through her love of community theatre. She and I met as actors in a local play that was rehearsed and brought to stage during lockdown, which was a very intense process! Laurel’s first act was as a wife and a mother, and she also had a career in HR. She can often be found acting on stage in local shows and is a member of the local theatre committee.

Laurel and I discuss the magic of community theatre and the change it can bring about in your life, from broadening your horizons to gaining confidence in yourself. As we note, acting on stage is a completely different experience to acting on screen, because if something goes wrong in a play, you don’t get to yell “Cut!” and take a second go at it. Laurel shares some stories from her community theatre experience, in amongst words of wisdom for aspiring actors and the advice she gives to her own children about embracing life and not letting the dark times get you down.

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Timestamps

[0:52] Rehearsing a play during the pandemic

[1:56] Laurel’s journey from motherhood to acting

[3:25] Laurel’s first and second acts

[6:40] The magic of community theatre

[9:31] A life lesson from Laurel

[11:47] “I think that that’s just who I am”: The roots of Laurel’s optimism and how it helps her to survive the audition process

[13:40] Coping with nerves on stage

[17:50] Advice from Laurel on how to bag a role in community theatre shows

[19:53] A recent on-stage mess-up that Laurel managed to pull back

[21:13] Denzel Washington on the difference between stage and screen acting

[22:14] Bringing Love Loss to the stage