“For me, it’s age and experience. If I had gone to [Juilliard when I was younger], I think it would have been harder. I think I would have choked a little more. I would have been too concerned and obsessed what other people were doing, what other people thought of me—I don't know if I would have had that gumption to be like 'Screw you, I'm going to show you, but I need do it for myself.' I think that internal monologue has to do something with maturation, but also I mean like as you said the industry will beat your ass down so if you can’t take it—luckily I’ve been rejected so many times as an actor I was like, 'I know this feeling and I know I can either feel sorry for myself or I can figure some information here that could be useful to me.'"
We chat with actor-playwright Eboni Booth about feeling isolated as the only black woman in a space, transitioning from actor to Julliard playwright fellow, and making her Off-Broadway playwriting debut with Paris, currently playing at Atlantic Stage 2.
Recommendation: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Kiese Laymon, and Carvell Wallace episodes on Longform podcast
Shout out: Jocelyn Bioh