Today we’d like to introduce you to Sloane Teagle.
Hi Sloane, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My fondest memory of growing up in Third Ward was playing with my Barbie dolls. Each one had a distinct voice, style, and set of characteristics that were beyond the complexities children my age usually understood. Plot twists, cliffhangers, and psychological analysis ruled each playdate I had with Barbie and friends. I was basically writing “soaps” at the age of six. My love for storytelling overflowed into a love of anything theatrical.
At the age of nine, I was enrolled in the Ensemble Theatre’s Young Performers Program where I was taught the ins and outs of musical theatre. This was a defining moment in my life, as it was the first time I was able to combine everything I loved into one creative experience. While attending the program I took voice, acting, and dance classes while also learning about the technical aspects of the art form. After spending several summers in the Young Performers program, I decided that I wanted to be a performer which led me to Meyerland Performing & Visual Arts Middle School, formally Johnston Middle School, where I studied dance and choral singing. While attending Meyerland, I began working with Broadway Bound Youth Musical Theatre Company where I performed in over 10 productions and was student teacher for their summer camps until I graduated from high school in 2011.
After completing my freshman year of college at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles, I decided to move back to Texas and enroll in Texas State University’s Theater-Performance and Production Bachelor’s program. While at Texas State I was introduced to the idea of creating art as activism and an outlet to create art that challenged the status quo. I was able to speak out against the social injustice and the gender norms that plague my generation.
In 2016, I moved to Italy to start working on a Master of Fine Arts in Physical Theatre. Being a part of the Accademia dell’Arte’s MFA program in Physical Theatre helped me get to the root of my artistry and further define the actor/artist aesthetic for myself. I desired to discover a way that my body and voice would be equally as important when creating.
Challenging both my body and brain in Europe during several artistic residencies introduced me to new forms of diversity. Having the opportunity to focus on my entire being, body and mind alike, being immersed in a new environment, and learning to take space as a Black woman has allowed me to finally stop wanting and start doing, making me a better storyteller, and helping me get out of my mind and into my body, so that I can be a creative asset to my generation and hopefully, to generations to come.
I am currently a professional actor here in Houston and the first Artistic Inclusion & Community Engagement Director for Main Street Theater.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Everyone has their own journey. For me, racial and gender biases along with the lack of intersectional feminism in artistic spaces are obstacles I’ve encountered a lot. I admit my own fear sometimes holds me back because artistic spaces (like the world) are not always inclusive. Sometimes I fear inhabiting a space “at the table,” fear holding power. And then there’s the fear of the new, even as we’re making progress! While I’m so excited for the possibilities, becoming Main Street Theater’s first ever Artistic Inclusion and Community Engagement Director is a little daunting. But I’m up for it and proud to take my place at the table.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been a professional theater practitioner for about four years now. I’m an actor and I am currently in my third production with Main Street Theater’s Theater for Youth (they perform for over 100,000 kids every year). We just opened DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! THE MUSICAL! I’m also a resident company member of The Broad’s Way – Houston’s only Broadway Revue & Drag Show. I’ve worked on devised/collaborative theater. And I’m the new Main Street Theater Artistic Inclusion & Community Engagement Director. I love it all! I’m also tired all the time. Ha! But it’s worth it!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My favorite books from the past few years include: This is Major by Shayla Lawson, Wings of Ebony by Houston native J. Elle, We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union, and Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
I am definitely a Podcast kind of girl! My current faves include: The Read, Invisibilia (NPR), This American Life (NPR), Dropping Gems with Devi Brown, Wines & Dolls, and Gettin’ Grown.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: sloanealexandria
Image Credits
Adéla Vosičková
Nike Redding
Ricornel Productions
