Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Edd.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Renee. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I sang before I spoke and I started acting at 8 years old. As a kid while everyone was just reading books, I was acting them out. I think played Pippin in Lord of The Rings 13 times in my bedroom over the course of 2 years. I attended HSPVA in Houston, went to NYU, UT Film, and ultimately The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. I helped run Mercury Studio here in Houston for years. And I spent the next 15 years teaching at professional schools all over the city. My screenplays have won or placed in a number of Film Festivals, I have a background in directing and producing film/video but it was always working with the actors that I excelled at.
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely struggles, if I’m honest. It was always a challenge carving out a creative life here in Houston – the home of Medicine and Oil & Gas. I could NOT survive the climate in New York and LA was just never my “scene”. I love Houston and I needed to find a way to make a living doing something creative that I loved here – in an environment where 9 to 5 office jobs are the norm. I have been lucky to gravitate towards some great people who have helped and I think just sheer force of will is what has kept my head above water. My Producer skillset which is most happily employed directing/producing film/video has also allowed me to be both an event coordinator and work freelance on local commercials. I’m lucky to have worked steadily as a musician in this city as well despite not doing original music and concentrating on covers. I just would be betraying everything I am if I don’t do something hyper creative on a daily basis. My brain is very much run by the right side.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Houston School of Film & Theatre – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a British Style acting academy. That means the acting technique is based mostly on what is called text-based study. Most American schools study “the Method”. There are many methods but none of them have ever worked for me. I wanted to offer something in Houston to actors similar to me – actors who are maybe more apt to “get” a character from a cerebral viewpoint as opposed to an emotional one. Second, there isn’t much cross-pollination between film actors and stage actors in Houston and I think that’s a huge shame. I think the best film/tv actors have had theatrical/stage training. And I notice a lot of Houston film actors shy away from it. At the same time local stage actors are loathe to take class because they don’t want it to interfere with their show schedules. I just think to be the best you can be you need to continue to train.
Here’s something I wrote about the story behind the school:
One night in January 2016 I had a vision of an acting academy in Houston that was for actors who wanted to achieve excellence, train, understand the craft, and actually have fun doing it. This was the way I felt in my short time at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. I wondered why the British performers were so riveting and visceral to me. British people are no different genetically than anyone else in the world. Was it something in the water? The short answer is the training. I woke up that morning and my favorite actor, Alan Rickman, had passed away. I took it as a sign.
Secondly, I was lucky enough to spend my time after university helping to run the old Mercury Studio here in Houston. It was a wonderful place where many different instructors came together under the same roof. This was similar to the British academies as well. You can get stuck if you only adhere to one teacher or point of view. Houston is the most diverse city in America – shouldn’t our workshops reflect that?
Lastly, in bigger cities like LA and New York there are no distinctions between “on camera classes” or “theatre classes”…. there are just acting classes. An actor needs to be trained well enough to seamlessly transition between the two. I want to bring that mindset to Houston. Our “on camera” classes are really just acting classes – with a slight differentiation in technique from our classical acting classes which are the backbone of the studio. But in both the film and classical classes, we focus on the story, the script and text-analysis as opposed to “the method” and emotional tools or ‘games’.
HSFT is kind of a “cross-fit” for actors in Houston! I’m proud to bring together an AMAZING staff of professional working instructors – unlike anywhere else in the city. And I will keep changing and bringing in new instructors and voices as I think the more varied your study, the better. The instructors really are the jewel in the crown. I also am offering classes like Alexander Technique that other schools/studios don’t have access to.
I also again stress the importance of being able to train in a non-“METHOD” environment. I think it can do more harm than good in young actors especially so I believe in bringing them along gently and logically. I just love the study of the “verse” and think that is what gives the Brits their edge.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the weather. Yes, I love August! I’m a bit of a freak, I know. No one ever wants to sit on patios with me in August. Oh well. But that’s one big reason I have stayed in Houston. There are other places that may be warm, but Houston also offers everything a major metropolitan city can and I can’t live anywhere smaller! I love the variety. That includes the people, culture, food, etc…. there’s something to do every night of the week now – really interesting, quirky stuff which I love! My checkbook and liver can’t keep up. But I adore that we have all these options.
Obviously, the traffic is what I like least. And it has gotten worse the past 18 months. I guess the other thing that sometimes frustrates me is if I perceive that the creative community is not truly coming together with a willingness to learn and get better. That goes for actors, filmmakers, writers, etc. If you want to be the best you can be, then get into a class or workshop or internship and just open yourself up to, learn, and learn and learn. No matter how old you are or how experienced you are there is always room for improvement and to learn. I am really hoping I can help towards that and learn more myself, along the way.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5535 Richmond Avenue Houston, TX 77056
- Website: www.HSFTStudio.com
- Phone: 8322837912
- Email: info@HSFTStudio.com
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