Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Tozer.
Hi Abby, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Abby Tozer and I have moved fourteen times. I am the middle of three children. I speak French, sometimes quite well. The first creative endeavor I encountered was with a small plastic keyboard at the age of six. I soon started piano lessons and ventured into musical theater. My first show was at nine: Annie in Annie. As a kid, there was nothing more magical than creating a world and diving into it. I wrote plays, endlessly played Barbies, and translated the tunes around me on the piano–I’m still not a great sight reader.
I was extremely driven in high school, taking as many AP classes as possible, and building up my extracurriculars with everything under the sun: Varsity track, choir, piano, community theater, French honors society, and even Science NHS. I wanted to go to a top school. But as application season approached, I realized that college was the start of pursuing the rest of my life, and I had no idea what I wanted to do.
I sat at the crossroads of what I loved and what I seemed to be good at. At seventeen, no matter how good of a singer, piano player, or actor you are, if you excel in something practical (Chemistry); the world likes to make decisions.
I went to UC Berkeley and majored in Neuroscience. I accept that it was a far extreme to pursue something ‘practical’ but I grew up with severe ocular migraines and found the research enlightening. Throughout my four years, I slowly started oscillating back to creativity. I first added a jazz piano minor, then theater. By the summer before my senior year, I was in crisis.
I was working as an Oculoplastic surgeon’s assistant in the mornings (5-10 am), taking 21 units (a lot), attempting to keep a four-year relationship together, and had just been cast as Romeo in our Acting department’s production of Romeo and Juliet–my first time on stage in almost four years. I had two weeks to memorize 97 pages of Shakespeare and less than a year to start studying for the MCAT, and I no longer wanted anything to do with it. I wanted to be an actor.
I signed with a commercial agent in San Francisco and started taking auditions between classes and rehearsals. I took an on-camera class at Berkeley Rep and fell in love with the camera. I was back to my roots.
The spring of my senior year was the start of the pandemic. Just as momentum started to carry me into the pursuit of my true passion, I found myself quarantined in my childhood bedroom–zooming into the Mammalian dissection lab.
The pandemic became a blessing in disguise. Though I felt suddenly stifled in all my independence, I gave way to my creativity. I learned monologues, read plays, played piano, and even started writing original material. After the thick of it was through, I signed with a Texan agent and started auditioning again. During a time when nothing was guaranteed, my transition suddenly seemed less shocking.
A year and a half ago I moved to LA, with two feature films and several commercials under my belt. Since moving, I found an incredible community of like-minded creatives–all on different stages of their journeys. I wrote, produced, and starred in my own short film (following my time quarantined at home) which is now in a festival circuit. I shot two national commercials and auditioned hundreds–literally hundreds- of times. For my survival job, I tutor and counsel high school kids, specifically in the arts, and am lucky enough to help other young artists on their journey to pursue their passion.
I return to LA knowing that nothing can truly go wrong. My unconventional path has taught me to treat every audition, every standstill moment on the 405, and even every rejection as a blessing. At least I’m not taking a multivariable calculus final.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think my biggest challenge has been finding my path and pursuing it regardless of judgment from others.
I also suffer from a rare type of migraine–SHM (sporadic hemiplegic migraine) which can randomly complicate my creative efforts.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actor, filmmaker, writer, and producer. I am also a singer, pianist, and French speaker. I currently live in LA with a team of agents across the US and the UK and am hoping to start my own production company this year with my producing partner, Connor Angus.
I struggle with narrowing in on any one aspect of my creativity but think they all fuel one another. At the heart of it, I love world-building. Whether I am in the scene, directing it, writing it, composing the music to it, or simply financing it, I am completely in love with all of it.
I think I am unique in my breadth and depth of artistic capability, and tenacity to take on any challenge. No matter how difficult things get, I can always rely on my inner drive to push me through them. If I can get a Neuroscience degree, I can most certainly–and most happily–pursue my artistic career.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Oh, this is a tough one. I think something surprising is that I play piano and sing. The piano was actually my first creative endeavor–starting at age six. I am a terrible sight reader but have a very good ear. If I listen to almost any song for long enough, I can play it on the piano!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abbytozer.com
- Instagram: @abbyktozer
- Twitter: @tabbyozer
- Tiktok: @abbyktozer
Image Credits
Connor Angus, Dave Mateer, Janet Rulifson, and Stephanie Girard
