Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynch Travis.
Hi Lynch, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in West Englewood, Chicago, in a robust community that offered a variety of activities including, arts and athletics and that stresses and supported educational achievement.
As I child I was immersed in many of those types of activities, received a great public school education, which allowed me to attend a top ten private college, Carleton College, where I earned a degree in Economics and was heavily involved in theatre, which during my time, an extracurricular activity.
After being involved and advancing through the corporate life, I rediscovered theatre, as a needed outlet at a crucial stage in my life, during my 30s.
I quickly moved into the professional acting world, while maintaining my corporate career until my mid-fifties, when I opted to become a FT artist (Sort of) for better or worse. In our area, it’s prudent financially to have a steady income stream, so I began to substitute teach as well.
Today, I perform, direct theater, instruct actors, do a little bit of writing and work as a building sub for a local high school, which I find very fulfilling as well.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Anything but smooth. In the entertainment world there’s always rejection, but that’s expected. The biggest struggle is with self. You sometimes ask yourself, why am I doing this, when I know I could get a 9-5, making a steady income?
Then you come to understand, you have a calling and some how or another, a door opens. So I have a mantra, that I teach my students over and over, that I learned from a beloved mentor, Fire the Judge!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have performed on stage, the big screen, and the small screen. I have also directed several dozen theatre productions. I am the Director of the Detroit Repertory Theatre’s Actors Workshop for the past ten or so years.
I’m proud that I have received recognition for my work from critics and audiences with a number of theatre awards. I’m a proud member of Actors Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA, obtaining those memberships in an era when you had to earn membership.
I am proud that I have done this as a later life actor, starting in my mid-thirties. But what I am most proud of has been that I have landed in a community of peers and colleagues that respect me, that look to me for advice sometimes, support and mentorship. I’m into my early seventies, and I see younger colleagues starring nationally or building new ventures locally and I feel great, knowing that in some small way I was part of that growth.
I am especially proud that as a Person of Color, my peers can see themselves in my work, and then move forward, being unapologetic and unafraid to take on the extra stuff they will encounter as they journey through their careers. That’s my legacy.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Preparation is key. It allows you to become flexible and adaptive, knowing there will always be things that you have no control over.
Patience and kindness are things I try to carry, never too high, never too low. And learning to walk out of untenable situations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Lynchtravis.com
- Facebook: Lynch R. Travis
