Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Chartier.
Nancy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was little, I was painfully shy. My sister Cyn Chartier is older and a professional artist who encouraged me to express myself artistically, and so I became an artist as well. I was very comfortable with that ‘identity’ and even went on to have people purchase my art in high school.
When I was 14, I saw a play at a private high school, and almost threw up. It was like a lightning bolt to my gut, somehow I knew I was supposed to get up there and ‘do that’, with absolutely no idea how? I went home and begged my parents to send me to Rosarian Academy in WPB, Fl. knowing it was waaaay out of our budget. I was lucky enough to get to attend. I would audition for plays, but being so shy, I was mortified someone would perceive me as vain. I then was able to book the role as a dancer, which I absolutely loved (even though I’d never had a dance lesson, and everyone else had been dancing from the womb). It wasn’t until I was 17 helping my sister paint sets at her job as the Scenic Detail-ist at The Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater doing a changeover, that my life changed.
I met Burt the first week I was there, at 1:00 am. He was a loving creative magnet, and everyone wanted to be near him. After he greeted me and kissed my forehead on stage (while I was terrified and trying to hide), I finally got the courage and went over when I saw my sister hanging with him and other apprentices. He was sharing fantastic stories about the old days of the studio, with Marilyn and Brando. Eventually, actors went back to work, but I stayed. Something in me compelled me to speak and I said, “I know deep down inside I can act, but it feels like I’m being vain?” He said to me, “If you know deep down inside you can act, that is a gift from God, and no one can take that away from you!” He then told me how he and Clint Eastwood were fired from the Studio the same day, and that he couldn’t remember the name of the guy that fired him, but he was sure that guy knew who he was.
The next play I auditioned for was “A Midsummer Nights’ Dream”, and my first speaking role was Hermia one of the coveted leads. Burt gave me permission to listen to my gut and follow my dream. I had a lead in every play my senior year and booked a role with Famed director Jose Quintero on my first professional audition at 19. I learned so much from the kindness and genius of these two men, in addition to many actor-mentors at The BRDT, and that gave me my start. I have molded my teaching to encompass compassion, understanding and a deep desire to empower others to be able to be autonomous with their creativity, trust themselves and take risks.
I first taught acting as a volunteer at The Letot Juvenile Detention Center in Dallas for two years, and they kindly awarded me Volunteer of the year on my second year. I had NO idea how to teach, but figured I knew more than the kids did and just came up with stuff; taught them to dance steps to “Thriller” and brought in costumes and a makeup artist, in addition to writing scripts for them. I learned so much about teaching and how to reach people from those kids in those two years.
At the time, I was studying with Lou Diamond Philips before he got ‘La Bamba’, and he was a great coach! I later studied with a coach for 8 years, and at 3.5 years she asked me to be her associate coach. Only two days before I had an out loud conversation with God, asking “What do You want; You want me to get plastic surgery; You want me to move to LA and break up with my boyfriend, you want me to quit acting, WHAT? Put it on a Billboard and I will do it!” People had been consistently coming up to me in class to ask how I did a scene, what was my preparation, and yet they were booking and I was not? Two days later after my ‘meeting with God’ lol, I was asked to be her associate coach, and I would have said no if I hadn’t made the promise. I’m A.D.D. and didn’t think I could do it.
That was 1995 and I now somehow get to both coach and act a bit and watch people grow into beautiful, confident, empowered, wildly talented creative souls with nothing holding them back from within. I call them my Star Babies, and I absolutely LOVE buying a ticket to watch them work and win awards, in addition to finding love, getting married and having babies! Pretty humbling to be a small part of the fabric of their beautiful lives, I’m pretty lucky!
Has it been a smooth road?
Lol, anyone who says their road is smooth is lying! It is the twists and turns that lead to discoveries, and so I have embraced every single one. The harder the struggle, the greater the lesson. My challenges ultimately always came down to self-esteem. Not thinking I was deserving, or “fill-in-the-blank” -(pretty, smart, talented, thin,) enough; I believe was my main obstacle. I had an eating disorder from 5-25, a symptom of that thought process. It was in re-wiring my brain to heal that disorder at 25 that I really learned how debilitating self-hatred is and what a toll self-deprecating humor takes on a person. I was the Queen of self-deprecating humor! It is from the perspective of that struggle that I am able to help others see themselves as the world sees them, and not the distorted fun-house-mirror way in which they see themselves. I have tools that I teach them that help them re-wire that thought process.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I have been teaching since 1995 but branched out with my own Studio in 2013. I have on-going acting sessions for ages 7-and up that cover every aspect of what an actor needs to know, have, and experience in order to feel confident enough to do this for a living. I am Meisner based, which means that I ascribe to Sanford Meisner’s ideology of living in the moment, and using your imagination to create imaginary circumstances that feel real. What am I most proud of? Ohhhh, so many things, hard to narrow down. Really makes me happy that so many of my actors that started with me as a kid, never had a real job outside of acting, or if they have, it wasn’t long and they are sustaining themselves as actors and thriving, winning awards. But more than that, I think I’d have to say, I am proud of having people walk in with a dream and a passion, and usually loaded with self doubt and negative baggage, and then helping them chip it away ’til they are purely themselves in their own skin with nothing holding them back in their work or in their personal lives. Yeah, that. What sets me apart? I can’t answer that, I think it’s for others to make that sort of observation. I just know I am thrilled with what I get to do, and really love seeing the result in their continued growth!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Dallas is the BEST place! With the industry having gone completely digital, you can audition from home for all markets. If someone is starting out here, becoming a member of T.X.M.P.A. is vital, and Women in Film (for all genders), The Dallas Producers Association, and meeting up with Dallas Screenwriters Association for a monthly workout are an awesome way to network. Dallas can support TXMPA so we can continue to fight “for increased and improved production incentives legislation to grow the creative industries in Texas and keep us competitive with other states.” It’s imperative that we have a fully funded incentives program, it brings SO much revenue to Dallas business outside of the industry.
Pricing:
- ADULT ACTORS -$140 for four weeks ongoing sessions
- YOUNG ACTORS-$150 or four weeks ongoing sessions
- Private coaching is available- $75 for a taping
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nancychartierstudios.com
- Phone: 469-441-6887
- Email: c.kieferacts@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancychartiersfilmactingstudio/?ref=notif¬if_id=1526333906349250¬if_t=aymt_make_page_post_tip
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=nancy+chartier&find_loc=Downtown%2C+Dallas%2C+TX&ns=1
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
