Today we’d like to introduce you to Mac Welch
Hi Mac, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started with performing arts in middle school and didn’t revisit it with any seriousness until high school. The high school experience was very immersive and intense, but it prepared me for deciding to do it with my life. I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship that allowed me to attend SMU and get my degree in Theatre Studies.
After university, I graduated into the pandemic. This led me to teach at a public middle school for 2 years, and test a lot of things I had been thinking about in college. This gave me the confidence to go headfirst into the arts world, in attempt to be a full-time artist. It took a few years, but I’ve finally arrived. I am now the Artistic Producer of Teatro Dallas, the only international theatre in DFW.
All the while, I have been traveling the world and growing locally as a contractor (actor, stage director, film director, screenwriter, and producer).
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?
It has absolutely not been smooth. There have been many times when I thought I’d be full-time arts and then a contract would fall through or work would dry up and we would end up right back at square one. The arts world is so volatile and difficult to navigate financially. In live art, there is no such thing as a fully for-profit theatre that relies on ticket sales. The money just doesn’t work out like that.
So you rely on some very odd things to make you money.
In terms of artistic struggles, I have taken a long journey to figuring out my identity. I love being a multi-hyphenate and serving as an encouraging force for indie artists. In order to do that, I strive to not only be a source of income and artistic fulfillment for dozens of artists through my career but also continue self-producing work as an independent artist.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am known for approaching devised/experimental work from a perspective of common sense Western realism training. I make fully collaborative spaces that often gather realism-trained actors with movement theatre/modern dancers. This fusion has always led to pieces that capture the narrative focus and drive of realism, while exploring the interpretational emotional beats of modern dance.
It is polarizing to some, but perfectly sensical to others. I strive to make the gap seamless, so that audiences quickly accept the odd look of the piece and focus on the storytelling qualities of it.
What makes you happy?
I am happy when I am creating with people that I love. I am happy when everyone feels they have given a bit of themselves, and we have made a sort of hodgepodge of our collective spirits. That is when we are most connected as people, and it serves as a tool of inspiration for others to do the same.
Artistic expression should be apart of one’s daily routine in the same way working out should be.
Pricing:
- Season Subscriptions (Silver): $60
- Season Subscriptions (Gold): $125
- General Admission: $25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.teatrodallas.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teatro_dallas/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teatro.dallas
Image Credits
Ben Torres, Evan Michael Woods, Mark Quach, Joe Harris, Sasha Maya Ada, Steven Smith
