Today we’re joined by Ersa. Ersa is a young actor who specializes in monologues. She is incredibly passionate about her art, as you’ll soon see. Ersa is an enthusiastic performance artist who has an incredibly bright future ahead of her. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.
WORK
Please, tell us about your art.
Well, I am an actor, I do all types but my favorite is monologuing, which basically means I as a character, say almost sort of a speech or annotation all by myself, the official definition is “ an extended speech by one person. The term has several closely related meanings. A dramatic monologue is any speech of some duration addressed by a character to a second person.” but I take it more as the best way to really get into a specific character’s mind.
What inspires you?
I use the people I meet in my life to help me create backstories and to help me understand a lot of different characters. I have done a lot of service learning in my life and have gotten the opportunity to work, meet, and talk with all different kinds of people and I use those experiences to help me make specific character decisions
What got you interested in your field? Have you always wanted to be an artist?
I used to be really shy as a kid so my parents put me in theatre to sorta get me to step out of my comfort zone and I ended up loving it and blossoming into a loud fun loving completely different from who I used to be person, but I’m okay with it. I have only recently been more into monologuing, I had a director who made us wrote our own background stories and monologues for every new character we played and I fell in love with it that way. My art for me is a hobby but it also is a passion, I’m only in highschool, but my plan has always really been to move out to California and become a psychologist, I will be continuing my art when I get there though, to answer the question with a yes or no, no I have not always wanted to be an artist it was thrown upon me and I absorbed it.
Do you have any kind of special or unique signature, symbol, or feature you include in our work that you’d be willing to reveal?
Even though I have long since left the direction of the director that made us wrote background stories for all our characters, I still do, for every single one. Once I read through the show/monologue I create a story that helps me and gives me a reason as to why I’m making certain decisions and why my character acts in a certain way.
What advice would you give young aspiring artists?
Step out of your comfort zone and try things that you’re afraid of, I know that if I had never been pushed to join a community theatre at such a young age I would’ve never known I had a love for this art and become the person I am today, I would’ve been stuck in the shadows not saying anything which is definitely not what I wanted to do.
ASEXUALITY
Where on the spectrum do you identify?
I am a Sex Repulsed Asexual, however I am also biromantic
Have you encountered any kind of ace prejudice or ignorance in your field? If so, how do you handle it?
I have been blessed with the opportunity to get to work with amazing and fully supportive people throughout my time performing, I have an amazing director who is very knowledgeable and does not tolerate prejudice or ignorance in our program.
What’s the most common misconception about asexuality that you’ve encountered?
That I’m choosing to wait until my marriage to have sex, because I’m not. I’m asexual, I don’t experience sexual attraction and that doesn’t mean I’m choosing to stay celibate
What advice would you give to any asexual individuals out there who might be struggling with their orientation?
I know this sorta goes against lots of things, but if you are not currently in a place that is safe for you to come out, I suggest waiting until you are in a safe place. Sometimes this means not coming out until you leave for college or get your own house, but if you are in the situation in which if you come out your current living situation will be compromised you should hold off and tell the people you know will support you first.
Finally, where can people find out more about your work?
I sing Show Tunes on my Instagram account Theatrersa and I will be starting up a YouTube channel where I will sing and monologue in a couple of weeks it will be ErsaActs
Thank you, Ersa, for participating in this interview and this project. It’s very much appreciated.
Asexual Artists 