How I Got Here: Lynne Streeter Childress
Stories about forging a life in the theater and beyond
At Downstage Right, we know there’s no one “right” path to becoming a professional artist. Just as we know, there’s no one “right” way to live creatively. In honor of this ethos, we decided the best way to start off the new year would be to talk to real people about how they paved their own paths in the arts. We sat down with actors, directors, playwrights, producers, coaches, teachers, influencers, and so many others; and asked them to help our students by sharing their stories.
Today, we’re talking with Lynne Streeter Childress, founding artistic director of Building Better People Productions, about how she went from aspiring social worker to managing her own theater company.
How do you answer the question — “What do you do?”
I tell people that I run a theater company that does shows for kids that are based on themes of kindness and respect.
What do you love about what you do?
I love working for myself; I love the flexibility of it. I really enjoy working with kids. I love watching their eyes light up when they get something — when they understand something — when they feel good about something.
What made you decide to found your own theater company?
I’ve always known I wanted a vehicle through which I could develop my own material and that morphed into this. I knew that I wanted to teach more, I knew that I wanted to perform more and collaborate with schools and other educational groups, and I knew I had stuff I wanted to produce, so it felt like a natural progression for me.
Do you believe that every artist should make their own way?
I don’t think that everyone is destined to start their own company because I think there has to be something in you that wants to create something of your own. And that could always be springboarded by someone else’s work. You could find an arc for a character that no one’s ever thought of before. Just because you only do other people’s stuff doesn’t mean you aren’t also doing your own thing. Look at the myriad of Shakespeare companies!
Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play?
Twelfth Night! I was in my 30’s. I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library doing a program that went into Washington, D.C., public schools to teach Shakespeare to elementary school kids. The best production I’ve ever seen of almost any play was a fabulous production by the Folger of Twelfth Night directed by Aaron Posner in 2003, and it was hilarious! They added modern music, and the battle scene ended up being a dance battle. It really opened my eyes to the things that you can do with Shakespeare.
What has been your most formative professional experience thus far?
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I was in the original production of that musical at the Kennedy Center in 1998, and it was my first Equity show. It was one of the first times I got to see how theatre on that level was produced — the relationship between a playwright and her new work and a director and a production team and how it looked to create something from page to stage. I’d done a reading of it for the producers and then was cast in the production, and then did a tour, and it was the most exciting thing I’ve ever done. Performing at the Kennedy Center is magic!
How did your family influence your career choice?
My grandmother became my strongest supporter with the acting thing. She always got it. I actually lived with her and my aunts for a while, (after my parents moved and I couldn’t afford to live in the city where we had been on my own), and they would drive me to auditions. My parents thought that it was interesting that I would do this, but because it wasn’t my original plan and because they didn’t know any actors, they were a bit nervous. I had some relatives who didn’t get it at all. You know, especially for black people — working for the government was a steady path — you get a job, you grow, you get your rank, you get your pension, you retire, you go hunting, you get reclining chairs, and you have that kind of stability. A career in the arts is never the most stable thing. But, that Kennedy Center job kind of solidified my parent’s faith in my career choice.
Have you always been involved in the arts?
My sister, Leslie (Streeter), and I used to watch The Donny and Marie Show and stand on our dressers and sing and dance as kids. We grew up singing in church. My first performance was “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” in pre-school. I was always participating in creative things and theater in middle school and high school, and I played the clarinet. I applied to the Baltimore School for the Arts for Clarinet but didn’t get in and almost applied for singing — and I guess I should have known that this was maybe what I was going to do eventually. I put becoming a professional artist on the back-burner because I felt like that path was for other people but not for me. I felt like I wasn’t confident or pretty enough to do those things. Other people who had pride in their talent and knew they wanted to do this intimidated me at the start.
How did you decide which path was right for you?
My sister and I got retail jobs after we graduated college, and we thought that we were going straight into legitimate jobs, and of course, that wasn’t the case. I got my first acting gig through the Coconut Grove Playhouse when they were looking for apprentices to tour schools that could speak to contemporary issues, and I thought it would be a good outreach opportunity for me. I did a monologue from The Colored Museum, and I sang “On My Own” (Les Miserables) a capella. I didn’t have a headshot or a resume, but I sang the heck out of that song, and I got that job! I wound up being an apprentice with them for a year and a half and worked in every department in the building. During that time, I had applied to two graduate schools for Social Work and got into both and then deferred because I didn’t have the money. Somewhere through that year, I realized I was already doing what I was supposed to be doing.
What do you wish you’d known before that audition?
I wish I knew how hard it was going to be in terms of “what I didn’t know I didn’t know.” I think I found that I made assumptions about how easy certain things were supposed to be. I hadn’t had formal voice training at that point, I’d just been singing since forever, and when a director first suggested to me that I take voice lessons, my reaction was — “How dare you!” Now I tell my students — they’re not telling you that you’re not good. They’re telling you that you’re talented, that you have a great instrument, and just like superpowers, you need to learn how to hone it, tune it, use it to the best of your ability. No, 16-year-old, you don’t know everything there is to know about singing, and it’s OK. You’re not supposed to.
Do you have any formal education or training in theater arts?
I don’t have an arts degree, but I learned everything I know on the job — through training workshops in some of my jobs and apprenticeships, and through watching other professionals and learning from what they did. For a while, I was in shows with kids who had BFAs, and who, maybe rightly so, looked down on me. I know that I was probably defensive in some ways, and I think that’s why I wanted an MFA, because I wanted to feel legit, and I felt like I needed the training. I also saw it as a way to legitimize me because all I had was a B.A. in psychology. Ultimately I never got my MFA, and I know I would’ve had a different path if I’d gotten it. Now I accept that it’s OK that I didn’t go down that path.
How important is your creative community?
During COVID, I’ve made so many connections with people from the same Facebook groups as me. We all said: this sucks, I’m starting something. I love that this is a profession where people aren’t afraid to ask questions and say that they don’t know something. I really feel like if we stop asking questions, we’re never going to grow. I think it keeps us alive, especially during this time when most of us aren’t on stages doing things. I’ve done three online shows with a stage manager who lives in New York but has been in Ohio with her parents. We’ve had to find ways to connect in ways that we haven’t before. I’ve been on so many online groups with theater artists of color that have been saying we’re tired, and our communities have been everything to us during this time. As creatives, we know how to create communities.
How do you find work or opportunities for yourself?
Join all the Facebook groups for theater you can find. Ask for opportunities. Ask for connections — do you know someone who does this or that. Use social media. There was a whole Twitter thread I found on a grant for artists of color, and I found it because I was searching for it and because I joined these communities. Regional and national. When I look for actors, and when I publicize my shows and my classes, I look in every group I can think of that maybe might want to take my class or see my show. Get your foot in the door — because someone might think of you when they need something if they know your name and know what you can offer.
Any advice for young creatives?
There are different ways to get where you’re going. And I think that all of them require curiosity and humility and accepting that you don’t know everything. Some people don’t like the idea that you actually have to work for things and want to believe that this one thing is going to be your ticket to stardom and fame. But every opportunity you get is just another audition, just another way to get there. There’s an interview with Viola Davis from a few years ago where she talks about having an Emmy, an Oscar, a Tony, and still not being paid the same as other white actresses of her caliber. I don’t think you ever get “wherever there is,” I think you keep going. There are always going to be opportunities that teach you something new. And the learning grows and becomes different as you learn and grow. You just keep going.
Lynne Streeter Childress is a playwright, actor, teaching artist, singer, director, founder, and artistic director of Building Better People Productions: a professional theater company in Annapolis, MD, that does shows for young audiences, all based on themes of kindness and understanding. Her 27 years in professional theater include performing at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage and Adventure Theater, and teaching for institutions like the Folger Shakespeare Library. Lynne loves how theater can give us perspective on our most pressing, current issues in personal and meaningful ways. Lynne lives in Annapolis, MD, with her husband and son.
