Meet Ariel Diaz-Beato | Actor & Teaching Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ariel Diaz-Beato and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ariel, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
You give up whether you know longer have a passion for something or if what you’re doing is starting to overwhelm you. I would rather feel overwhelmed than to lose the passion for me to give up. Losing my passion would be like losing my soul.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
It was and it is not easy. I’m still hustling to get to to where I want to be as an actor, I also went in to this profession while not being well informed on how unions, agencies, and management works for actors, how long it might take to reach the success level I want to be at. The lessons that I have learned from my experience, is if you’re really passionate about something, you keep going even when it gets to hard, and continue apply yourself to your work. Eventually there will be something or someone that will to give you the chance/break that you have been looking for, but the important thing is that you don’t lose hope when things are looking hard. And give yourself a break! Don’t only hustle, give yourself some rest, do something that isn’t about the arts to let you unwind.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So I’m from NYC, so the first thing we will do, is go to one of my neighborhood deli’s and order two Chopped Cheese’s (If you’re from New York, primarily from Uptown Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, and maybe Queens, you’ll know what a chopped cheese is), we go back to my place so that we can unwind and catch up if they’re not doing anything. That’s day one. If they have days where they are not doing anything, then I’ll take them out to Central, Washington Square, or Prospect Park for a picnic. If it’s summer, maybe take the ferry to Far Rockaway beach and have a good ol’ beach day. At night we can probably catch a show on Broadway or Off Broadway, or go have a night out going from bar to bar around Manhattan in the Lower East Side, or travel to Brooklyn and do the same thing we would be doing in Manhattan.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Big shout out to my mom! She is my number one fan and supports me in all my endeavors. To my teachers and swim coaches who taught and installed in me dedication, resilience, and perseverance. To everyone at El Puente de Williamsburg and WR Arts for taking a chance on me in being a teaching artist for them.

Website: https://adiaz0844.wixsite.com/ariel-diaz-beato

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arieldiazbeato/

Image Credits
Photography by Nathaniel Johnston: Forest Defense: APEX Festival, conceived and written by Colin Hirsh Wilson. Colin Hirsh Wilson (Director), LA Clevenson (Costume Designer), Emmett Grosland (Scenic Designer), Roberto Esquenazi Alkabes (Lighting Designer), Sean Ramos (Sound Designer), Nora Immarino (Projections Designer), Jessica Dell Beni (Production Stage Manager), Lindsey Zinbarg (Stage Manager), Sydnee Davis (Stage Manager).
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The Cherry Orchard, 2021, School of Drama, The New School, Aneesha Kudtarkar (Director), Daniel Allen (Scenic Designer), Herin Kaputkin (Costume Designer), Jennifer Fok (Lighting Designer), Frederick Kennedy (Co-Sound Designer), AJ Surasky-Ysasi (Co-Sound Designer) Melanie Spiel (Associate Lighting Designer), Emma Richmond (Student Assistant Director), Elizabeth Allen (Production Stage Manager), Chiara Johnson (Assistant Stage Manager)

Photography by Nathaniel Johnston Photography
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Blood On These Hands, 2021, School of Drama, The New School, Luis Roberto Herrera (Playwright), Colin Wilson (Director), Portia Elmer (Scenic Designer), Grier Coleman (Costume Designer), Abby Hoke-Brady (Lighting Designer), Ien DeNio (Sound Designer), Lindsay Zinbarg (Production Stage Manager), Chiara Johnson (Assistant Stage Manager)

Photography by Nathaniel Johnston Photography