Meet Emma Young | Actor, Director, & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
You could say I have the classic story of a small town girl moving to the big city to be an actress. However, as everything in life, it is not so simple or small.

I grew up in a cow town in Massachusetts. I had a big backyard and my friends and I would spend all our free time playing in the woods, or begging our parents to take us to the mall/movie theater the next town over. My parents worked long hours in the city about 40min south, so I had an abundance of alone time and space to let my imagination run as wild and loud as the swamp outside my window. (It’s important here to note that I didn’t have internet or a cell phone until I was a preteen.) All this time and space allowed me to focus on my art. I played piano for hours until my parents came home. I’d stare at the quiet trees until a new song idea sprang into my mind. Without the internet, I wasn’t comparing my talents to others, so I never held myself back. I also had no idea how big the scope of talent could be.

You know when Harry Potter finds out he’s a wizard and suddenly everything in his childhood makes sense? That’s what I felt after my first acting class. As a teenager, I had the great fortune to spend four summers studying at an acting program in Providence. Spending 8 hours a day each summer just acting was the most enchanting experience I could hope for. It morphed me into the actor I am today and showed me where I belong. My middle school’s drama department was meager but full of heart, and in high school it evaporated completely. I got in the practice of putting up entire musicals with nothing but volunteers and determination. Now in the real world, I’m really not afraid of hard work. I know nothing it truly just given, and I’m in the long tradition of artists making work because we need art in society. My small town upbringing reminds me how special every career opportunity truly is, and I’ve never lost that sense of “awe” for the stage and camera.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m most excited about filmmaking right now. There’s something so complete about it. With acting, music, and writing, I get to add a piece to the puzzle of each beautiful work of art. As a director, I can shape the piece of art itself.

I started directing in earnest after my first year living in NYC. I was focused on my acting at the time, and just had a total revelation about the field. It’s like I finally saw the man behind the curtain once I dove into the business. Really in keeping with the moment here; there are thousands of primped and hopeful actors lined up to gain entrance to get a meeting with the Wizard, but ultimately, you aren’t getting in without a recommendation from his favorite witch. And even getting full acceptance into the Emerald City has a host of issues like sexism, beauty standards, and good old greed. If I didn’t pull an Elphaba, I don’t know that I’d get to play the roles that are meaningful and exciting to me.

I wrote a short horror film about a distressing experience I had in music school, then I reached out to the most wonderful people in film I’ve worked with up to that point and built the set of my dreams.
My short “The Piece” has since shown at 9 film festivals and was nominated for 2 awards.
That short fiction connected me with other musicians who faced similar bout of imposter syndrome and unlocked the world of independent film for me.

Again, only through finding other collaborators and rebels of the industry, I’ve directed three more shorts since “The Piece”. All comedies. (Comedy and horror just make sense in my brain.) Every time, I feel like we’re creating magic. I want others reading this to know, that you don’t need the approval of some big pretend wizard to make art. Your art is valuable with or without the acclaim.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I may live in NYC, but my rural roots keep bringing me back to nature.

Fort Tryon Park – the hidden gem of the NYC parks system, with a medieval art museum, sweeping views of the hudson, and a seasonal flower garden.

Greenacre Park – is has a waterfall. You can’t hear the cars!

Book Club Bar – an introvert’s paradise. Be as social or antisocial as you desire and it’s not weird!

Hex and Company – Board game bar where you and your friends can become enemies.

The Caveat – comedy/performance club with great shows.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many friends, collaborators, and inspirations, but connecting it all back to my upbringing, I want to focus on the teachers.

From Columbia College Chicago: Tom Allen Joyce, Derek Fawcett, Becky Harlow

From Westport and beyond: Elizabeth Cody, Mathew Shivers, Esther Zabinski

Everyone at Trinity Repertory Theatre Company

Website: https://emmayoungofficial.com

Instagram: @emmay6

Other: FOREST FRIENDS: my monthly Newsletter with local indie film opportunities
https://mailchi.mp/a9ee4f057aaf/forestfriendsdecember

Image Credits
Larry Feldman
Juliette_the_Photographer