Angelita Razor recalls her first experience as an actress. At age five she landed the primo role of Little Red Riding Hood in a Head Start production. Her grandmother was her teacher and acting coach and she reminded Angelita, “whatever you do, don’t eat the porridge.”
“I was hard-headed and, needless to say, I ate the porridge,” Angelita recalls. “My response in the middle of the scene was, ‘This is nasty, grandma. I don’t like it. Can I spit it out?’”
As she felt a wave of laughter wash over her, Angelita experienced for the first time the impact an actor can have on a live production. Her interest in acting grew and she joined the Mosaic Youth Theater in Detroit when she was 12 and continued with it until she was 15.
Today, Angelita is a Contract Administrator and works at Walbridge’s headquarters in Detroit. In her spare time, she prepares for auditions in community productions. She may spend up to 20 hours per week in some cases either getting ready to audition or preparing for a role.
She practices her lines in front of a mirror with either her mother, Abby, or her son, Aden Michael. Whenever possible, she reads with a fellow actor.
“I do some acting exercises to release anxiety,” she said. “I also watch movies to get ideas and study character roles.”
Angelita likes to share her experience with friends and family. She invites them to attend her plays in person. When she acted in a web-based series, she shared the link so everyone could see what she was up to.
There are multiple benefits to part-time acting, including getting paid for some roles. But, the big plus is it gives Angelita the chance to, “showcase and project my natural talents.”
“I love to entertain people and make them happy,” she said. “You never know when you can impact someone in a positive manner.”
In her first leading role as an adult, Angelita played the part of a woman who was the victim of domestic abuse. None of the actors was paid and proceeds from ticket sales went to benefit victims of domestic violence.
“I took the role because I found out it was a true story,” she said. “I’ll never forget the lady who wrote the play. She came up to me one night crying and told me how brave I was for stepping into her shoes. She said I touched her and audience members who went through what she experienced.”
Is acting a suitable hobby for anybody?
“Not if you have stage fright,” she said. “You have to be strong when you’re in character; you can’t be weak at all. If you or your counterpart on stage blows a line, you have to stay in character no matter what. If you don’t, you’re just wasting your time.”
Angelita has plans to continue studying acting and participating in more classes and workshops. Eventually, she’d like to be in a position to hire outside representation and audition for commercials. She’s at the point where what started out as a hobby may become serious business.
“It’s not just a hobby to me,” she said. “It’s a way for me to express who I am and what I have to offer the world outside of being a student, a mom, an employee and a daughter. We all have a natural talent or a gift. Never give up on your gift. If you do, you’re giving away what’s part of your purpose.”