Conversations with Robbie Nance

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robbie Nance.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
My career in theatre wasn’t part of any plan. Honestly, I didn’t have a plan. After graduating high school in Groveport, Ohio, just outside of Columbus, I enlisted in the Air Force in 1996. After completing my security forces training, I was stationed in Aviano, Italy. Initially, my enlistment was going very well. I loved Italy, and I was doing well at my job. However, after a period of mental health struggles, I was deemed unfit for service and honorably discharged in late ’98 and returned home.

Not sure what to do, I worked a series of odd jobs, dish rooms, landscaping, that sort of thing until I bumped into an old high school friend who recommended I audition for the theatre that he was working for at the time, Shadowbox Live (at that time called Shadowbox Cabaret). I auditioned and was offered an internship in January of 2000. For the next few months, I worked my way from an intern to part-time, then finally a full-time ensemble member. I had done some theatre in high school, but I was far from good enough to perform alongside the Shadowbox Live cast. So, I worked backstage building props and helped with construction projects until, through some training within the company and work at home, after a year or so, I was finally able to start getting roles on stage.

Over the last 24 years, I have continued to work on the various disciplines that appear in the Shadowbox stage. Now, I can act in comedy sketches, perform in dance pieces, sing in musicals, and play keyboard, guitar, and violin with the band. Off stage, I am a member of the writing team and the assistant director. I had taken piano lessons as a kid and, over the years, taught myself guitar and violin, which has been my next self-taught adventure. Over those years, I have had to step away from my on-stage performances periodically to maintain my mental health. As I mentioned, I was discharged from the Air Force due to mental health issues. Those issues continued until I was ultimately diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2007. However, with the ongoing support of my family, my significant other, Leah, and the people I work with, I have continued my career with only a few interruptions.

In 2017, I was even able to take some time and write a one-man show about my experiences with schizophrenia, sharing my experiences with psychosis and hospitalization, including stories and some piano compositions I wrote. I did 3 performances on the Shadowbox Live secondary stage (Up Front), again with the monumental support of those close to me. I was also invited to perform the show at the National Alliance on Mental Illness regional conference, a truly remarkable experience. Ultimately, I stumbled into a place and a career track that allows me to explore virtually all of my artistic desires, helps me grow as a performer, musician, writer, etc., and has been a support system that allows me to do all of that while navigating my illness as well.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a person with schizophrenia comes with some challenges. Trying to navigate my career with a theatre company that performs 50 weeks out of the year does necessitate some give and take (from both sides) to stay healthy. I will need to step away from performing periodically to make sure I am not pushing myself too hard and that I am allowing myself the time required to maintain my mental health. Even though my last period of psychosis and hospitalization was back in 2007, I am still regularly adjusting my coping mechanisms and schedule to ensure that I stay as healthy as possible. However, I am one of those lucky people who can say, with total honesty, that I have a support system that allows this to happen. My coworkers, in particular my bosses, are all well aware of the struggles that I deal with, and we have a very open line of communication. Beyond that, my parents and girlfriend of 18 years, Leah, are supportive on a level that still amazes me daily. So, yes, it has been challenging at times, but at no point have I ever felt like I have been dealing with that struggle alone, a fact that makes me believe that I am, without question, one of the luckiest people in the world.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My primary discipline is acting. My goal is to be a character actor, working to bring something totally new (for me) to each role. I am also a musician, playing keyboards, guitar, and violin. Beyond this, I am also working with the writing and directing staff with Shadowbox Live. I am most proud that I started with virtually no experience. I learned my craft with Shadowbox Live. I was driven enough to get to the point that I now perform with the people who taught me to act. Beyond that, I get to write with those people; I get to direct with those people. It is a massive point of pride for me that, over the years, I reached the same level as the people I watched, in total awe, when I first started. I don’t know what sets me apart from others. I am lucky enough to be surrounded, both in my professional and personal life, by people that inspire me. That may be the thing that sets me apart. The last thing I want to be is the most impressive one in the group. I don’t care about being a star or about being the boss. I will do those things if that is right at the moment, but I really want to be surrounded by people who impress and inspire me.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check?
I love the book No Acting Please by Eric Morris and Joan Hotchkis. As I was learning to act, I read every book on techniques I could find, but No Acting Please was the book that helped me understand how to put those techniques into practice.

Image Credits
Buzz Crisafulli