We recently connected with Francesca Bolam and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Francesca, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I come from a pretty typical working-class town in the North East of the UK, but I was fortunate to have a Mum who dreamed beyond beyond the box. My mum always made it clear that I could do anything, be anyone, live anywhere, and as cliché as it sounds, the world was mine to explore. Performing from a young age meant I learned early on how to face rejection, adapt, and keep going. Reinventing myself and redetermining my path became second nature and if anything solidified it, it was moving to a country I’d never even visited at 18.
Practicing Nichiren Buddhism deepened my resilience, teaching me that there are no real limitations—only the ones we create for ourselves. That mindset shaped how I approach challenges, turning obstacles into opportunities and is the one thing I try to root myself in daily.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an actor, writer, director, and a wearer of many creative hats. The arts—especially theatre—hold a huge part of my heart. Storytelling, in all its forms, is at the core of what I do. It’s a privilege to step into different worlds, embody new perspectives, and bring stories to life that might otherwise remain unheard. Whether I’m performing, writing, or directing, my goal is always to create work that resonates, challenges, and sparks conversation.
Right now, I’m in rehearsal for Adam Driver, a play I am co-directing and starring in at Chain Theatre NYC, as part of the New York Fringe. I’m lucky to be working with an incredible bunch of people on this project. There’s something truly magical about taking words from a page and transforming them into living, breathing moments that connect with an audience in real-time. Theatre, in particular, is so powerful because it’s immediate, raw, and deeply human. It allows us to explore the complexities of life—joy, pain, love, loss—together in a shared space.
Beyond performance, I love the collaborative nature of this industry—working with other creatives, shaping narratives, and pushing artistic boundaries. Every project is an opportunity to learn, grow, and discover something new about the world and myself. And that’s what makes this work so special to me.
*Adam Driver is written and co-directed by Frances Smith and will be performed at The Chain in New York City April 2025.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think courage and taking up space is so important. In today’s world, we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others, and it’s easy to let that hold us back or make us doubt our place. Especially in an industry that’s so focused on looks, talent, and a whole host of other things we can’t control, it’s easy to feel small. That’s why I think it’s crucial to quiet those doubts and be bold—create your own work, tell your own stories, and never wait for permission to do so.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
They wholeheartedly believed in me. Even if they didn’t fully understand the industry or the ins and outs of it, they supported my goals to the best of their ability. My Mum used to take me to London every year to watch multiple west end shows, when I found a singing teacher there, she schlepped me from the North of the UK to the South every month for lessons. When I decided to audition for Drama school they listened to my auditions on repeat. And when I told them I was moving to the US they were right behind me. Even now, when I get a new script, my Mum is on the end of the phone doing line runs with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.francescabolam.com
- Instagram: @francescabolam
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