Meet Noah Pyzik

We were lucky to catch up with Noah Pyzik recently and have shared our conversation below.

Noah , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Well, I’ve always wanted to make people smile or laugh. There’s no better feeling than getting a laugh, or having them sob because the play hit them somewhere inside. It’s insanely rewarding that you can affect someone’s life while doing what you love. We had an older woman come to the Our Town stage door on the day after the election results. She was crying, saying she was so depressed and could barely get out of bed. But the show made her believe in humanity again, and to not waste any of the days she has left. I might not be able to effect massive change, but can I start with helping one person at a time feel better? I always say that everyone has a silent struggle you know nothing about. So I try to spread kindness and openness in every interaction. Make people feel seen and heard. And give back. My parents instilled that in me since I was a kid. Growing up, for my community service projects, I would go to retirement homes and play piano, clarinet, and do sing-alongs. Music can tap into people’s memories even if they have dementia. They’d be singing along to Somewhere Over The Rainbow or New York, New York, even if they normally didn’t talk.
I had similar experiences when I was doing Addy & Uno Off-Broadway. I played a character with autism, and we had parents bringing their kids dozens of times. 2 different boys in particular, Henry and Aidan, were mostly non-verbal when they first started coming. But after falling in love with the characters and the music, they saw us as their friends and would talk back to us mid-show. The parents would play the soundtrack at home, and told us it truly changed their lives. That is the power of art. I want to always be making work that can have a positive impact or give voice to marginalized communities.
I’m currently producing a trans theatre festival with 17 plays and nearly 100 artists. It is so rewarding to be able to create those platforms for others. I want to be the artistic director of a theatre company one day. I want to fling open the doors of these institutions that have become gatekeepers. Class is the ultimate barrier in the arts. If you have to work full time to pay your rent, you are up against people who can devote every minute to their craft. They have the funds to invest in themselves. I’m not interested in hearing the stories those people will tell. I hope I can give opportunities to level the playing field.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Well I was very lucky to grow up in a community that had arts funding and scholarships. I can’t remember a time before I knew I would pursue this. I suppose I came out of the womb quoting movies, doing skits, dancing, drawing, draping bedsheets around myself to make designs. I was always plunking things out on the piano before I even knew what I was doing. I did my first play in first grade, playing Max in Where The Wild Things Are. I remember feeling so cool getting pulled out of class to go shoot a segment for the local news. I sang as a soloist with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra many times, and even recorded CDs in a studio that local schools would listen to in preparation for field trips. I did local films. I did dozens of shows at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, and would get to skip class for a week to do school matinees for other kids. I got scholarships every summer to go to Shakespeare camp. I did forensics, choirs, jazz band, National Honor Society, International Baccalaureate, I started a community garden at my high school. I really can’t shut my brain off for even a second. Maybe that’s a sign of some fear of not being good enough.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Everyone’s path is different. But the voice in my head always told me to show up to auditions even if I didn’t think the project was going to elevate my career. You never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet. You learn maybe even more on bad projects than good.
Three qualities? I suppose a hunger to always be learning about the world. I was never a good note taker in school, but I’ll do endless research on my own about subjects that fascinate me. I love Youtube and Wikipedia rabbit holes. I love to read non-fiction and biographies. The best way to be a better actor is to study things other than acting. Meet people completely different from you and your experiences. Expand your perspective of humanity. My biggest acting lessons have come from life, not a stage or classroom. I’ve had health crises that have made me come to terms with my mortality. It’s changed how I live every day. I see value in every human being. Everyone deserves love and attention. I try to give that wherever I can. I love meeting new people, and especially if they’re not artists, finding what makes their eyes light up and get excited. I get joy out of asking people what would they do if they could quit the job they hate and knew they couldn’t fail. I love asking actors what show would you want to do if was crafted specifically for you. A lot of people have been trained to fit into boxes and have never been asked what THEY would want to be. So that’s why I’m always excited about new collaborators.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’m always developing projects. The thing I’ve learned about producing is you can’t overwhelm people with everything in the pipeline. You have to quietly develop 10 shows before anyone sees 1 of them. I’m not good a keeping things close to my chest, but I’m learning. I’m always reaching out to emerging writers/directors/producers and asking for zoom meetings. Trying to find common interests. They don’t teach you in school how to network, so I’ve only in the last couple years realized I could reach out to people whose work I admire. Building community is ultimately the best part. Surrounding myself with likeminded artists will keep me fulfilled forever.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @noahpyzik
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Dax Smith