Young actors may not have the best reputation in Hollywood, but 15-year-old Ty Doran thinks that youth can be an advantage in the theater world. Doran, a freshman at Houston's Kincaid School, just finished a run of Samuel Beckett's famous Waiting for Godot with the Catastrophic Theatre playing the role of Boy. "When you're younger, you have more opportunities," Doran said. "When you age you become a specific person. I feel like I haven't really found out what I'm going be yet and that helps me be someone else because I'm not a stock character."
What he does: Doran has graced several Houston stages in a variety of roles. In addition to school productions at Kincaid, Doran was also in the production of Kimberly Akimbo put on by Mildred's Umbrella and a few shows at the Alley Theater including A Christmas Carol and Much Ado about Nothing.
Doran has also participated in screen work, acting in a few student films for students at Rice University, and even providing his voice for the American version of a Japanese anime series called Towa No Quon. Another of his projects, a proposed zombie movie called Ground Dead, never reached the silver screen, but Doran worked on the promotional material and other pre-work for the film.
Why he likes it: Doran says he has felt warmly welcomed by the theater community. "I think the people who act are the best people around," Doran said. "They're so nice and fun to work with." He also appreciates the challenge of disappearing into a character. "I like being on stage and being someone else...having people look at you and have them think you're someone else."
What inspires him: Doran's father Justin is also an actor, and Ty says that is how he got started acting in the first place. "I'm really inspired by my father. I think he's a great actor and a great director," Doran said. "I know he loves it and I strive to follow in his footsteps."
If not this, then what: Doran says his favorite subjects in school are math and science. "I would probably be a doctor, like an emergency room doctor or a surgeon. I like seeing how things work, specifically the human body," Doran said.
If not here, then where: Doran was born in Los Angeles and moved to Houston when he was 5 years old. He says he would love to return to California someday. "I like the West Coast. I really like being near the ocean. The weather there is nice too. It doesn't get hot like here." But Doran says what he loves most about Houston are the people. "One time I took a trip to New York and not a lot of people said hi. In Houston even people I don't know say hi to me and wave."
What's next: This summer, Doran will be honing his craft at the Stage Door Manor summer acting program in upstate New York, a prestigious program for young actors with alumni such as Natalie Portman and Robert Downey, Jr. Doran is also in the process of auditioning for Kincaid's student theater company, a group that puts on a variety of shows throughout the year. He said he hopes his success in shows like Godot will lead to more auditions and more parts around Houston.
More Creatives for 2013 (In order of most recently published; click here for the full page).
Gwen Zepeda, Houston's first Poet LaureateJoseph Walsh, principal dancer at Houston BalletJustin Garcia, artistBuck Ross, dilettante and director of Moores Opera CenterPatrick Renner, sculptor of the abstract and the esoteric Tomas Glass, abstract artist and True Blood musician Ashley Stoker, painter, photographer and Tumblr muse Amy Llanes, artistic airector of Rednerrus Feil Dance Company Bevin Bering Dubrowski, executive director at the Houston Center for Photography Lydia Hance, founder and director of Frame Dance Productions Piyali Sen Dasgupta, mixed media artist and nature lover Dean James, New York Times bestselling mystery novelist Nicola Parente, abstract painter and photographer Cheryl Schulke, handmade leather pursemaker Anthony Rathbun, Alternative Lifestyle Photographer David Salinas, computer-less analog photographer Danielle Burns, art curator Alicia DiRago, Whimseybox founder Katia Zavistovski, contemporary art curator Ashley Horn, choreographer, filmmaker Amanda Stevens, scary book author Peter Lucas, film and video curator, music lover and self-described culture-slinger Ana María Otamendi, collaborative pianist and vocal coach Billy D. Washington, comedian Michele Brangwen, choreographer and dancer Kristin Warren, actress and choreographer Kelly Sears, animator and film maker Colton Berry, Bayou City Theatrics' artistic director jhon r. stronks,dance-maker Joe Grisaffi, actor, director, writer, cinematographer Jordan "Monster Mac" McMahon, artist, designer
