Meet Courtlin Parisher | Actor & Content Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtlin Parisher and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtlin, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
A motto that I always remind myself when evaluating what direction to take my life is “follow the tug”. There is never any “right” step to take, and there are endless possibilities in which your life can play out which can be overwhelming at times. But I feel like we all have an Internal GPS manifesting as that gut feeling, and whenever we feel that tug we should follow it, no matter what risks entail or what consequences may ensue. This is how I’ve been able to live some of the most amazing experiences–not thinking too hard, just following that tug.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been acting & teaching in the Houston theatre realm since I was seven. Much of my learning experience was through community theatre, thespian festivals, one act play competitions, and collaborating with my peers on their own musicals they wrote in high school. I was performing in various shows around the community until I music directed my first show “Next to Normal” at the age of 15. After that, I was music directing various cabarets and concerts and simultaneously being a performer in them! By the time I graduated high school, I felt ready to audition for performing arts conservatories across the country. After twenty auditions and many roadtrips in my dad’s Ford 150, I ended up accepting an offer at Syracuse’s musical theatre conservatory in upstate NY.

However, after only a year, I made the hardest choice of my life up to that point to drop out of school and reevaluate what made me happy. I realized that for nineteen years of my life, my entire identity was attached to something I was good at, and I wasn’t even sure I liked doing it anymore. So much of my self worth was attached to my art, that it hardly felt like art anymore and more like I was proving to myself that I was valid. I took a two year hiatus from performing and focused more on developing as a human being, hoping that my growth in my personal life could translate to more authentic art.

In 2021, I joined the board of The Garden Theatre and got back onstage to perform in their inaugural cabaret “New Beginnings”, which I was also able to music direct. We ended up winning the 2021 Houston Broadway Award for “best streamed cabaret” for that performance which was awesome! Currently I work a full time job in Austin at The Bam! Box curating content that goes in geek subscription boxes and finding a way to still find artistic inspiration in my personal creative projects. I’ve found that motivation for art comes and goes in waves and it has to only be for yourself. I have a feeling my twenties is going to consist in finding my voice as an artist and striking a perfect work life balance between working and creating.

[This is an extremely long answer]

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would get an AirBnb in the Heights and give them a personal tour of all the cute house-transformed coffee shops, cafes, thrift stores (RIP Retropolis) and antique stores! I’d then drive them to Montrose, grab more coffee at Agora, and go thrifting at Pavement and Leopard Lounge (plus the Montrose Market featuring local artists on Sunday)! Then we’d walk down the street and get some cocktails at Present Company to pregame The Garden Theatre’s latest show at The MATCH. 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to shoutout Logan Vaden, founder & artistic director of Iconotheatrix and The Garden Theatre. He’s been a fellow cast member, mentor, director, coach, and coworker of mine for over a decade at this point. He taught me the ins and outs of professionalism in the theatre industry and has given me the most amazing opportunities to learn and eventually teach others. He’s helped me recognize my own potential and validity as a performer. Generally, he’s just a genius!

Website: www.thebambox.com (check out some of the subscription boxes I’ve been working on)

Instagram: @courtlinana

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebambox (live streams on Thursdays and additional content I help create for The Bam! Box)

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBamBox (live streams on Thursdays and additional content I help create for The Bam! Box)

Other: Check out The Bam! Cast on Spotify or Apple Music to hear more podcasts about my personal story as well as the work I do for The Bam! Box. We make new episodes every Wednesday. We also stream every Thursday on twitch.tv/thebambox. TikTok: @courtlinana

Image Credits
Pin Lim Addy Kaderli