Liv Kirby is an Australian-born actress and dancer who moved to the USA at the age of 18. She now lives in New York from where she peruses her dream to succeed in the performing arts industry.
You’ve always been passionate about performing arts. How did it all start?
My first encounter with any type of art form was ballet when I was around 4 years old, which although lasted all of 5 seconds, I still remember it so clearly. My parents took me to a dance class and I remember seeing all the little ballerinas through a glass window looking into the studio, and I took two steps into that studio and turned around and ran back out crying to Mom and Dad, so that was the end of that until I was 14 and picked up Hip Hop.
I then began acting classes when I was 12 and my 8th grade drama class went on an excursion to see Wicked the Musical in Melbourne and I think that was when I realized how powerful the arts can be. I came out of the theatre shaking and within months I was back into dance classes, training two left feet to dance and I was taking acting classes and then began singing a little after that.
What were some of your earlier achievements in Australia?
From the time I was 15-18, I was really involved with the Hip Hop scene in Australia, competing with Hip Hop crews at local, national and international competitions. In 2011, my crew had auditions to take 8 of our members to compete to qualify and represent Australia at Randy Jackson’s “Hip Hop International” competition in Las Vegas; fortunately I made the crew and we qualified to Vegas! That was a big highlight in my career so far. As well as I was a part of the original cast for a tour in Australia for a play called “Fake is Real,” that was my first taste of creating something from scratch and I definitely hope to do again sometime.
And then you made the decision to move to the US in 2012. How have things evolved since then?
I always dreamed of moving to the US and originally I got into a course in Los Angeles for acting and was only meant to stay for 3 weeks, which turned into 3 months and in that three months I traveled to New York and fell in love with the city. I think moving away from home at a young age really forces you to grow up a lot quicker and become independent. I think as a person I have evolved a great deal, I can say that I’m not the girl I was at 18. I have also met a lot of people who have given me so much advice and exposure to the industry so I think my knowledge of the industry has grown immensely which has allowed me to realize that you don’t just move to ‘the big city’ and land a job on Broadway; there is so much hard work, motivation and dedication that is needed just to get into a community theatre company here. So I’ve really learned how to keep myself motivated, which is sometimes hard to do.
Who influenced you the most in your performing career?
I have countless influences, my list would go on for years, one of my biggest influences, like many other aspiring performers out there, is Idina Menzel. Wicked was such a big impact on me and it was what lit that flame of passion within me, that I really admire her and her creation of Elphaba in the musical. But, I like I said, I have many influences, from all my teachers to the talented people I take classes with. A few recognizable women that I really admire are Lindsay Mendez, Sutton Foster, Jemma Rix and Lucy Durack.
From your experience, how important is it for people who want to become actors to actually go to an acting course?
I believe the more knowledge you have of the industry and different techniques of acting and singing and dancing will benefit you so much, even if you don’t realize it while your studying. I think the legendary actors the industry has, are the most knowledgeable and that’s what makes them legendary. I truly believe we never stop learning. If you’re exposed to not only different acting techniques but to different cultures, religions, personalities, etc., it will give you a greater level of knowledge to put into your work, I think those are the people who produce high quality performances and that’s what I strive to hope to do.
What are you working on right now and what are the plans for the near future?
Right now I’m finishing up at school, I’m studying musical theatre and I have a production of A Chorus Line happening in the Fall in Hoboken, New Jersey, which I’m really excited about! After school, the plan is to audition every week and I guess we’ll see what happens from there.
Where do you see yourself in 5 and 10 years from now?
I’ve made a deal with myself to try and have landed my first Broadway gig by the time I’m 27. I’m almost 21 so that give me a good 6 years to work hard for it. I’ve always wanted to go into film/TV, I’ve trained a lot in film and love it, so maybe I’ll give that a try for a while. For now, I’m taking it day by day and just trying to train myself to reach my full potential. I believe if I work hard and stay dedicated to the arts there’s no reason I can’t have a successful career in the industry.
