Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor.
Hi Taylor, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a performer, ASL interpreter, and playwright. And these paths sometimes overlap, but not always. The connecting tissue between all three is communication and human connection. And of course: stories.
I have always loved stories. Like a lot of kids when they are first learning to read, I would memorize my favorite books and then “read” them to my family. I also loved recounting stories to anyone that would listen and I was (well…still am) long-winded. So by the time I was five my family knew acting classes would be a good fit. So I have been performing for about three decades here in central Texas. One of my favorite things about performing is how it forces me to expand my capacity for learning and empathy, and even sometimes my definition of myself.
I actually came to the interpreting field by way of theatre. It started in a production of Fun Home at Ground Floor Theatre in 2018. My character’s love interest was played by Sandra Mae Frank, a phenomenal Deaf performer. And through taking classes at ACC in tandem with that experience working with her and our Director of Artistic Sign Language Brian Cheslik, I was introduced to ASL and Deaf culture. I felt like Dorothy in Oz. Through ASL I suddenly felt empowered to connect with a huge population of our Austin community for the first time. Meanwhile, ironically I was becoming aware of the systems in place that make accessibility an afterthought for those same Deaf people. Interpreting is now my main career, though my least public-facing by its nature. Anything I see or do while interpreting is confidential. You wouldn’t want your private life shared with others just because you had language interpretation. So it is the job I spend most time doing and the least time discussing. But what I can say is I love witnessing so many people sharing their stories.
My journey to being a writer is a little messier and harder to pinpoint. I have been “sort of writing this or that just for fun” since I was young. I often deprioritize or downplay my writing work. This impulse to dismiss this part of me is fascinating and infuriating because writing is also where I get to create something that is just for me. Something that is all mine. Of course the drawback of this autonomy is that no one is expecting me to do the work; there is no looming opening night to keep me motivated. I have to provide myself with the reasons to keep going through the brutal process of rewrites and edits. Luckily, I have stories that I simply have to tell. So the stories have so far successfully held my feet to the fire. And when even that isn’t enough to fend off procrastination, I have a lovely support network in my partner, friends, and family that tells me to keep going. I always share my new pages with two people right away: my partner and my mom.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The low point for me in my career was getting an extreme case of carpal tunnel immediately after getting my professional interpreting certification.
I had just spent years working towards a major career change into interpreting and was also in the middle of a huge passion project as a playwright. And suddenly I was cut off from both and in debilitating pain. I couldn’t pull up my own pants, let alone interpret for a Zoom call or type up a scene of dialogue.
I was told not to use my dominant hand at all for 6 weeks and not to sign for much, much longer. And in the meantime my non-dominant hand was becoming overworked and was honestly never competent at tasks I previously did without thought. All told, I lost 6 months of work. And during the months after my return, my confidence was shot. I felt like the quality of my interpreting was almost back to square one and even simple signing felt alien to me. It took a long time for me to feel comfortable accepting jobs that were offered to me because I felt like a burden.
But I learned a lot from that experience. I pivoted to writing via dictation for a time and got a better grasp of what types of interpreting work I can accept for the time being. It forced me to “put my own oxygen mask on first.” Because accepting work that you know will hurt you is short sighted and counterproductive. Now I take on the work I know I can do well within a schedule I can physically maintain. Taking on too much may have seemed helpful in the short term, but it ultimately took me out of commission for months and set me back in my development. So I have come away from that experience with some tools from physical therapy and skills for advocating for my health.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an extremely inquisitive performer. I love learning about people and their worlds, which makes sharing stories from different perspectives extremely rewarding and fun for me. I am also told by my directors and fellow actors that I balance dedication with flexibility and a sense of play.
But I think my main strength as an actor is that I am versatile. In the last year I’ve been cast as a strong-willed governess in Jane Eyre, more than ten inhabitants of Bedford Falls in It’s A Wonderful Life, an out-of-touch Duke in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, a woman coming to terms with her own mortality in Wit, a socially awkward college student in a reading of Next Stop (a new musical in development), and an iconic dandy in The Importance of Being Earnest. And I am simultaneously proud of my adaptability and humbled by the trust directors have shown in me to explore that kind of range. It is a rare opportunity for a performer and one I don’t take for granted.
As an interpreter, I get different types of compliments from Deaf and hearing people. My hearing clients have told me they love the natural way I navigate tone and conversations. “It feels like you are not even there” is not a compliment in most fields, but in interpreting I wear that like a badge of honor. From my Deaf clients I have been told that they appreciate that I interpret when they interrupt. Sometimes interpreters will unconsciously prioritize the message they hear over the message they see. So Deaf clients tend to appreciate that I let natural conversational interruptions go both ways.
As a writer, I am a bit of a chameleon. I have written sketch comedy, a full length play in the style and voice of Jane Austen, and even a short dramatic screenplay. My proudest moment as a writer was probably having Del Shores read my work and compliment my “distinct and beautiful voice.” He went on to write that “It feels as if [Anne Elliot’s Queer Little Heart] were written a century ago, that you have written what many then were unable to.”
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite memory from childhood is meeting one of my dearest friends in the world: Lacee Duke.
She and I used to live just down the street from each other. We met when I was about five years old. I was outside my house on the driveway trying to throw a basketball into a hoop hung at a height for the much taller and more athletic members of my house. And failing. Grumpily. And I look up and across the street there’s another kid about my age. She’s toddling along on the sidewalk in a bright red toy car. So cool. I was majorly jealous.
But that jealousy washed away immediately when she smiled real big, waved at me through the glass-less window hole, and shouted out: “Hi! Do you wanna play with me?!” Instant best friends. To this day.
She is still someone I look up to as a presence of joy, open heartedness, and connection. It’s not always as easy as inviting someone to come play in your toy car, but she still brings that same passion for being a good neighbor and creating space for kindness to her work as a mom, artist, and mayor.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://taylorflanagan.weebly.com
Image Credits
Lens of Athena, Lens of Athena, Steve Rogers, Chad Mills, Kenneth Gall, Suzanne Lapierre Cordeiro, Adam Adolfo, Lens of Athena, Lens of Athena,
