Today we’d like to introduce you to Isa Condo-Olvera.
Hi Isa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in San José, Costa Rica to an Ecuadorian dad and a Mexican mom. Growing up, I was a really shy kid, but I always loved words, music, and storytelling. As a toddler, instead of running around in the playground with the other kids, I would wander and sing The Sound of Music to myself. My daycare teacher noticed, and at two, I performed in front of an audience for the first time when I sang “Do Re Mi” onstage for my daycare graduation.
Costa Rica didn’t have a lot of opportunities in theatre at the time, so I took to producing. I collaborated with a classmate who was as passionate about the performing arts, and we produced Les Miserables, involving students from 12 different schools, making a profit of $12,000, which we donated to a need-based scholarship fund. At seventeen, my work as a young theatre producer in Costa Rica led to my being selected for a distinction for my leadership in the artistic field by then-Vice President, Ana Helena Chacón. After graduating high school, I took a gap year to work in Costa Rica as an actor and singer, also producing a children’s show titled Pijamada de Princesas, as well as a solo concert, So Long, Farewell.
My growing passion for storytelling led me to the University of Minnesota Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program, where I learned so much from my incredible faculty, as well as my brilliant company members. During my time in school, I was fortunate to begin working professionally outside of school. I made my professional theatre debut in the US at the Guthrie Theater, when I went on as an understudy in The Tempest. A few months later, I was cast as Iphigenia in Ten Thousand Things’ Iphigenia at Aulis directed by Marcela Lorca with compositions and music directed by JD Steele. I have since worked as an actor at several theaters regionally across the US.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t, though I must say I feel immensely lucky to have had the opportunities I’ve experienced so far – there have been bumps along the road, but there could have been so many more.
The biggest obstacle early on was a lack of access. I’ve wanted to do theatre since I was little and I had to wait a bit before I finally got the chance to do it. This lack of theatre opportunities available in Costa Rica coupled with the insecurity that I wouldn’t be good at acting and singing have been the biggest challenges. In Minneapolis, I finally have so much access, and I am beyond grateful for that, but I am still trying my best to ignore the mean voice inside my head that wants to make me feel unworthy. And because this industry is such a competitive one, there have been instances where rejection feeds my insecurity.
There was one especially big Hollywood film I was close to being a part of at eighteen, and when that didn’t work out, my heart broke. Every rejection since has been way less painful, but I’m human, it can still hurt, especially when I get close and it still ends up being a no. But it is just part of what it’s like being an actor, everyone experiences rejection, so I think I’ve accepted it as part of the process now. I’m a lot better at brushing it off.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Costa Rican Mexican Ecuadorian actor. My passion for performing started with musical theatre, and it still holds a place in my heart, I love incorporating music into my work as an actor because in many ways storytelling through music was my first love. When developing my craft at the UMN Guthrie BFA Actor Training program, I was fortunate to feed my love of language with top-tier classical theatre training.
I found so much wealth in revitalizing classical text by bringing my whole self to the work. Some of my most recent classical theatre roles include playing Iphigenia in Iphigenia at Aulis at Ten Thousand Things, and Miranda in The Tempest at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. During my time at school, I developed a passion for writing, dialect work, translation (Spanish-to-English and vice-versa), people-watching, and love. I combined all these passions in the development of my first play, a one-woman bilingual verbatim play.
Spanish is my first language, so it is always a blessing when I’m able to represent Latine folk authentically and specifically through detailed language and dialect work. My most recent project, Laughs in Spanish at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, was extremely meaningful in collaborating with other Latine artists to authentically and joyfully tell a story centering on Latin characters. So it’s kind of hard for me to narrow down my work to one specific thing because I’m passionate about so many! And I suppose that unique combination of passions and skills is what sets me apart.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I feel like I’m not super consistent in that sense, I go through different phases and have taken in SO much content and fixated on so many different things over the years.
But a podcast I enjoyed recently is “Wiser than Me” with Julia Louis-Drefus, where she interviews older women (my stepmom recommended it to me, she’s one of the older women I love in my life). And by older, I just mean, older than me. Which, at 23, includes most women. One of my favorite parts of being young is being able to learn so much from others. Older women have been my saving grace in this industry (and in life!), I feel consistently inspired and supported by them.
Something else that keeps me going is my Notes app. I’m a lists girl, putting things on a to-do list is one of my coping mechanisms for my anxiety. And when it comes to battling imposter syndrome, I have a “you don’t suck” list, where I’ve written down every kind thing that’s been said to me. That’s kept me going!
On a less personal note, an app I’ve come to depend on is Cold Read, it helps out with line memorization. Very much recommend it to fellow actors!
Contact Info:
- Website: isacondoolvera.com
- Instagram: @isacondoolvera
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabella-condo-olvera-a26aa71b6
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@isacondo-olvera7664?si=1ILwNd3Gl5cK-8Dv
Image Credits
Dani Warner, Michael Brosilow, Tara Clinkscales, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Anna Rock, Dan Norman, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Ning Goff, Karl Demer.
