Help Anna María Afford Tuition & Housing for RADA

"Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world."
— Alan Rickman (1946-2016), RADA alumnus

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Anna María, my pronouns are she/ella/αυτή, and I'm a Puerto Rican and Greek artist, community organizer, and journalist. For those of you who have heard of me or are in community with me, you probably know me as the cofounder of Mutual Aid Houston and Thee Open House Project (more on that below), or from my work performing in and battling the systemic injustices of the entertainment industry. I fundamentally believe in the possibility and necessity of building a better world. For the first time ever, I’m asking folks to help me directly in my journey to make that happen.

I've been yearning to study theatre since the age of fourteen. Now, a decade later, I'm finally realizing my dreams at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.

The road to this MA theatre degree has been a long and winding one. I spent the earliest years of my adulthood getting my BA in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, so as to launch a stable career for myself and my family. Throughout all of undergrad, I worked constantly to afford extracurricular arts training in order to maintain my artistry while I pursued my education. Soon after I graduated early in 2018, I started working full time. I took the stage again as Imogen in Shakespeare's Cymbeline. Then, I moved back home to Houston, started performing in earnest, and never looked back. I've since performed everywhere from the Houston Grand Opera to the Alley Theatre, honing my craft as best I could without a formal arts education.

Anna María (right) in Theatre 66's NEOS at the Alley Theatre • Photo by Pin Lim

When the pandemic hit, I immediately helped build The Quarantine Series, a digital theatre workshopping company, with two other Houston artists. Then, when the world erupted after George Floyd's murder at the hands of police, I cofounded Mutual Aid Houston (MAH), an organization I dedicated my life to for nearly two years which has since materially helped countless Houstonians. Throughout all these hours of unpaid labor, I continued to create art while working full-time to provide for my loved ones. I was one of the creative forces behind Our Offering and A Christmas Offering; I performed my second year in Stages Repertory Theatre's annual Latinx theatre festival, Sin Muros; and I underwent RADA's arduous audition process.

In the last few months, since I passed off MAH to my fellow organizers, I've cofounded Thee Open House Project, a community resource for marginalized audiences to see professional theatre for free; I've performed in Stages' production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, to critical acclaim; and I've starred in the film The Garden of Adam, bringing my many years of fighting white supremacy onto the big screen.

Now, I take a breath in a new city as my classes begin. For the first time in my life, I'm asking my communities to pour into me in return.

Anna María (left) filming THE GARDEN OF ADAM by Gerardo Velasquez (right)

I've had a job since I was 15 years old. I don't know what it's like to keep anything less than dozens of plates spinning at once. I don't know what it's like to not drown in work—to be able to focus on one thing. These last couple of years, I've saved and saved to afford my dream audition, my dream move, my dream school. But the fact remains that the British pound is much stronger than the US dollar, and RADA is in the heart of London—one of the most expensive cities in the world.

My tuition is £20,220, which is roughly ~$27,500—and that doesn't include housing, materials, or public transportation fees. I know this pandemic has been and will continue to be devastating for all of us, so I would truly appreciate even the smallest bit of aid. All funds will go toward tuition and/or housing, and every dollar helps!

These last few years, I have been constantly stretched to my limit, and yet I bullishly build a better world—one that protects and carves out space for the marginalized—in every space I enter. I can't help but wonder what I'm capable of if, as a marginalized artist, I'm materially supported and able to give my all to this glorious art form I so desperately love. I believe I could gain the tools to perfect my craft and, more importantly, to reshape the entertainment industry if, in this year, I'm allowed rest and access—if, for the first time in my life, I'm not like butter scraped over too much bread.

Thank you all for rooting for me all these years. I can't wait to go on this journey with all of you!