For North Alabama students who have California-sized dreams of one day landing a career in show business, there is now a resource here in Madison that has the ability to help make those big dreams a reality! From acting to producing to writing to voiceovers and commercials and so much more, Madison newcomer Lauren Williams is ready to help her students hone their craft and achieve their goals!
Williams, a long-time Los Angeles-based talent agent, recently opened Tennessee Valley School for Performing Arts off of Old Madison Pike and is now accepting new students for one-on-one instruction, group instruction, and industry coaching. She offers all options via Zoom or in person at her new studio. She has options for students ages 5 to 99 (yes, she works with adults too!) and has a plethora of experience to customize the instructional time to meet one’s unique interests and goals.
What is Tennessee Valley School for Performing Arts?
Tennessee Valley School for Performing Arts (TVS4PA) is unique from other theater-related options in the area for several reasons.
First, Williams is highly focused on teaching her students the industry as a whole and how to truly be a professional in the business of acting and entertainment.
Second, she isn’t focused on creating productions for students to perform in. Her instructional focus is more centered on learning skills that one may apply to acting, directing, producing, etc.
Finally, she offers instruction for those who may not necessarily want to pursue a career in show business but rather obtain life skills that much of her instruction lends itself to, such as public speaking, job interviewing, and much more.
What does TVS4PA offer?
TVS4PA is currently offering a handful of individual and group opportunities that one may register for at any time! These opportunities include “The Business of Acting and Entertainment”, “Private Instruction”, “College Audition Prep”, “Home School Instruction”, “Small Group Instruction”, and “Intro to Performing Arts” for grades K-2nd, 3rd-6th, and 7th-10th.
What is Williams’ background in Hollywood?
If you asked Williams three years ago if she’d soon be living in north Alabama and opening her own performing arts business, she’d tell you that there wasn’t a chance. In early 2020, Williams was working in production with clients in Los Angeles while working with Echo Lake Entertainment. Williams also has experience as a thriving talent agent with ICM Partners, one of the world’s leading talent agencies for acting, writing, directing, costume design, set design, and more.
Before Williams landed it big as a talent agent, she had big dreams of being an actress. She majored in theater with an emphasis on directing at UC Santa Barbara but soon realized that memorizing lines was the least of her interests.
She realized that she still really loved the art of acting though, and wanted to grow her career within the industry another way.
She applied for all kinds of jobs within the industry (even turning down jobs within a mailroom and Human Resources) before being hired on the spot as a talent agent assistant.
“This was my first big LA job, and from there I continued to work my way up,” Williams shares.
Three years later, Williams had exploded as a leading talent agent and was working with clients who were repeatedly nominated for Emmy awards.
Williams has attended the Emmys and Golden Globes for the last 15 years and served on the board for “Women In Film” for eight straight years. She’s met Viola Davis, Meryl Streep, Dolly Parton, Betty White, and dozens of other A-list actors and singers.
“Dolly Parton is so nice,” smiled Williams as she recalls her time with her. “She’s everything that you’d think she is.”
Regarding her time with Betty White, Williams says that she was always in awe of how White commanded the room, even in her early 90s.
“The respect that that woman commanded was absolutely incredible,” remarks Williams.
Why did Williams move from LA to Madison, Alabama?
Enter March 2020, and the life that Williams knew in California was about to change when the pandemic came swooping in.
Though Williams’ family isn’t originally from the north Alabama area, her sister’s family had lived in Madison for eight years, and her parents had recently planted roots in the area too. When her office closed down for the first two weeks of the pandemic, she decided to take a short vacation to Alabama until her office reopened.
“That two weeks turned into six months,” says Williams, who then made the decision to buy a home in Madison as a great investment since her timeline to go back to Los Angeles was unpredictable.
That home purchase would then flip Williams’ life upside down for good, and in the best way. She moved into the house in January 2021 and a few short months later met her future husband at a Home Owners Association meeting. He had recently purchased a home in the neighborhood as well, and the rest is history!
They were soon engaged, and then officially tied the knot in September 2022.
While Williams was wedding planning, she also beginning put the wheels in motion to bring Tennessee Valley School for Performing Arts to life.
“This isn’t just acting school,” she explains. “This is an experience when you will learn how to be in front of others professionally or just for fun.”
Williams, who has also served on the board for the Savannah College of Art and Design annual Film Festival, couldn’t be more thrilled to take 18 years of Hollywood experience and give this kind of experience to kids, young adults, and adults to show them what the creative process looks like.
“You can have fun and express your creativity, and it doesn’t have to be geared towards ever being on a huge stage.”
Is TVS4PA only for those who desire a career in Hollywood?
Williams adores her seven-year-old niece and says that she wants her “to be able to one day express herself confidently, and I want to show her how to be on stage, whether it’s a real stage or just the stage of life. I want her to see how everything she learns from this experience will translate into the rest of her life.”
Coaching and instruction from Williams can either take place in Williams’s home studio in Madison or in one’s home if that is more comfortable for the student.
Group classes are also available for a max of 10 people. The curriculum varies and may include anything from how to stand on a stage, present yourself on camera, study scenes, audition for a commercial, and more.
“We can absolutely do it all,” shares Williams with an excited smile.
Another group that is very excited about Tennessee Valley School for Performing Arts is the agents around the country that Williams got to know well.
“They know I’m here, and they are anxiously waiting for me to send them their next star!”
Williams can’t wait to bring in celebrity guests to the area to meet with her students and says that many of her 100+ clients over the years have plans to visit the north Alabama area in the coming years.
With access to agents in Atlanta, New York, California, and beyond, Williams says that she can’t wait to connect the dots between real talent here in Alabama and the agents who are excited to work with them.
“The entertainment business is such a mystery to people, but I want to answer those questions.”
She continues to share that she’s “just a girl who made it in Hollywood but is back to share the good, the bad, and the tough” of the industry.
“I had an amazing time in LA, but I’m so happy to be back in the south.”
Quick Links for Tennessee Valley School of Performing Arts
Explore instruction options | Website | Email Lauren | Facebook | Instagram
All photography by Whitney Briscoe Photography for All Things Madison