"This is absolutely the most difficult journey I've ever experienced in my life. It's also the most rewarding." - a conversation with Gretchen Wylder - a podcast by Liz Gold
from 2020-05-08T16:00:15
Gretchen Wylder is a theater actor who decided to take on the medium of creating a web series. The result is These Thems, a series on YouTube that centers around four queer friends in New York City. Hear the backstory of how "These Thems" came to be, how she pushed through some dark times to get this produced and some of the very tender storylines.
"This is actually my first film making project. It's been really, a very, very very intense learning curve."
"I am a cisgendered woman and although I'm queer as fuck I can only tell so much of someone else's story."
"I truly feel that every single person who crossed paths with me and this project was there to serve a purpose and was there for a reason. That's the only way to get through something like this because it's been so hard. No part of this has been easy."
"It is really a beautiful thing to watch in completion because I am so proud of the work. And I am so proud of what was able to be created but it was only because I had to push myself through literally the darkest times of my life. Truly. I hit rock bottom, trying to make this happen, probably at least three times."
"I view it absolutely as a tool for cis het allies to be able to watch it and enjoy it and really learn from it in a safe way. It's not just a queer series for queers."
"It's been an interesting balance of lots of stress, lots of frustration while also experiencing lots of joy, lots of positivity. It's been wild, just wild.
Gretchen's bio
Gretchen Wylder started her acting career in Chicago and has been a working actor in NYC for the past nine years. She has originated roles in musical comedies Off-Broadway, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and also creates original sketch comedy content. In addition to working with legends Kathy Griffin, Julie Andrews, Anthony Rapp, and Judy Gold, Gretchen has performed sketch and improv at Amy Poehler's UCB theater, the PIT, Magnet, and Second City. Fav theatre credits: Avenue Q, Rent, Bedbugs The Musical. She has competed at the Miss Exotic World pageant at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. Gretchen is an advocate for the Queer community and in 2016, organized a float in NYC's Gay Pride parade to raise funds for the Ellie Conant memorial fund, benefiting Astraea Lesbian Foundation.
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