Edwina Findley: “The Arts Remind Me I’m Alive!”

Edwina Findley began her theatre, dance, and music training at an early age. She went on to graduate with honors from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. In addition, she was a soloist in the Gospel Choir, an active member of the Tisch Scholars Program, and president and founder of the NYU Chrisitan Artists Coalition.

Since completing her training at NYU, she has appeared on HBO’s hit The Wire, Law and Order: Trial by Jury, NY-70, Conviction, and One Life to Live. In addition, she has performed Off-Broadway and at some of the nation’s finest regional theatres. She enjoys singing and has toured musically throughout the US, Europe, and the Caribbean.

Edwina also developed Abundant Life Creative Services, which seeks to inspire, equip, and empower people of all ages to maximize their God-given potential through motivational and artists workshops, inspirational materials, dynamic performances, and individual consultations.

LeAnne: What is your background in acting? What draws you to acting?

Edwina: I’ve been acting since age three. I started by reciting chapters from the Psalms at church, then by age five did my first musical- Psalty’s Christmas Calamity. What fun! My mom kept me in performing arts programs, ministries, and schools, until finally attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for Acting.

I’ve always loved the arts because they give people the ability to express themselves viscerally and creatively. There’s something so compelling about a moving aria or heartfelt dance or hilarious monologue. It’s like unbridled feeling and emotion. The arts remind me that I’m alive!

LM: Which character have you portrayed that has been most challenging?

EF: My most challenging role to date was in an Off-Broadway play called UGLy. I played Alice Marie, a 22-year-old woman with an eight-year-old son and a baby on the way. She had suffered domestic abuse for nine years and was ultimately killed by her boyfriend and father of her children. It was actually the true story of the playwright’s sister who had been murdered only one year prior to the play’s opening. You can imagine how challenging an experience this was for me.

LM: You have acted in TV shows and pilots. What have your characters been like? What have you learned from them?

EF: Believe it or not, since playing a female gangster on HBO’s drama The Wire, most of my subsequent television roles have been from the wrong side of the tracks—on parole, substance abusers, criminals, etc. It’s become a running joke with me and my friends, because my real personality and lifestyle couldn’t be anything further! Surprisingly, stepping into the lives of these characters has allowed me to see their experiences through a different lens. I’ve become a lot less judgmental and much more compassionate. Now when I have the privilege of ministering to people in similar situations, I feel like I can relate to what they’re dealing with and going through.