Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Layne.
Hi Theresa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Live performance has always been my oxygen.
When I was a kid, I staged full vaudeville shows for the neighbors – costumes, choreography, ticket sales, the whole thing. Looking back, it was probably obvious to everyone except me that this wasn’t a phase. It was who I was.
That passion led me to earn a BFA in Musical Theatre from United States International University and an MFA in Acting from the University of Arizona. While still in school, I began performing professionally throughout the Southwest, appearing at theaters including The Old Globe, Moonlight Amphitheatre, North Coast Repertory Theatre, New Village Arts, Arizona Repertory Theatre, Civic Light Opera of San Bernardino, and Colony Studio Theatre.
After moving to Los Angeles, I joined the Colony Studio Theatre Acting Company and expanded into commercials, voiceovers, television, and film. I’ve always been creatively curious, and every new artistic challenge seemed to lead to another one.
Then I picked up drums and guitar “just for fun.”
As it turns out, fun has a way of changing your life.
Teaching became another natural extension of my artistic journey. I’ve taught theatre and film at College of the Canyons and MiraCosta College, directed Forever Dusty at California State University San Marcos, and built Theresa Layne Vocal Studio, where I help singers develop confidence, creativity, and a stronger connection to their own unique voice.
A few years ago, my husband and I relocated to California’s Central Coast. In many ways, it felt like a fresh start. I focused on growing my vocal studio and immersing myself in the local music community. Back in San Diego, I performed with several bands, each one teaching me something different about musicianship, collaboration, and live performance.
Today, my primary musical home is Hot Tina, an all-female punk rock band where I’ve found my place behind the drum kit. After years of being known primarily as an actor and singer, discovering punk rock as a drummer opened an entirely new creative chapter. It’s loud, fearless, community-driven, and endlessly fun.
The move to the Central Coast also inspired me to reimagine my solo artist identity. What began years ago as an acoustic duo in San Diego evolved into In a Tizzy, my singer-songwriter project where folk, rock, storytelling, and a touch of theatrical flair collide. I’m currently developing a one-woman musical song cycle built around my original music – bringing together my backgrounds in theatre, songwriting, and performance in a way that feels like the culmination of everything I’ve been creating for years.
Looking back, my career probably makes more sense than it felt while I was living it. Acting, music, teaching, directing, voiceover work, songwriting – they all come from the same place. I love stories. I love helping people connect. I love what happens when someone steps into the spotlight and discovers they are capable of more than they imagined.
Whether I’m behind a drum kit, center stage with a guitar, teaching a film class, or coaching a student through a breakthrough moment, I’m still chasing the same thing I was chasing as that little girl putting on neighborhood shows:
Connection, expression, and a little bit of magic.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but some of the biggest challenges in my life have ended up becoming some of my greatest gifts.
When I was 35, I suffered a herniated disc in my neck and needed a cervical fusion. During one of my pre-surgery appointments, the surgeon looked at me and asked, “You’re not a singer, are you?”
As a matter of fact, I was.
He explained that to reach my spine, he would need to move my vocal cords aside. While the risk was small, there was a possibility of damage to the nerves that control the voice.
I don’t remember much after that.
I had spent my entire life singing, acting, and performing. The idea that a surgery meant to help me could potentially take away the thing I loved most was terrifying.
Fortunately, the surgery was successful. But the experience changed me in ways I never expected.
Exactly one year to the date of my surgery, I walked into my first rehearsal at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Performing at The Old Globe had been a lifelong dream. It’s one of the most respected regional theaters in the country, and after spending a year wondering if I would ever perform the same way again, I found myself singing, dancing, and celebrating life in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.
The irony was not lost on me.
One year earlier, I was sitting in a doctor’s office contemplating the possibility of losing my voice. One year later, I was using that voice eight shows a week on a stage I had dreamed about since I was a little girl putting on productions for the neighbors.
That experience fundamentally changed the way I live.
These days, if I’m healthy, upright, and something sounds joyful, creative, challenging, or slightly absurd, my answer is yes.
That surgery didn’t make me cautious. It made me fearless.
Life is precious, temporary, and wildly unpredictable. I don’t want to arrive at the end of it wishing I had taken more chances. I want to arrive slightly out of breath, covered in stories, wondering what adventure I can say yes to next.
Looking back, I realize the biggest obstacles in my life have often become the turning points. What felt like the end of the story was usually just the beginning of a new chapter.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At my core, I’m a storyteller.
Whether I’m performing on stage, teaching a voice lesson, playing drums in Hot Tina, writing songs for In a Tizzy, or developing my one-woman musical song cycle, everything I do comes back to helping people feel something.
Professionally, I wear a lot of hats. I’m a vocal coach, performer, songwriter, musician, actor, director, and educator. My background spans musical theatre, film, television, voiceover work, and live music, which gives me a unique perspective when working with artists. I don’t just teach people how to sing. I help them communicate, connect, and tell a story.
What sets me apart is that I’ve never been particularly interested in staying inside the lane someone else created for me.
I grew up in a town of about 1,000 people in Wisconsin. Honestly, it’s a miracle I learned to drive on a freeway.
From the outside, my career might look unconventional, but from my perspective, it’s been a series of adventures and curiosity-driven decisions. I wanted to be in a national commercial. Done. I wanted to appear on television. Done. A game show? Done. Professional theatre? Done. Join a professional acting company? Done. Make a living as a performing artist? Done. Teach at a college? Done. I’ve now been teaching part-time at the college level for more than fifteen years. Direct a musical? Done.
I’ve never really thought about my career as a destination. It’s more like a checklist of impossible dreams.
The funny thing is that some of my favorite accomplishments weren’t even on the original list. Nobody handed me a drumstick when I was growing up and said, “This will become part of your identity.” I saw other people playing drums and thought, “Huh… I think I can do that.” Same with guitar. So I learned. And now those instruments have opened entirely new creative worlds for me.
At one point I decided I wanted to be the kind of drummer who could sit in with a successful cover band and play a full show without a rehearsal. It sounded completely ridiculous when I first thought of it. Years later, I had the opportunity to sit in with the Molly Ringwald Project when their drummer was out of town. I played a three-hour set of 80s music without a rehearsal.
Done.
That’s kind of how I approach life. I like to do things that seem wildly ambitious, slightly unreasonable, and maybe a little impossible. Every time I accomplish one of those goals, the next impossible dream seems a little less intimidating.
What I’m most proud of isn’t any single accomplishment. It’s the fact that I’ve continued saying yes to growth. Every time I reached one dream, I found another one waiting for me. Every time I thought I knew who I was, I discovered another layer.
I hope that never stops.
The lesson I’ve carried with me is that you don’t have to know exactly where you’re going. You just have to be willing to take the next step toward the thing that excites you. Looking back, most of the best things in my life started with a simple thought:
“I wonder if I can do that.”
Then I went and found out.
Any big plans?
I’ve learned not to make too many rigid plans because some of the best things in my life have come from following curiosity rather than following a blueprint.
That said, I’m incredibly excited about what’s next.
One of my biggest goals is to complete and perform my one-woman musical song cycle built around my original music. It brings together everything I love – storytelling, theatre, music, humor, vulnerability, and a healthy dose of creative chaos. It feels like the project I’ve been unknowingly preparing for my entire career.
I’m also creating more performance opportunities for my students. One of the things I’m most passionate about is helping people find the courage to share their voices, so I’m developing a welcoming live performance space in downtown San Luis Obispo where students can perform in front of an audience in a supportive environment. There is something magical that happens when someone realizes they can do something they once thought was impossible.
Beyond that, I’m giving myself permission to chase ideas simply because they excite me.
A recent trip to Paris left a huge impression on me. I was completely mesmerized by the artistry, history, and unapologetic theatricality of places like the Moulin Rouge, the Pigalle district, and the legendary Crazy Horse. To my surprise, I also discovered that I could actually speak French well enough to connect with people, which only made me fall more in love with the experience.
As a result, I’ve been daydreaming about creating an adults-only speakeasy-style performance featuring songs that have been banned, censored, scandalous, or controversial throughout history. The concept is still evolving, but I imagine it being part cabaret, part storytelling event, part musical rebellion – with maybe even a song or two in French.
Will it happen? I honestly don’t know.
But that’s usually how my favorite projects begin.
I’m also considering auditioning for the San Luis Obispo Opera’s Community Night of Performers because I love putting myself in situations that stretch me as an artist. Every time I venture into a new creative space, I learn something unexpected about myself.
If there’s a theme to this chapter of my life, it’s probably this: I’m giving myself permission to be even more adventurous, more curious, and more creatively unhinged than before.
I plan to keep saying yes, to the ideas that feel wildly impractical and completely irresistible.
Pricing:
- Private Voice and Acting Coaching: Starting at $55
- In a Tizzy (solo performance): Starting at $325 depending on event type, duration, and travel
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theresalayne.com
- Instagram: @inatizzyy
- Facebook: In a Tizzy
- Youtube: @inatizzyy
- Other: @tlayne2 | Theresa Layne Vocal Studio (Youtube)
