How Casting Director Tracy Twinkie Byrd Found Her Voice to Direct (Guest Column)
Tracy Twinkie Byrd, provided by
Feb. 28, 2021
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Five years ago, I decided to become a 49-year-old student of Richard Lawson Studios in his PDP 60 (Professional Development Program) class. I was the oldest student in his class at the time. While studying, I learned so many things about myself and my own points of view. I also learned that I am a storyteller and how storytelling has touched my life.
Raised in a mostly white neighborhood in Brooklyn, the same neighborhood that Chris Rock’s character was bussed to on the hit show “Everybody Hates Chris,” I learned the importance of having a Black voice and how to use the compelling truth of Black History in my work. Through asking questions and seeking knowledge of self, this became a burning passion.