Interview by
Lon Levin
Linda
BALABAN
When I first encountered Linda, she was full of energy and confidence. It was obvious to me her story and interview make a great additon to Real Creative Magazine. Linda Balaban is a production manager & producer, known for Garage, Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) and Home of the Brave (2004). When did you first think about what you wanted to do as an adult? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors?
learned from, performed with and are my greatest friends to this day. Steven Ivcich was a great Chicago mentor of mine for the stage and I had never been able to grasp a method until I met Steven. He would likely object to the idea that he was teaching a method, but I have the notes to prove it!
The funny thing is, I never thought about what I wanted to do as an adult. I have always done what seems to fall into my lap. I think I’d be further along in some ways with clearer vision, but everything I involve myself in feels authentic to me in part because I take my time to get there. My family has been a part of the entertainment industry since the early part of the 20th century, so my sisters and I grew up taking lessons in music, dance and drama. We all work in the entertainment industry. I’m lucky to have spent my formative summers at the most magical place on earth, Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. The arts are seen, accepted and celebrated at Interlochen. I’ve had quite a few mentors throughout my life who each exposed me to high levels of integrity and talent. I spent quite a few years in Boston where people like Dr. Kenneth Cranell, Professor Emeritus and a renowned voice and articulation teacher, taught me more about acting than most of my acting teachers. Lee Wilson and Marilyn Cook, my teachers and mentors at boarding school are some the best classical musicians I have ever
What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences? Most of my adolescence I felt awkward and out of place. But I think most people say the same thing. I grew up in Highland Park, IL, a beautiful north suburb of Chicago. I love Chicago and love being from the Midwest. Chicago has the best of everything. Great people, arts, culture, food, events and schools and great public transportation. For me, growing up in Highland Park was tricky. In middle school, in the 80’s, being a musician was not very highly regarded in the popular crowd. Sadly, I knelt to the peer pressure that I felt and dropped my classical music studies in order to fit in, (or at least to stop getting sneered at when I walked down the hall with my flute case). By the time I was a Freshman, I started taking acting classes like my older sister, who was a fabulous actor. 23
