AN In Depth Interview with Laura Tate
There is simply no one else like her. With a heart the size of Texas, a mesmerizing voice, and a zest for living that is irresistible to all who have enjoyed pleasure of her company, Laura Tate inspires – through her music, her words, and her deeds. Those of us who know her can attest to this fact. There is a sparkle in those violet blue eyes that seems to say, “I’m living my life on my own terms; with love and laughter and passion. Wanna come along?” And, yes, we do… We most certainly do.
Laura’s story begins in Dallas, Texas, where she began performing at the tender age of nine. She found herself drawn to the stage and was eager to please her audience. As a young woman, she moved to New York City and trained at the Herbert Berghoff Studio School of Acting and the Stella Alder School of Acting. She would go on to sing and act in theatrical productions in Dallas, Nashville, New York and Los Angeles, touring with several theatrical and musical companies, including Professional Artist, Inc., Windmill Dinner Theater and Off-Broadway productions. Performance was her true love, the stage her safe haven, the audience her immediate family.
As Laura progressed and developed as a performer, she discovered that her creative talents extended well beyond the stage. Her career flourished, and she would find herself in front of the camera, co-starring in network television programs on every major network, and even a few cable channels, to include roles on CBS’s Dallas, and HBO’s First in Ten. While living and performing in Los Angeles, Laura began to focus her creativity and boundless energy on yet another aspect of her beloved industry, film production. What began as a gig in craft services “on set” quickly blossomed into a remarkable career directing music videos, documentaries, and commercials. For the next several years, Laura would travel across the nation and collaborate with some of the biggest names in the industry, to include Phil Collins, Gloria Estefan, MegaDeath, and Cheap Trick. After moving to El Paso, Texas in 1995, she continued to hone this craft, writing, directing and producing countless local productions. Of these, the PBS Documentary, Held in Trust, narrated by Ossie Davis and Colin Powell, garnered national acclaim, receiving the PBS Golden Apple for Education in 1997. It would later be inducted into the Smithsonian Institute Film Archives.
An enthusiastic and devoted citizen of the world, Laura has spent countless hours advocating for causes that are close to her heart. She has performed benefit concerts to raise funds for a variety of non-profit organizations, including CASA, The Alzheimer’s Association, The El Paso Community Foundation, The Mint LA, The El Paso Museum of Art, Temple Mount Sinai-El Paso, and The YWCA El Paso del Norte Region. In 2006, she was appointed to the statewide Board of Directors of the Texas STAR Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, and remains an active volunteer in the El Paso Chapter to this day. She served as the President of the El Paso Junior League and, in 2009, accepted the “Spirit of Amigo Award” from the El Paso Convention Center on behalf of this great organization. In recognition of her dedication and countless hours of community service, Laura was honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award, by both George W. Bush (2008) and Barak Obama (2009). Currently, she serves on the Las Palmas Women’s Advisory Board and the Director’s Circle at the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso. Most recently, Laura returned to the University of Texas at El Paso, her alma mater, to serve as Co-Chair for the 2014 Centennial Commission; a commitment which lasted 4 years.
Laura lives in El Paso, Texas and spends her free time with rescue pups Lola and Harry. She holds both a Bachelor and Master of Arts from the University of Texas at El Paso.
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