ABRA GOULD
ABOUT
What did you dream of being when you were 5 years old? Before the world steered you elsewhere?
Well, when I was 5, I was acting out the entire Little Mermaid on my front door step in a bra made out of Glade air freshener sea shells and a dorset fin made by my Grandma. The audience was comprised of my extended family; and if I recall correctly, I procured just one additional cast member: my sister, Fawn, who doubled as Flounder/back up singer.
Raised in the small town of Roxbury, CT, I'm the daughter of a master builder who typically ends his day with some Dosteovsky or Dickens; and a caring elementary school teacher who spends her free time writing poetry, playing piano, and contemplating late night ice cream. (Not a day goes by without music penetrating the air of my childhood home.)
For the two decades following my doorstep plays, I lost sight of my acting dream: academics and sports moved to the forefront where I earned the highest point female athlete, was elected president of the student council and received multiple awards for my singing voice.
I went on to enrolled at Union College, and completed a dual degree: B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Music. Upon graduation, I was hired by at Tudor Investment Corporation. What began as a receptionist job morphed into a direction I never foresaw - an IT System Administrator supporting the Chief Technology Officer in one of the most respectable hedge funds in the world.
While grateful for the opportunity to climb the ladder in the corporate realm, I needed more art in my life, and so applied to study at The Juilliard School. Accepted into their evening division, I spent two years juggling computer system administration, and studies in classical voice & opera.
With an unexpected invitation to move to Italy and sing in Verdi's La Traviata, I resigned from the hedge fund and packed my bags. Something sparked while overseas - I was reminded my of my childhood passion for acting, and upon returning to the US, I moved to NYC to explore further.
Amidst some amateur auditioning and fueled by wanderlust, I began working as a flight attendant for British Airways OpenSkies, dividing my time between Paris and NYC.
A few years into flying, I learned that in order to give my childhood dream a proper chance, I needed formal acting training. So I left the airline and enrolled in The Tom Todoroff Conservatory (NYC), completing a 2-Year Certificate of Acting.
Post conservatory, I've had the pleasure of studying with Bob Krakower, Larry Moss, Scott Freeman, Anthony Abeson, Kristof Konrad & Jean Louis Rodrigue; as well as attend Manhattan Film Institute.
Apart from acting, I enjoy fleeing to foreign lands, salt-water swims, dancing, ice cream strolls, beach canters, willow trees, saying hello to the sky, reading and a good old siesta.