Living Another Life — How One Israeli Artist is Making Her Dreams Come True in NYC
If you asked her a few years ago where she would imagine herself today, aspiring artist Adi Schor would have told you she was full of hopes and dreams but was unsure of her future as a performer.
Today, after three years living, studying and working in New York, Adi confidently says that her dreams have come true.
From the earliest age she can remember, Adi has always loved musical theater — her sister wrote in Adi’s “baby’s firsts book” that the first song she learned was Summer Nights from Grease. Influenced by her older sister’s love of the arts, Adi pursued performance as a child until today.
During her service in the Israel Defense Forces, she was not permitted to perform publicly, so she had to get creative with her expression. During those years, she co-directed a musical theater group, took voice lessons and writing classes, and did everything she could to enrich herself, knowing that one day soon, she’d be able to pursue her true passion. Despite the setbacks on her career, Adi is very proud of her military service — she says that for most Israelis, “it is actually marvelous to stop your life for a greater purpose and gain maturity, responsibility growth and a general mentality to take nothing for granted.”
As a young twenty-something, Adi worked odd jobs in Israel; she worked at a jewelry stand, as a babysitter, as a receptionist at a hair salon, taking delivery calls at a restaurant and even tried being hostess for a day. She took any job she could so she could save for her ultimate “trip” to New York — a conservatory program at AMDA, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, her dream school.
Despite having difficulties to obtain a tourist visa to audition in-person, Adi was able to submit a video of herself, and was accepted to AMDA shortly thereafter. Her dream was coming true!
At AMDA, she studied dialects, different forms of dance, musical theater and other disciplines for two years. Her favorite dialect is that of the stereotypical Jersey girl — as emphasized in her performance as Lily St. Regis in Annie with Plaza Theatrical.
Adi is a polyglot, fluent in Hebrew and English, and proficient in Spanish and French. Her Spanish is attributed to watching Argentinian telenovelas with her family growing up. So its no surprise that she gravitated towards the performing arts.
Bringing characters to life is one of Adi’s greatest passions. While in NY, she has performed in a wide variety of shows, including:
· Lily St. Regis in Annie with Plaza Theatrical
· Virginia Clemm Poe in The Spyglass Seven at the Keybank Rochester Fringe Festival and in Baltimore at the Edgar Allen Poe Festival
· A performance in Enlargement at FringeNYC
· The New York New Works Festival off-Broadway in Angels at Work; there will be a revival in the fall of 2020, where Adi will resume playing the leading lady
· A performance as a finalist in a Smash Cabaret Competition that was aired in Japan
· Performances with IAP (Israeli Artists Project) at the Aviv Celebration celebrating spring and Sasson Gabai with a rendition from the musical, David, and in a cabaret called iDiva where she performed one of her all-time favorite songs, Shabatot v’chagim.
The iDiva performance was one of the most meaningful for Adi, as she performed it in 10th grade, but at the time didn’t have a mature appreciation of the lyrics, whereas today, she considers the performance one that came full circle for her.
Adi took a huge leap by coming to New York three years ago. She is living independently as a young adult and is living without regrets. She admits that she is not a fan of “what-ifs” so coming to New York was a daring move, but one that she is very satisfied about.
You may ask, so does she want to return to Israel? For Adi, Israel, and Tel Aviv specifically will always be home, it is where her family and traditions are, but she wants to continue to live her dream in New York for as long as she can. She strives to work hard and be one of many who “make it,” quoting the Sinatra song. Her biggest dream is to be an Israeli on Broadway, but she knows that will take a lot of hard work to achieve. So until then, she plans to keep performing and learning from New York’s best; Adi is not deterred and is thrilled to see what life has in store. Some of her upcoming projects include:
· Playing the leading role of Catherine in the play Heaven Sent, written by Bambi Everson. The play is about a young angel-in-training (Catherine) being sent by God to save a man from ruining his life or ending them. She actually played the character in an adaptation of the play called OMG!, but this time she is thrilled to be able to work with Bambi herself
· She will be performing her leading role in Angels at Work with the World Voice Ensemble Inc. once again in their future production, coming up fall of 2020
· She is also thrilled with her new contract with the Alliance of Alien Artists — an organization dedicated to empower and support the work of international performers, in the pursuit of their career in the Unites States. She plans to be working with them for the next three years
Lots of exciting projects are just around the corner, she simply cannot wait!
Though Adi has been to Vegas, CT, Boston, Cape Cod and Indianapolis, she has yet to explore the rest of the US, and she wants to continue to gain access to the world’s best theatrical opportunities, here in the Big Apple. She found herself in New York, and she treasures every moment she has had here.
Most people don’t get to live their dream. Adi is doing so and couldn’t be happier about it. She makes the most of every experience (…when life gives her lemons, Adi makes sweet lemonade!) She learned that achieving such goals takes a lot of hard work and they don’t work out unless you do. So she is eternally grateful to her teachers at AMDA and to the network she has built so far in NY.
As someone who holds on to tradition and values her heritage, Adi understands the importance of being part of something greater than herself. She wants to leave her mark wherever she goes and wants to be part of projects that really make an impact. If she has the opportunity to stay in New York, she hopes to write her own productions, and bring characters to life that will make a real statement.
In a conversation with me recently, she quoted an Israeli proverb, which loosely translates to “to scare your fears away, you have to do them — just act.”
Adi has conquered many fears and firsts during her time in New York.
To overcome obstacles, she cherishes the angels in her life — her dog Tommy and her family.
When she hit her 3-year anniversary in New York recently, she sent the photo of her first night here in Times Square to her family group chat. Her dad, a stoic man, replied “that was you three years ago, and in three years from now, you’ll be a huge success story.” This brought Adi to tears.
Adi is a budding actress, singer and performer, and it is a privilege to know her. I wish her all the best as she continues her journey as a rising star. She quotes a wise person who told her that “it is better to regret the things you’ve done, rather than the ones you haven’t.” These are words to live by. She is a gem and deserves all of the success in her life and career.
Go, Adi!
Learn more about Adi here:
