BWW Blog: Bringing Hope Through Theatre Series - Martín Acuña's Story

Welcome back to the third installment of the Bringing Hope Through Theatre series!

For this installment, I spoke to Martín Acuña, host of BACKSTAGE TALK podcast (@backstagetalkpod on Instagram), about his story and how he got involved with theatre.

Martín grew up in Columbia, SA among a family of musicians and artists. Since the early 1900s, he and his clan have shared the tradition of participating in a Christmas Choir. His aunt, a professional musician and teacher, currently directs the choir.

He said having been "born into it" first gave him the performing bug. After playing the character of Bill in a high school production of MAMMA MIA in high school, Martín knew what his life path would be.

His aspirations were solidly fortified in 2008. That year he saw his first Broadway show - THE LION KING. "When I walked into the Minskoff theatre," he remembers, "I knew it was where I wanted to spend the rest of my life." His dad had surprised him with the tickets the night of. Acuña calls it a "landmark moment" for him in his life journey. He says that his inspiration is his dad. "He has been the stepping stone for everything I want to do in life."

His biggest Broadway influence is Aaron Tveit, as well as the entire cast of JAGGED LITTLE PILL.

Martin graduated with a Bachelors in performing arts (concentration in acting), as well as a Bachelor in Communication with a Film Production concentration. His first job after college was working as an Assistant Director; film initially, then in theatre.

Acuña currently is social media manager for the company Neurobusiness (@neurobusiness.us on Instagram). He also works as a social media counseling services consultant. Even with all that, he still finds time to volunteer with The Actors Fund as an ambassador/mentor for the posting challenge at the end of their LinkedIn workshop.

Martín Acuña wants you to know that if you're interested in this free workshop, be sure to visit this link or contact Alexandria Bellivan at abellivan@actorsfund.org.

If you want to keep up with Martín's journey, be sure to give him a follow at @themartinacuna on instagram, as well as check out his podcast BACKSTAGE TALK. I can't wait to see what he does next!