Treston Henderson!
Meet the Multi-talented Treston Henderson
The week of the tragic murder of George Floyd, I had the opportunity to talk to actor, singer, dancer Tristen Henderson about his experience as a Black man in the performance industry.
While the world was protesting, fighting for equality for POC, Tristen so candidly shared what was going on his his heart and his mind.
Enjoy his warm-hearted response below, and don’t forget to leave a comment here, on our instagram, or tell Treston individually how we as the Problem Solved Community, will continue to educate ourselves as allies and support the Black Lives Matter Movement.
“Being a Black/African American actor is hard in so many ways. For example, as I prepare my audition for a certain role, I begin to wonder if I’ll truly be considered for it because of my race. Walking into auditions, and not seeing many black people in the room makes me kind of uncomfortable. This makes me feel like I don’t belong there. Although I am happy to see my non-POC friends, it makes me sad not to see the people that I feel most comfortable around. There is also an unspoken practice that a lot of casting directors have, known as a “diversity quota.” They call us in for roles we will never be considered for, at least in their eyes. Knowing I may be a part of that quota makes it harder for me to feel that I am as qualified as my white peers. In addition to the quota from casting directors, my peers often comment on how easy it must be to get cast as a black man. They recognize the diversity trend, but ignore how tokenized we are. This also can be a blow to my self esteem because I know how hard I work. The musical “Hallelujah, Baby!” has a song called “Being Good, Isn’t Good Enough,” which really speaks to me because being black means you have to be 10 times as good as the average white person to even be considered worthy. As a black performer, this means I have to kick higher, sing higher, and sing lower, act better, and remain likable through every situation, or else I am at risk of never working. All of these high standards, only because of my skin color.
As a black man in the teaching field, it is hard to find students to instruct because many parents would rather have their children taught by a white teacher. I personally have had experiences where I knew that I was the best fit to help a child with their acro abilities. However, the parent chose a less qualified white teacher instead. Most times, this stems from a lack of knowledge and fear of what society has placed upon black men. This narrative is obviously false, and I hope that the the future brings a true understanding of what black men really are about. We care very deeply for our students and their success. We would like to be appreciated amongst the arts community for more than just a quota or a token.
With all that being said, I love what I do and would never want to trade it for anything else.”
-Treston Henderson.
Get to Know Treston!
-Where are you originally from?
Oak Ridge, TN.
- What is your dream role?
Richie, A Chorus Line the Musical.
- What is the most used app on your phone
Instagram! (FOLLOW HIM!!) @treston.henderson
- If you could only have one food for EVERY MEAL for the rest of your life what would it be?
Spaghetti!!
- Who is celebrity crush?
Loren Lott is my WIFE
- What advice would you give to your 10 year old self?
NEVER give up & always be your KIND self because it will take you far!
