Meet Ty Autry | Actor, Playwright, Producer, & Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ty Autry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ty, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The simplest answer: I saw a need, and with the right resources, I knew we could get it done.

The longer answer is, I was coming up on starting my fifth year of touring “A Southern Fairytale”, my award-winning solo show. I was heading to Australia for two months, having a month-long break, then hitting the road for Europe and the United States with a tour of “At Birth”, another award-winning co-production between myself and Thalía Gonzalez Kane. At this time, in 2023, I was on the artistic advisory board for Out Front Theatre Company. And Paul Conroy, the artistic director, asked, “If the theatre had more resources and more money, what should it do?” My first thought was… Start a festival! And so Lavender Fest was born.

Outside of New York City, there wasn’t another queer performing arts festival. A space dedicated to Queer artists, let alone Southern voices. And the idea was born, and it took us a whole year to make it a reality. Creating one of the few Queer performing arts festivals in the entire nation. Lavender Fest is a culmination of what I would want as an artist if I were still on the road, and as a producer, a low enough entry point where it would be feasible to perform at.

After our first year, I founded my own nonprofit, Qreative Voices, which serves as the umbrella organization for Lavender Fest. This pivot allows us to be more agile in our approach to supporting Queer Southern voices and lets us expand our program even further.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ten+ years ago, I decided to pursue acting full-time. I was still in college at Georgia Tech, getting a degree in Electrical Engineering. I just completed two children’s musicals while writing a thesis on RFID technology, and I thought I could take over the world. I was young and dumb, and I say that with all the love in the world because I had no idea how vast a world I was stepping into.

There were so many tools to learn and understand. Every year that I got closer to figuring it out, another layer would pull back, or my career direction would shift. I mean, talk about the shift of 2020… Every single adventure was fueled by learning how to become more resilient. That’s how you overcome challenge after challenge, because you’ll never know what’s ahead of you. You are never fully prepared for what’s going to happen next, and if we were, it wouldn’t be that exciting.

Today, I’m a fully realized creative. Working to preserve, amply, support, and nurture Queer Southern stories from my own background and others from all over the South.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I always remember a city by its food, and I’ll be back to visit because of its food. So, when it comes to showing my friends around Atlanta, at the core, it’s one giant food tour of some of the best local dives.

Our must-have food stops: Apres Diem, Fox Brother’s BBQ, Okiboru Tsukemen & Ramen, The Consulate, The Yacht Club, Whiskey Bird, and Victory’s Sandwich Bar.

The remaining time would be spent lounging in Piedmont Park, walking the Beltline, visiting a brewery, seeing some of the incredible drag around town, and ending with a night of dancing. But there is also a huge possibility that we’ll throw a house party, complete with board games and incredible pizza from Blue Moon Pizza in Buckhead.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh my gosh, there are so many people who have helped get me to where I am today—

Nina and Emily for being constant rocks of support, enthusiasm, and laughs, Jarrad for grounding me week over week and sharing so much insight and love, Rachel and Mike for being dear friends even when I’m not here, on the road, or God knows where in the world, and for how long. My wonderful mom, Shelley, who has cheered me on in so many capacities. And all of my brothers… Brady, Price, John-Isaac, and Beau. They make me feel seen, heard, and loved for being who I am. And they come to see some of the gayest plays I’ve ever been in or produced.

Being a creative is about building a village around you of people who know how to hold your ideas softly and challenge you to be your very best. This group, and truthfully so many more, have helped push me to be the greatest I can be.

Website: https://jtyautry.com

Instagram: jtyautry

Other: For more information on Lavender Fest: https://lavender-fest.com and https://instagram.com/lavender.fest

Image Credits
Mike Glatzer Photography
Lux Praguensis
Mark Morin ii
Robby Owenby