By Paige Lambert

Adriana Garza stared at the thousands of billboards blanketing Los Angeles, each announcing the next on-screen thriller. 

While Garza looked for any acting gig she could find, she never dreamed she would have her own acting studio.

But Garza’s dreams will come true March 6 when she opens her own acting studio in Plum Creek. The six-week courses are open to all ages and teach everything from techniques to dealing with agents.

Garza’s journey began when she moved to Los Angeles right after high school to begin her acting career. She grew up with an artistic family in El Paso. 

“She (her mom) had seven kids and she fed us all the arts to see if we were interested in it,” Garza said. “I was scared to go, but I went anyway.”

Garza walked into her first commercial contract after living in L.A. for three months. The young actress was thrilled to put her passion to use.

Now she smiles at a Psychic Solutions commercial she acted in, remembering how she would audition for anything. 

“Because it is a competitive industry you think whatever comes along is good,” Garza said. “As you get older you realize this isn’t what you want.”

She realized this more and more as she became frustrated with the industry in L.A. She was rejected for productions like “Spanglish,” even though she’s Mexican and bilingual.

“They would always say to my manager, ‘she doesn’t look Latin enough,’” Garza said. “It would be frustrating to think, but I am Mexican and don’t fit their stereotype.”

Out of the frustration, Garza created her own production company in 2006 and moved to Austin in 2012. 

She acted in numerous commercials and the HBO show “The Leftovers.” Moving to Austin gave Garza the creative freedom to work on projects that held meaning for her.

“There was still enough industry for me to not be gone from it but it wasn’t in your face all the time,” Garza said. 

Garza spent all of her time producing unique projects, such as the play “The Art Of Being,” and met her fiancé at a 48-hour filmmaking competition. 

Her passion for chasing her acting dreams transformed into teaching at the Paramount and the Zach Theatre in Austin. Garza said she wanted to show aspiring actors that their dreams were tangible.

Kylie Wray, a 12-year-old Austinite, said Garza helped her get over acting jitters and realize she could act.

While Wray isn’t acting, she said she would want to take classes with Garza again.

“She wasn’t just a teacher,” Wray said. “She was just focused on me being comfortable when I acted and in front of people.”

Garza quickly realized she needed to modify her acting career to fit her new passion, which is raising her son. 

“My son is my priority in my life right now,” Garza said. “My fiancé and I began talking about the studio and two students actually said they wanted to keep working with me.”

The pair decided that Kyle would be the perfect place for a studio, since it was close enough to Austin.

She said she hopes the studio becomes a resource for Kyle and that she can show more students how to turn their acting dreams into a reality.

“I feel like I can show these kids that not only are your dreams tangible but it’s right down the street,” Garza said. “I have always been a big believer that we are all here to help each other.”