Biographie
If you cross Bette Midler with Lily Tomlin and throw in the gravitas of Frances McDormand...you'd feel akin to Trisha Simmons.
Trisha hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where big, loud, and funny is a way of life. You need to be sturdy to survive the weather (and the "NO BS" people) in this blue collar town, where if you are not a Steelers Fan, you might as well move! Fortunately, Trisha is...among her other skills, hosting "The Steelers Dish With Trish" on YouTube and dedicating her car and a room in her home to the footballers, are some of the subtle ways she shows her support.
Her lifelong addiction to the Performing Arts all started with weekly trips to the Senior Center in a small town outside of Pittsburgh. A young, impressionable Trisha and her mom, would volunteer to do nails and hair for the women who lived at the center. Oh, the stories they'd tell her! These tales of adventure, love, and loss, filled her imagination and her spirit! A gifted theatre ticket from one of the residents, to see the play, "Charlie's Aunt" at the historic, Heinz Hall, sealed the deal, by planting the seed for her lifelong career of performing, teaching, writing and inspirational speaking.
Raised by a fabulous Momma, who was well-versed in the likes of Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Oprah Winfrey, William Chow and Tony Robbins, Trisha was constantly encouraged to open her mind to exploring new ways of looking at the world. Simmons was mentored by the inspirational Zig Ziglar, and has traveled the globe as a motivational speaker. She has worked with companies such as Blue Cross, Coleman, ORT, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, and Renault.
Her work as an actress didn't stop at performing (you can view many of her acting, singing, dance and voice credits on IMDB). She dedicated her life to the study, use, and sharing of the skills she acquired at LAMDA, PPC, ACMT, KT, and from her coach, the great, Stella Adler. Her education gave her the opportunity to live, learn and teach all around the world. England, China, Japan and Thailand to name a few. UCLA, Pepperdine, CAPA, and The Beijing Center, are a some of the institutions where Simmons has taught. Inspiration for sharing what she was learning and experiencing from other cultural practices, motivated her to expand her career path.
She owned, The L.A. Film Actors Lab, then created, KidsAct, where she coached young talent who went on to grace the sets of movies, television and stages around the globe (quite a few hailing from her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)! Simmons has been honored to also work on sets with her talents such as Nickelodeon's, "100 Things to Do Before High School," Disney's, "Kickin' It'," and many other shows.
Her work as a mentor and coach has been featured in many print publications, most notably as a cover story in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, as well as Elle and Backstage West. Interviews include, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, TBN, Pittsburgh Today, CBS, and many independent stations across the country.
As a writer, Simmons has written several books on acting, and during the pandemic, wrote and voiced over twenty children's books. She established, The Simmons Scholarship Fund, at Point Park University to receive a portion of the proceeds from her books, to insure that other young talents get the assistance they need to pursue their artistic passions!
As a sketch writer, Simmons' work has been performed on shows for Nickelodeon and Disney, as well as venues such as The Improv, The Laugh Factory, and The Comedy Store. She wrote, directed and produced the series, "The Funniest Kids In Town" (you can find some of the episodes on YouTube) for her LAKidsAct students. You might recognize many of today's premiere young talents on the show!
Simmons books, "One Woman's Treasure," and, "Dash Across America" (based on her beloved dog, Dash) laid the groundwork for her upcoming memoir. Simmons hosted the show that was based on the book. Trisha is a dog lover and advocate, and has had fur babies in her life since she was a child. Miss Daisy Mae is her youngest, and she loves to join Trisha on camera, invited or not.
Scripts include the MOW, "Always a Mother" and "Jenn's Place," a produced pilot that featured the musical talents of a young Aaron Carter.
And finally, back to where it all starts... a lifelong love of living in the space of perception and curiosity, where Trisha continues to fuel her passion for performing, coaching and writing.
