A dreamer named Klara has a secret to making your goals happen—having enough audacity. She’s won a scholarship, moved to New York and is starring in an Off-Broadway production, guided by the gusto of betting on the ‘impossible’:
New York City, USA (01 December 2024) — An actress named Klara Eales knows a thing or two about having enough audacity to go after your dreams.
It’s a funny thing to consider audacity in the positive. But isn’t it true that sometimes the boldest moves we’ll ever make require this ingredient exactly?
For Klara, it meant New York, winning a scholarship and the opportunity to star in an Off-Broadway production. It’s also meant grit, going against the grain and hoping that other South Africans might be encouraged to step outside of our conservatism and into spaces beyond our wildest dreams.
Creativity Comes From Unexpected Places
We’re often lulled into believing that we need to see creativity at every corner to unleash our own creative juices. But for Klara, the opposite was true.
“I spent the first half of my life living in the Middle East, where a lack of TV, games and toys meant I had to get creative or risk boredom,” Klara tells Good Things Guy.
“This almost-boredom manifested into plays and narratives with siblings, friends and family forced to be cast and crew…and shot by the appointed cameraman, also known as Father.”
Here, Klara’s chops as a creative revealed themselves, sparking in her a sense of purpose that would guide everything else to come.
Yes, You Can Feel Alien in Home Country
“When the war broke out in Yemen, we moved back to South Africa,” Klara shares. “My mother likes to tell the story of how I complained that everything was so square in South Africa. I felt my wonkiness start to smoothen as I tried to survive the culture shock and adapt to a world of what felt like little boxes.”
Despite feeling alien in those early days, Klara soon learnt that being South African brims with a multitude of meanings.
“It took some time for me to realise that being South African means something different to everyone. To me, being South African means loving the people and loving the landscape and finding ways to express that love.”
New York, New York
In 2020, as the world shut down, Klara’s eyes began to open to new opportunities. She decided to study acting and screenwriting at the Open Window Institute in South Africa, something she considers a gift to herself.
But, she knew she had to break through the glass ceiling of limited creative opportunities in our country. This meant taking a gulp of faith and applying for a scholarship to study abroad.
“[I bought] my flight ticket before knowing the final result. I decided that if I didn’t get it, I’d show up at their doors and tell them they’d have to take me in anyway. Thankfully I didn’t need to.”
Getting to New York meant experiencing a world where being an actor was no longer the road less travelled.
“In South Africa being an actor is a novelty, in New York meeting an actor is like seeing another stray cat.”
Of her decision to move, it had a little something to do with audacity once again.
“I have a heart for excellence and I wanted to train in a city where I would not only get excellent training but be surrounded by people with the same dreams and the same audacity.”
Reflecting on what it has felt like to live out this part of her dream, Klara offers sound advice.
“Moving to New York was a dream. I had prayed for this opportunity and God had answered those prayers in ways I never thought possible. But living your dream doesn’t mean it’s easy. New York is challenging, overwhelming and expensive. I was far from home, the subway seemed like a nonsensical spiderweb of trains, and buying peanut for $4 gave me anxiety,” she humours.
But the overpriced peanut butter proved good fuel to get her to her next dream—starring in Brilliant Traces. It’s a story of loneliness and connection, a reflection of isolation and love. Not only is she a star of the show, though, but she’s also a co-producer—another dream checked off the box.
Dreaming of Home
Despite her adventures, Klara’s dreams are also homebound.
“I’d love to come back with the resources to tell authentic South African stories with locals both on the screen and behind it, both on the stage in the wings. In a way that can cultivate love and support for art and the creatives responsible.”
Advice for Other Dreamers
“Make bold moves! Your audacity will be rewarded. Don’t be afraid to ask and practise getting rejected. There are doors that will be opened for you and doors that are waiting for you to knock on them.
South Africa can’t wait to see where Klara’s dreams take her and, perhaps, where her advice leads others.
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