Writer, actor and singer Galen Crawley’s 11 Good Things

In this series, ArtsATL asks a member of the Atlanta arts community to share 11 things on their mind. We hope you enjoy getting to know these people better.

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Galen Crawley is an actor, singer and writer based in Atlanta and is currently appearing as Fruma-Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof with the Alliance Theatre and the Atlanta Opera. She has worked throughout the Southeast with companies such as the Alliance Theatre, Aurora Theatre, City Springs Theatre Company, Studio Tenn, Nashville Repertory Theatre and more. She has appeared in many commercials alongside the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Tiffany Haddish. 

Crawley holds a BFA in musical theater from the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University in St. Louis. She is proud to be on the Atlanta Actors’ Equity Association’s Community’s Leadership Team and active in her city’s Jewish community. She has had some viral moments goofing off on TikTok during shows; follow her there @galen_crawley or on Instagram @galencrawley.

Here, in no particular order, are her 11 good things.

1. My son. Our first child was born in January, and experiencing each new moment with him makes the world feel new; you simply haven’t grocery shopped til you’ve done it with a baby who’s big enough to sit in the cart for the first time. The cliches are all true, and I have nothing new to add — just that being a parent is already the greatest thing I’ve ever done.

2. The Expand Childcare Program at the Alliance. I simply would not be able to do Fiddler without this program. It is completely free for everyone working at the Alliance — cast, crew and admin. The caregivers are all teaching artists (led by the incomparable Nicko Gonzalez), some of whom my husband and I have known for a decade. They take the kids to the High Museum, do arts and crafts and have them sit in on rehearsals for the Theatre for the Very Young shows. It’s a game changer for Atlanta artists.

3. The first sip of a cold Red Bull. It always snaps me back to being 16 and driving to do the Train Show on the back roads at Stone Mountain Park.

4. Psycho Sisters. The best thrift store in town; don’t be seduced by competitors or confused by their incredible selection of festival wear. This is where I got all my prom and homecoming dresses in high school, plus my wedding dress. Go upstairs for the real treasures.

5. Aurora Theatre. My artistic home. Aurora is 20 minutes from my parents’ house and the only professional theater in Gwinnett County. In October, I’ll start working on my sixth Christmas Canteen — it’s my fourth year hosting and second year writing the script. In March, they’re doing the world premiere of Initiative, a Dungeons and Dragons play that’ll break your heart and put it back together, written by Jacob York, my brilliant husband.

6. “The Watch” podcast. Ostensibly a recap show about current TV, it’s mostly two Gen X college besties chatting about culture news. Whenever I finish a TV show, I have to revisit old episodes and see what my boys had to say about it. Great job, Baranskis.

7. La Calavera Pizza. The original Atlanta-style pizza with sourdough crust. We once ordered the birria pizza, and the meat was so spicy we couldn’t stand it, but we both kept eating — noses running from the heat — because the flavors were so incredible.

8. Fall light. Every year there’s a morning where you wake up to find the sunlight has shifted from summer to fall, and it’s one of my favorite days.

9. The music of Ben Folds. He’s been my favorite artist since I was in high school, and my son was delivered while one of his albums played. He’s doing two shows with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra while Fiddler is running, and I’m desperately hoping to run into him backstage. Uncle Ben, please; I was in the Patreon!

10. Having blueberry bushes in your yard. My parents have a row of them at their house, and one of life’s great pleasures is stepping outside and grabbing a handful of fresh berries in summer. We bought our first house two weeks after our boy was born, and, this past spring, we planted our first one. We’re adding a second soon so they can cross-pollinate.

11. Being Jewish. It’s the start of a new year, 5786, and the word that’s calling to me is “doikayt,” which means “hereness.” Revisiting Fiddler, which so closely mirrors the story of my mother’s family, is making me reflect on the lessons of Yiddishkeit and the need for Jews to foster vibrant, joyful communities wherever we live in the world. Where I am, I belong. L’chaim!