Ana Radice-Morras has forged a career as an actor and producer by embracing reinvention, championing collaboration and creating her own opportunities.

Ana’s path to acting was anything but linear, shaped by a series of creative chapters long before she stepped inside a drama school.

During her time at the University of Sussex, she found herself immersed in Brighton’s vibrant creative scene, discovering a city where theatre, music and art existed side by side and where her own interest in storytelling began to take shape. After graduating, she moved to London to build a career in fashion communications. It was creative and fast-paced but each campaign confirmed something she couldn’t quite ignore: she wanted to be the artist, not the publicist. Eventually, the pull became impossible to ignore. She packed up her life, crossed the Atlantic and enrolled at New York’s prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, swapping campaigns and client meetings for rehearsals and scene studies.

It's the kind of leap you see in films that's easy to romanticise. But reality is rarely so cinematic. Starting again in one of the world's most competitive theatre cities meant arriving with few connections, no guarantees and everything still to prove. But as New York tested her resolve, it also rewarded it. What she found was a creative community built on generosity as much as ambition, and a network of artists who shared ideas, supported one another and reminded her that theatre cannot be created alone.

Alongside roles in Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway productions, including Edward Allan Baker's Up, Down, Strange, Charmed, Beauty and Truth, Alan Ball's Five Women Wearing the Same Dress and Anton Chekhov’s The Bear, Ana has also become a producer, co-founding Red Door Productions alongside Violet Levinson, Roxane Pes, Isabella Candillier and Carolina Buhck - four fellow actors she met while studying at Lee Strasberg. Together, they've built an independent company driven by the belief that artists don't have to wait to make meaningful work; they can create it themselves.

Currently starring as Meg Magrath in Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart and with Red Door Productions continuing to make its mark on New York's independent theatre scene, Ana is building a career defined not by a perfectly plotted route, but by curiosity and collaboration, creating her own space for the funny, complicated and deeply human stories she’s drawn to tell.

How did Brighton shape you as an artist? Were there any theatres, festivals or creative spaces that inspired you or made you realise acting was the career you wanted to pursue? 

Brighton will always feel like the place where I first started to understand who I was creatively. I studied American Studies at the University of Sussex, and although I wasn't training as an actor, I spent so much of my time immersed in Brighton's arts scene. The city has this wonderful openness - you can see experimental theatre one night, live music the next, and then stumble across artists exhibiting their work in unexpected places. It feels like creativity is woven into everyday life. 

I don't think there was one defining moment where I decided to become an actor. It was more a growing realisation that storytelling was the thing I kept coming back to. Brighton gave me permission to think differently about what a creative life could look like. It taught me that art doesn't have to fit neatly into one box, and that has stayed with me ever since. 

After graduating, you moved to London and began a career in fashion before deciding to completely change direction. What prompted you to leave that path behind and take the leap to New York to study acting? 

Fashion PR was a brilliant introduction to fast-paced creative industries. I learnt how to build relationships, communicate ideas, manage clients and juggle multiple projects at once. These are skills that I still use every day as a producer but throughout those three years, there was always a voice in the back of my mind telling me I was meant to be performing. I loved working with creative brands, but I realised I wanted to be the artist rather than the person promoting someone else's work. 

Eventually I reached a point where I knew that if I didn't give acting a real chance, I'd always regret it. New York felt like the place where I could fully commit to that dream. I applied to the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, packed up my life in London and started again from scratch. It was terrifying, but it was also the easiest decision I've ever made because, for the first time, I was moving towards something that genuinely felt like me. 

Once you'd made the move, what was it like starting over in New York? What has the city and its creative community taught you about yourself as an actress and artist?

Starting over in New York was incredibly humbling. I arrived knowing very few people and suddenly found myself in one of the most competitive artistic communities in the world. But what surprised me most wasn't the competition, it was the generosity. 

The people I met at Lee Strasberg have become some of my closest collaborators and friends. They're the people I now produce theatre with, act alongside and continue to learn from. New York has taught me that waiting for someone to give you permission isn't really an option. If you want to tell stories, you have to make them happen yourself. 

It's also taught me resilience. Theatre is hard. Producing is hard. Living in New York is hard. But I've discovered that I'm capable of much more than I ever imagined, and that's been incredibly empowering. 

You founded your own production company to create more opportunities for yourself and fellow creatives. What inspired you to start it and what kind of stories are you passionate about telling? 

Red Door Productions was born out of a very simple conversation between five classmates at Lee Strasberg. We realised that instead of waiting to be cast, we could create the opportunities ourselves. We're an actor-founded company, which means we're involved in every part of the process, from choosing the plays and securing the rights to fundraising, marketing, producing and, ultimately, performing. That gives us enormous creative ownership. 

The stories I'm most drawn to are intimate, character-driven pieces that explore family, relationships and the messy contradictions of being human. I love plays that make audiences laugh one moment and completely break their hearts the next. 

Has becoming a producer changed the way you approach acting?

Completely. Producing has made me appreciate just how many people it takes to bring a production to life. As an actor, it's easy to focus solely on your performance, but producing gives you a much bigger perspective. Ironically, I think it's made me a more relaxed actor. Once rehearsals begin, I know the amount of work that's gone into creating the space, so I can trust the process and focus on the character. It's also made me a much more collaborative artist because I understand everyone's role in telling the story. 

What have been some of your biggest career highlights over the past year? Are there any productions or performances that you're especially proud of?

The past year has honestly exceeded anything I imagined. Producing and starring in Crimes of the Heart has been a huge milestone, not only because it's our most ambitious production to date, but because we've built it entirely as an independent company. 

Another highlight that will always stay with me was performing in Edward Allan Baker's Up, Down, Strange, Charmed, Beauty and Truth at The Flea. On opening night, I remember having this almost out-of-body experience during the curtain call. I looked out into the audience and saw my friends and family on their feet, clapping and celebrating something I'd worked so hard for. I still had all the adrenaline from the performance rushing through me, and I remember thinking, “this is exactly what I'm meant to be doing.” It was one of those rare moments of absolute clarity. 

I'm also incredibly proud of what Red Door Productions has achieved in such a short time. We've gone from five classmates with an idea to producing multiple New York productions and building an audience that continues to come back and support our work. 

Is there a role or project that challenged you creatively or helped you grow the most as an actress? What made it so significant? 

Meg Magrath in Crimes of the Heart has probably challenged me the most because I was balancing the responsibilities of both actor and producer. There were days when I'd spend hours dealing with budgets, press, sponsorship or logistics before walking into rehearsal and needing to leave all of that behind. As an actor, Meg demands incredible emotional honesty. She's funny, impulsive, vulnerable and deeply flawed, and I learnt so much about trusting simplicity rather than trying to force emotional moments. It was a role that stretched me both professionally and personally. 

What keeps you motivated in such a competitive industry? Have there been any moments that reaffirmed you were on the right path? 

The biggest thing that's kept me going is the community I've found. Before moving to New York, I thought acting was something you had to pursue on your own. What I've discovered instead is that the best work is built through community. 

A few days before we opened Crimes of the Heart, we had a major issue with our set. Suddenly, we were faced with rebuilding parts of it just days before opening night. I remember putting out messages asking if anyone could help, not really knowing what would happen. 

What happened next completely overwhelmed me. People I'd only met once at another show, friends of friends, the nephew of a local business owner near the theatre - people who had no real connection to the production - showed up. They spent hours building walls, painting flats, drilling shelves and doing whatever needed to be done to get us over the finish line. I remember looking around the theatre and feeling incredibly emotional. These were people giving up their own time simply because they believed in supporting artists and wanted to help us succeed. It reminded me that theatre is one of the most collaborative art forms there is, and that community is every bit as important as talent. 

Moments like that have meant just as much to me as opening nights or positive reviews because they've shown me that I'm building something far bigger than a CV. I'm building relationships, friendships and a community of people who genuinely want to lift one another up, and I think that's the most rewarding part of this journey. 

Finally, if you could describe your journey from Brighton to New York in a nutshell, what would you want people to know about your story? 

I'd say it's a story about choosing the uncertain path. Nothing about my career has been linear. I studied one subject, worked in another profession, moved countries, started again from scratch and eventually realised that if the opportunities I wanted didn't exist, I could help create them. 

If there's one thing I'd want people to take away, it's that you don't have to wait until you feel completely ready. Sometimes the biggest leap is simply deciding to begin.

Keep up to date with Ana Radice-Morras and Red Door Productions.