Coaching / Casting

As a professional working actor with more than a decade of experience in theatre, film, tv, and commercial production, I am able to provide effective coaching for actors of all ages. At my studio in Cincinnati, The Audition Room 513, I coach kids as young as 6 up to kids as old as 74. I am a firm believer in using the techniques that work best for you and the role, and more importantly working on what will get you booked and working. I am professionally trained in theatre, as well as Meisner, Adler, and Method techniques and I’m a pro at auditioning and navigating the new norm of virtual submissions and callbacks.

As a casting director, I have had the honor of casting 4 SAG feature films, principals and extras, as well as numerous commercial projects and indie films in the Cincinnati region. Having over 15 years experience as an actor auditioning for casting directors all around the globe, my expertise in how to win the room as well as how to make actors feel comfortable has enabled me to elicit the strongest performances from even the most unlikely of places.

Acting

AINT YOU SEEN MY MOVIES?! - Sam Jackson & Abi Esmena.

Clearly you’re on this page and there’s a whole tab up there showcasing some of my work. But what makes me stand out from the next ethnically ambiguous female? Probably my lead in on the main page of this website. Highly doubt the other ambigs have that. I also once did a whole standup routine at a previous company’s Family Day celebration talking about my filipino mother, gambling, and drugs. My youngest fan was 7. She rocked.

Right, back to the acting. Well, I’m great at memorizing material, I savor the moments, and I love being a vessel for a character to speak through. But there’s also a resume floating around here somewhere…

Writing/Directing

Welcome to Abi’s writers room. I’m great with dialogue, I’ve written 2 published books, a 3-act stage play, and I have about 14 half-finished screenplays in my Celtx lab.

As far as directing goes… It took a lot for me to figure out how to design this website, let alone upload videos and link videos and re-upload because I botched it the first time… I’m going to need you to just take my word on this one. If it helps, my professor in college was an Academy Nominated director and he gave me the only A on our final video projects. On a short film I directed, I was told by the DP (who worked with Clint Eastwood) that I should direct more often. And back in the day, my NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championship game footage was premiered on CBS.