What is one of your worst experiences?
Your best?
The worst experience was in NY. I was acting in a small theater and I had just started my day. The Director came in reeking of alcohol and cigarettes. She came down to the front and told us to start warming up because we were going to work with the Musical Director today when music rehearsal wasn’t until the following day. Later that day she was fired. My best is and always will be working at Jean’s. Working here is so nice and we are so close knit that it’s more like we’re sisters here and not co-workers.
What is your favorite piece that you have ever done? Why?
My favorite would have to be a piece I had performed here at Jean’s. You were in it as well, it is called “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”. The cast worked together so well and even the 8 and 9 year olds were attentive and well behaved. The cast was so vast that every outsider wondered how it could have worked but it did. We were the first to show it and it was an amazing experience.
What kind of advice would you offer to Theater and Musical Theater students?
The best advice that I could offer would be to always keep trying. You may get discouraged at times but honestly there will always be a part that is perfect for you and if a Director is smart they will see that. Going years without a part isn’t abnormal. Some other actors happen to get many parts but most actors go a long time with far and few parts and they find other jobs to fill their time. A lot of actors wait tables or cashier. Some are even strippers or bartenders. So overall don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a certain part because there will always be more.
Making a career out of theater is a difficult task. Not only are auditions the prime source of work but actually receiving a part in a piece is difficult. Most times when going to an audition there are as many as two hundred or more other actors auditioning. Depending on the part there could be as many as 50 or more of those actors who are auditioning for the same part. The theater world is very difficult to navigate and agonizing to find work in. Most actors can go years without getting a job and some constantly find work. But also while working in theater those actors also usually hold jobs as servers or cashiers or something simple like that so they have the option of leaving if they get a part in a piece. These actors, albeit weird, are the backbone of society.