⬆️Throwback to my first professional (aka PAID) theatre gig🎭: “GODSPELL” at Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia (a quaint, small town in Ontario). I had worked on television before this, but this particular experience was something else - here, I got to do all of the things! Acting, singing, dancing, improv… even clowning! This 6 (or 8?) week gig ended up escalating into a 5-month US National Tour, where we hit up 33 U.S. & Canadian cities! We traded in our ‘small town’ costumes and inherited the ones worn by the Broadway company of the same show. (Fun fact: I toured wearing
@uzoaduba ’s costume pants, as I was playing the same role!😆). The tour was an unforgettable, even glamorous experience at times, and is still one of my favourite career memories, almost 15 years later. Bonus, I even made some lifelong friends along the way (hey
@grammycardiff 👋🏾!)
BUT. What people don’t see? Is the 8 years of me sending emails and cover letters to get the agent that ultimately opened the door for this opportunity. How I struggled to pitch and promote myself when I only had one or two credits to my name. How many misaligned and even degrading performance coaches I went through before finding the ones that actually helped me grow and build my confidence. Or how I celebrated too soon when I went from being a low-earning actor to a HIGH-earning actor because I wasn’t prepared for the tax implications of that 😩. And so on and so forth.
Being a great performer is NOT the same as having a great career. There are so many things you need to learn OUTSIDE of the craft itself, in order to be a successful, working actor with longevity and integrity. I have long wanted to teach a course on “The BUSINESS of Acting” and now finally, after 20 years in the biz, 50+ tv & film credits, 600+ live musical theatre performances and more and more… I’m finally doing it!
Whether you’re newer to the biz, or desiring a career reboot/leap forward, I just know there’ll be something in my class for you. Because even with all the ups and downs, I’ve been HERE for a long time, baby! With lots of goods to share.
Swipe for more deets and/or hit the link in bio. 💥💥💥
