Since I graduated last spring I have moved myself to the beautiful city of Chicago and found myself a wonderful agency and agent that is soon to be tri-coastal. After a month of auditioning I booked the national tour of ALTAR BOYZ, the musica, and in early July hit the road and have been traveling with that show ever since. In February I will be back in Chicago and performing in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE in the city and joining back up with the tour after that is done.
What was the biggest challenge of getting started in Chicago and how did you deal with that challenge?
I found that there were many challenges in leaving CMU and getting started in Chicago . I think the biggest shock was realizing that the friends that you have been with for four years and the safety net we all create at school are now all over the country and no longer there. I was alone in a big city, I knew nobody, and I had to create a daily schedule for myself that would keep me busy enough to get my mind off of the loneliness that sets in after the change of becoming a part of the real world. It took me a couple months, even after I was on tour, to get used to being independent with my money, making new friends and connections, and getting comfortable knowing that my friends may be all over the country but they are still just a phone call away. I think the most important thing is to remain positive throughout the entire transition period and have patience and confidence that everything will turn out okay. It was lonely and scary at first to be thrown into this huge world after having the safety of a small drama school with only a couple hundred people in it.
What has your experience been working on a national tour?
My experience working on the national tour has been wonderful. It is hard at times because you are with a small group of theatre artists, traveling around the country and basically living out of a suitcase. However, it has been one of the best learning experiences of my life. On tour, they put you up in the hotels and they pay for transportation, and food, etc., so all the money that you make is going directly into your savings account. Tour is a great way to save money. Also, I love traveling and seeing all the different cities and theatres around the country. Every town is different and every audience in each city is so dynamic and new. It is a great way to see the United States as well as get a paycheck for what I love the most, performing. At the same time, it is hard sometimes because tour can be lonely. I had to create a schedule for myself and make sure I was staying active, working out, eating right, and not staying in the hotel and watching television all day. On tour, that is very easy to fall into because you don't have to be at the theatre until 7:00 and you are done by 10:30 at the latest. But I have grown more as a person in the last eight months on tour then I have in the last three years for the sole reason that I had to do things on my own and force myself to grow up fast and learn fast.
What is the most important thing you have learned about dealing with various people in the business?
I think the most important thing I have learned about dealing with the various people in the business is to be myself. Be the most positive and genuine person you can be, but don't try to be someone you are not in front of all the people you will meet. This first year out I have met so many people from New York , L.A. , Chicago , and at times it is overwhelming. I have learned that there are some people you will get along with and some people you won't. The most important thing is that all the connections you make with the people that you do enjoy and can learn from, you keep in contact with them and let them know what shows you are doing, if you are moving, ask them for advice, and just remain in their view. But be yourself. It is easy when you are meeting important people to try and be the person you think they want to see. Don't. Be yourself and your relationship with them will be the better for it.
What advice could you give to drama students who will soon be starting out in the business?
Life is hard; especially the first year or two out of college. It is a reality shock and it is easy to be overwhelmed by it all. Remain positive and have patience. Take the first year or two to get settled with yourself as a human being and then when you have settled in the city you are wanting to live in and you feel comfortable with who you are and how you fit into the city and the business there, then you can start really focusing on your career. But patience and remaining positive and being yourself is the best advice I can give to anyone starting out in this business.
What do you know now that you wish you would have known when you were just getting out of school?
I wish I would have known that everything would be okay. I left school feeling overwhelmed and nervous about what my life would be like. I was lucky enough to get a job right away, but I know that in this business that is rare and also not always going to be the case. I wish I would have known that the most important thing to focus on, besides my career at first, is me and making myself comfortable in this huge new world that I wasn't quite ready for. At school you try to plan you whole life and career out before you graduate, and what I have learned since graduation is to just take things day by day and have fun. |
