· I believe I have several unique gifts. The first being the fact that I have an interesting look which can lend itself to either a youthful character or even a mature adult. This has been proven time and time again with the type of roles I’ve been cast in. I also have the type of look that can translate across different types of media such as stage and the screen (big or small). I believe I have enough to invest everything I have into it because it is innately within me. I’ve already put money and practice behind my unique gifts which have already make me marketable in the real world.
· The difference I’m trying to make in the world is to bring professionalism and kindness into all that I do. There are a lot of negative people within the industry. I feel if I go above and beyond in whatever I do, it will only effect the world in a positive way. This will also insure that nothing but good things will spread about me so that my reputation will add to the appeal of hiring me. I am very passionate about doing this so being positive and professional will only help with the goal of doing this for a living. Also, this will hopefully cause a ripple within the field so that others can share the kindness and professionalism.
· As of right now, I would define success as being able to go into an audition and be able to feel great about what I did in the audition room. For the auditions I’ve done over the course of the semester, I think what really helped me was to have fun and not to put extreme stress on the audition. I think something that I have to face in order to create this success would be the anxiety that all actors have about not being good enough or not being what the directors are looking for. This rings very true within the context of a dance call. I would classify myself as a dancer when I have the time to sit and wrap my brain around the moves. Where things fall apart would be in the context of a dance call. You get taught the combination in the span of 10-15 mins and then are expected to perform it for the director. Granted, they aren’t looking for perfection but I would still like to feel good about what I’m showing the director. I just have to keep up with dance classes after I graduate and hope for the best.
· My career vision/mission would include working my way up from equity theatres or even an amusement park setting. As of now, I official have a job once I graduate which will open doors for me to climb the ladder in a theatre setting. As I’m writing this, I either will be honored to be cast in The Little Mermaid at the Alhambra or will be working backstage in costumes. Either way, I’m gaining experience and being around the setting which my degree is tailored to rather than working as a waitress or a hostess. I also have been creating opportunities for auditions at other equity theatres around Orlando or even at Walt Disney World. I would use these employers as stepping stones to network and grow the fund to make the move to NYC. My end goal is to originate a role on Broadway. But, I also want to keep myself open to the opportunity of working in the film industry. I’ve been very lucky to be able to work with Professor Willemin on some short films he has produced and I’ve come to enjoy film as well. I believe that this would be another performance opportunity I should keep my eyes on.
· I believe I have a positive attitude towards a handful of things but I should really work on being more positive about my career. I feel like it’s holding me back when I am negative about how an audition went or how I sound. I’ve done a lot of good things so far turning my time at JU but now I’m about to graduate and the world will become a bit more negative. Keeping more of a positive attitude can only help me fight the negative feelings about auditions. It may be easy for me to focus solely on the negative during dance calls or cold reads, but the positive attitude will give me confidence and make me seem like I know what I’m doing even if I don’t.
· I feel like I have my goals set but it’s really hard to create a solid road map to follow to reach that dream. There is no right way to get a job in the musical theatre world. It either has to be right place, right time or something silly like being able to fit into the costume. It all just depends on what opportunities I can get and even what connections I make. I can’t magically wish for a job opportunity to open up for me. I have to work hard and know the right people which will start to open doors later down the road and hopefully keep me on some semblance of a map.
· At this point, I have a few people who I can trust to help me actualize my vision. One person being Erik DeCicco who has given me insight into how to reach my dream and even tips/tricks that can be useful for me once I graduate. He’s been a big proponent of me going to auditions even while we’re in rehearsals for his shows and has helped me with acting work on some of my audition pieces. Also, my parents have been really helpful and has pushed me to further my education and chances to make it someday. They have been helping me through school and have given me the tools to travel for many auditions.
· My priorities as of now are to make sure I have a job once I graduate from college. I really want to start putting my degree to use as soon as I get it in my hand. But yay!! I will have a job one way or another one I graduate. It will either be an actor position or a backstage costumes position but it’s a job and it’s money. But, to keep this priority set, I have been auditioning for other theatres or at least plan for auditions in the near future.
· I am looking for opportunities that will help me make connections but also ones that will help my career grow in an upward fashion. Since I’ve last seen these questions, I feel like I’ve made a ton of connections with both actors and creative teams from theaters that I’ve auditioned for. From these connections, I’ve been able to find out about other auditions and even make new connections with people. As I said for setting priorities, I have been auditioning or at least plan for auditions in the near future and luckily I get to do it with some of the lovely people I’ve connected with.
· I have to be comfortable with uncertainty as an actress because there could be several reasons why I may not book the gig. I could either not be the right fit or it could come down to a scheduling issue. I risk not making money regularly as I do now and I also run the risk of my hair turning grey from the stress. But, I do have other things I can do to supplement the money not being made by acting. I will work backstage for shows, do kids acting summer camps, and even work in an office setting to make some cash.
· I feel like it depends on the challenge but more times than not, I persevere when I’m faced with challenges. If it feels like it is impossible, I reach out to a professor who may have faced this in their lifetime. It’s like a red light when you’re driving. You’re going to get a green light soon but you just have to wait out the red light. Yes I may not book this audition and I may have to pay bills within the next week, but I feel like if I practice, work hard, and save up the money from the other jobs, I think I will be better off than quitting completely.
· I feel like I have learned the most from just actively going to auditions. There are just somethings you can’t learn in a class setting. I have also been to several masterclasses on auditioning but one in particular that I experienced in KCACTF really helped me to learn what to do and what not to do specifically at a dance call. Things that I would’ve never guessed like not pulling the focus while you’re waiting for your turn to do the dance call or even not putting 100% effort out and burning the energy you need for the entire dance call.
· To make sure I realize my vision, I am always keeping my eyes and ears open to the auditions that may be a perfect fit for me. And when I hear about these certain auditions, I make sure to do all that’s in my power to show up at these specific auditions. And once I graduate, I’ll have more time to open me up to the opportunities around me. With school in the way, not only did it shut me out of a lot of the Disney auditions that were happening but it keep the casting panel from wanting to hire me since I still was in school.
· I believe to continually grow and evolve, I have to make sure I’m keeping myself open to do so. I try and pick up things that I see and hear in the professional world. Little things like how to format my resume or even what songs not to sing at an audition have helped me to seem competent at auditions. I have definitely evolved in my past 3 years at JU and cannot even imagine where I will be in another 3 years.
· I find it very easy to reach out to others for support and to offer help. Sometimes it may just be a text to a professor about running an audition cut or getting advice to navigate an open call for a theater’s season. But I feel confident in asking for help when I need it. I would rather have someone tell me what they did in a certain situation then to try to navigate the problem on my own and ultimately end up failing.
· I think I’m inspiring people to join and/or support my mission. My friends and family have been really helpful along my journey. But also I feel as though people who have seen me in JU shows or even shows in the community see my hard work on my craft and are inspired by what I do. When I performed at KCACTF, I never had some many people come up to me and tell me how much they thoroughly enjoyed seeing me work and perform on stage.
