Last night's post was all about how you should never let your passion die, no matter the role you get cast in. The truth is, the business is more difficult now than ever. So I'll expand on a point I made in the other letter. The point I am referring to deals with if you have an idea for a play, then write it. While I am referring to certain play writes, I'm not just saying plays. I'm talking about all jobs, including production end jobs.
When I attended WestConn's orientation, I heard two stories. One of them deals with a kid that didn't get many leads in the shows. However, when the time came for an internship, he took one that ended up with him now working at Broadway Records as an assistant. Van Dean, a producer that has helped bring Cinderella, Matilda, and Bonnie and Clyde to Broadway, created the record label to ensure that ALL Broadway shows are remembered. Since its launch, shows such as Side Show, The Visit, Matilda, Doctor Zhivago, Big Fish, Peter Pan: Live! and various concerts at 54 Below have had their scores recorded for CD purchase. The other story deals with another theatre arts major (I forget if she was Musical Theatre or Performance). She took the sewing skills and techniques she learned from school and was hired to be one of the costumers for Heathers: The Musical Off-Broadway.
These are people that took what they knew, made connections, and are working in the industry (though it may not have been for acting). There is one more example that I would like to share. On YouTube, there is a channel called "Drunken History". Well, it was such a success that it is going on TV!
Nowadays, there are some actors (i.e. John Cameron Mitchell, Lin Manuel Miranda, Wesley Taylor, Anthony Rapp, Laura Benanti) that are writing their own plays, musicals, and novels. These sources can reach to someone. Then, they read it. If they love it, maybe they want to see these authors in action and find a video of them online. If they see them online, maybe they want to see them live. If they like the show, they go to a Broadway show. I know that all of that is a stretch, but it could happen.
And, in some ways, NPT is doing just that. The New Paradigm Theatre was built by Broadway Actress Kristin Huffman to assist nonprofit organizations and help communities. These volunteers (on both the adult and youth boards) don't need to be thespians, but some are. These boards and the company aren't about performing. They are here to help teach and educate. I know that the lessons I learned on the Youth Board can help me in real life. In addition, I know now how to communicate with adults and my peers, know the importance of a deadline, and know how to professionally present myself. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. That being said, no one is perfect. There is no way of knowing everything. There are always opportunities to learn and grow.
So, "At the end of the day", where will you be? It could be at the Tony's accepting your award for Leading Actor/Actress. It could be winning the Pultizer Prize for Drama (like Next to Normal and Rent), or you and friends create your own web series and watch billions of people enjoy it when it transfers to TV. Maybe you'll be producing the next hit musical, or even recording the album. No one knows where life will take you, but as long as you stay somewhere in the business that you love, you're in. You're making it happen. You're creating and preserving a beloved artform. In all honesty, "who could ask for anything more"? "We've got magic to do" and there's "no day but today" to do it. I'll stop with the theatre references.
-Nathan Clift, 18, President of the Youth Board
Incoming Freshman at Western CT State University
Musical Theatre Major
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