My favorite moment of the NYC experience actually took place in Anoka, Minnesota. It was Saturday afternoon, 3 hours after we landed back in MSP, and the weather was immaculate for March in the Midwest. My Mom and I decided to savor a few moments before I drove back to Eau Claire and sat out on our deck in the sun and talked. Unsurprisingly, the trip was the main focus of the conversations. Who I'd met, what I'd seen, what I'd learned, and most importantly, "what now?". As I was recounting and explaining all these things, the first time I had summarized thoughts to someone outside of the trip, I became aware of the level of focus I now had regarding my future. It was a positive change, a firmer, clearer sense of direction that came from a newfound, firsthand knowledge of what it will take to make a living on the stage. There is now a how to the what. Talking to my mom after it was all over made me realize how far I'd come, I could see on her face that she noticed a change. The look of pride she had on her face is one I hope I can keep with me as I move to achieve my goals.
Let's take a closer look at how I answered those questions:
Who I met: In 6 days and change we had 8 large group interviews and 5 small group interviews surveying a total of 19 industry professionals. Their disciplines included Broadway singers, Opera singers, Church singers, dancers, singer-dancers, working student actor/singer/dancers, agents, voice teachers, professional accompanist and film actors. Their experiences ranged from a couple of years to longer than most of us have been alive. Among non-performers I met some native New Yorkers who gave me a much better sense of what Manhattan is like than the romanticized versions in films and television.
What I saw: A mass at an Episcopal Church, 2 events at the Met, 2 shows on Broadway, one show Off-Broadway, and a Juilliard Honors Recital. Again, this is in 6 days. Some in our party added a couple more Broadway shows to the mix.
What I learned: Claudia Catania said to us that the best way to learn from someone is to go in knowing what you want. I had a number of specific questions that I wanted to have answered over the course of the trip, but it all fed into one overarching question that I needed to answer for myself: Can I make it? Do I think, after getting a closer look, that I have the means and the know-how to make a career as a Broadway actor possible? I found answers about my future from the pasts of others. I explained the wide range of professionals we had talked to earlier. Their stories are all unique. Some of their roads to NYC were straight shots, others had a few more twists, turns and detours. The absolute greatest thing about interviewing all of them was when the things they all had in common started to shine through. They all are extremely busy people, pushing themselves constantly to the limit so that they can make the most ends meet that they can. Some have it more comfortable than others, but even the comfortable ones never rest. They all have an insatiable drive to perform. Something is in them that makes the long hours of practice and rehearsals and second jobs worth the precious moments onstage. It is not an automatic things to posses this drive. They have all suffered downs in their careers and fought through them. Every one of them mentioned that, make no mistake, you will be discouraged to the point where you want to quit. There is only one solution: DON'T. You'll bounce back.
So as the week went on I gathered my notes and thoughts and observations, what I'd heard from those gracious performers, and what I'd seen at the stages. I took the experience of my private voice lesson with Claudia Catania and the moment Tuesday night when I finally "got" the Subway. I reflected on these things and much, much more and I found my answer: I learned I can. This goal is within my reach.
Which leaves only one question...
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