How to Become a Professional Performer

Every little kid has a dream. To be a doctor. To cure a disease. To save animals. To travel the world. To write a world-famous book.

My dream had always been to perform.

Growing up, one of my favorite make-believe games was pretending that I was performing on the grand stage of some famous opera house. I imagined all the costumes, the performers, the musicians in the pit, the makeup, the stagehands and tech crew, the roar of the audience cheering. It was all so vivid in my mind and I knew that one day I would make it a reality.

Of course, pursuing your dreams sometimes takes a lot longer than we at first may realize. Every chance I could get, I was performing on a stage. I started dance lessons at age three and loved getting dolled up in my beautiful costumes and makeup, dancing to my heart's content. Then later in high school, I performed in musical theatre productions. There was no better feeling in the world than becoming a character and bringing the audience into that world. Helping them to escape reality, even if it was only for a few hours.

Then it came time for me to go to college. This was one of the first major bumps in my plans to get onto the bigger stage. I auditioned for so many shows and was rejected for all of them. It became incredibly clear that if you weren't "in" with the right group, then you had basically no chance of getting into the show. Instead, I ended up becoming a stagehand. I got to help with costumes, props, set pieces, and running around as a techie during shows. Having that experience gave me a new respect for the industry that I loved so much.

As performers, we often don't give the credit that is due to all of the other people who are involved with putting together a show. Yes, you need the performers to have a show, but what would it look like without the sets, props, costumes, makeup, lighting, and sound?

During my time in college, I instead focused on my dancing and music. This gave me time to really focus on being a choreographer, which was my ultimate goal after performing for a couple of years. I was the first chair harpist in the orchestra all four years and was captain of the dance line for the marching band for two years.

After graduation, I knew that it was time for the big leagues. I started going to as many auditions as I could. I tried out for cruise ships, touring shows, and even local productions.

And you know what happened?

I got rejected by every single one.

I became incredibly discouraged and it started affecting the way I auditioned. I went into each new audition feeling a little more defeated and way outclassed by the hundreds of other performers I was auditioning against. These people had years of experience, rigorous training from major teachers, and what did I have to offer that was better?

It wasn't until I saw an audition for Sesame Place that things started to take a turn. I went to the audition feeling confident and I KNEW that I was going to do well and I KNEW that I would get the job.

And you know what?

I DID.

It was a great experience working there as a dancer. I got to meet so many other great performers, make great friends, and hone my skills. Putting smiles on kids' faces every day was the absolute best part of my job.

I was there for a little over a year when we got a brand new show for one of the theaters for our Halloween season and I had been chosen to perform as the main character for the opening weekend of the show. In preparation for the show's unveiling, a team of executives from Sesame Workshop came to watch our rehearsals to make sure that everything was up to Sesame code and done correctly. After the rehearsal had finished, I saw the team talking to my director quietly and I noticed that they were pointing at me.

Later I found out that they had been asking who I was because they thought I should be a performer for the Sesame St LIVE touring company.

Just a few months later I received word that there was going to be an audition for the touring company since they needed to replace one of the performers. One of the executives from that group that had seen my rehearsal said that they had told the director of the auditions to keep an eye out for me.

This was it.

It was all or nothing.

I drove from NJ all the way to Pittsburgh and gave the audition of my life. There were only about eight other people auditioning, which gave me confidence, but I knew that I would have to give it my all and show them what made me special and worth hiring.

A few weeks later I got the call that changed my life.

They were flying me out in the next few days to join up with the cast and become a part of the show.

I was only with the show for six months but it was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had and something I will cherish for as long as I live.

Now if you made it all the way through my story and are reading these last few lines, I want to leave you with some advice and wisdom that I learned from this experience:

First, it is EXTREMELY rare that you will hit a home run right off the bat. Don't get me wrong there are people who have done it, but more often than not you are going to face far more "no's" than you will "yes's".

Second, talent and ability are only parts of what the directors are looking for. They are more concerned with how you hold yourself, are you on time and prepared, are you confident and keep going even if you mess up, are you selling the performance and giving it your all, are you a pleasant person to work with and be around? Just because the person next to you has a more full resume does not mean that the directors are going to want them over you.

Third, never give up! I know this one is a cliche but it's true. Failure is not falling at a hurdle...it's never getting back up again. You will never truly be a failure unless you stop trying.

Fourth, think of every audition as a class. You are going to learn something every time you walk into a room for an audition. Whether it's something about the performing world, what the directors want to see from you, or something about yourself, you will always learn something if you are open and willing to learn.

And finally, sometimes it's important to start small and work your way up. Right out of college I started auditioning for some big productions and companies without having similar experience behind me. It wasn't until I took a piece of humble pie and auditioned for something that I KNEW I could get that I was able to start building relationships and a reputation to then work my way up to bigger stages.

And so friend, I hope you have been encouraged by my story and if you're experiencing something similar right now, I'm here to tell you that you WILL make it. Just never stop trying and never quit. God has a plan for each and every one of us. Sometimes that plan will take you through hardships and trials and setbacks, but it's only to help you learn something or to help you grow and become the person that you need to become BEFORE you achieve that goal.