What are some tips for breaking into the off-broadway, and then broadway world, as an actor and singer?
A friend of mine is an extremely gifted singer, while also being absolutely the life of the party wherever we are. He's young, with a world of possibilities in front of him. What would be some tips and ideas to help him lay the foundation to get to broadway? I know it is a long road, filled with ups and downs, but I have to imagine there are some methodical steps he can take to maximize his chances of success.
Answers ( 2 )
You know the old saw about the kid who goes up to a cop in Manhattan and asks "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice, practice, practice" he replies.
Like any profession with elite performers, you need a combination of talent, hard work, connections, and luck to make it to the big time. Broadway is no different. For the working performer Broadway can be a dream come true - or a one-and-done flash in the pan. What you really want is to be in the actors Union, Actors Equity Association, probably SAG and AFTRA too - a LOT of the working actors on Broadway pay the bills with side gigs as supporting cast on the never-ending cycle of Law and Order shows that are set in NYC.
But how to do it? First, have the talent, and develop it. Study what people are doing on Broadway and what people have done, figure out (or get coaching to help you figure out) where your skillset fits into that matrix. Hone that skill in local theater - it doesn't matter how small or non-professional - but aim for roles that showcase what you do. It is much harder to move from the chorus to the leading / character roles than vice versa (not that there's anything wrong with the chorus!) so if you're a romantic lead, get those roles.
Which brings up another point - learn how to audition well. Being a good performer and being good at selling yourself are similar but distinct things, and you won't make it to the big leagues if you can't get past the first 16 bars of your song. If you are aiming for chorus work, take dance classes and learn how to pick up choreography quickly. And if you aren't take enough tap dancing classes that you know how to do a time step - a classic weed-out test when too many people show up and they need to get the number of bodies they are looking at down.
Connections matter. Be a decent human being and not a prima donna, and be thoughtful and grateful to the people who work with you along the way. Directors and casting agents talk to each other all the time, and the circles you move in will be small enough that any reputation you get will quickly spread. Again, much easier to establish a good reputation than recover from a bad one.
Hard work means hustling - not just honing your craft, which you have to be obsessive about, but outside of that: figure out a job that pays the bills, lets you audition, and isn't something you'll mind dropping if you get the call to go on a tour. Find a way to live well within your means, and that is going to mean giving up a lot in terms of quality of life. Public transportation isn't as good as owning your own car but it costs a LOT less. Save up for that crucial rideshare when you need to get across town from one audition to another and can't make the subway/bus work.
If you're young enough, weigh carefully the benefits / costs of getting an undergraduate degree. The upsides of having a degree are tremendous, especially in terms of the maturity you will gain and the training you can get. But many theater / musical theater programs have become money-makers for the arts department, resulting in too many students for not enough faculty. Academia is a good place to practice playing the politics you'll need in Manhattan, the stakes are lower but seem much higher. You don't need to go to Juliard to develop your talent, but you need someone who believes in you and has helped people with your skillset develop into a working professional. Ask the same questions you'd ask if you were looking for any kind of professional training - what kinds of placement have alumni gotten, what kinds of professional connections does the program have, is there a cut of students at Junior year where only 50% are accepted into the upper classes? What kinds of work do the teachers/coaches do now, and what kinds did they do then? If you do well and they want to help you they will be able to introduce you to their network. It isn't perhaps as cold blooded as all that but if you end up getting your degree in Musical Theater from the University of Nebraska (as I almost did) you want to make sure you have a plan for getting to the next step.
Broadway and Off-Broadway aren't that different, really - location, location, location, etc., but the people working in both worlds are among the best at their craft. And getting out of general auditions and into that crowd is the literal one-in-a-million chance - you have to be Amazing in a field full of amazing people to get noticed. You're far more likely to break in through the connections you bring with you and make - in classes, workshops, off-off-off broadway productions that you do, and from the shows you do out of town. Don't be afraid to tour (maybe don't STAY on tour for 5 years with a warhorse because it is such a steady paycheck? You'll have to decide the limits of your ambition there) or do summer stock or work for Disney (known as The Mouse in the biz). Every where you go, remember that you are being watched, judged, and the way you behave in rehearsals and on stage will open or close doors.
To me, the parallel that I see is American Football, and Broadway is the NFL. How many high school football stars dream of making it to the big stage? There are that many people in the leads of their high school musical dreaming the same dream. You'll need all the same things that football player needs - you have to be talented, you have to work harder than anyone else, you have to have the right body type and not get injured, you have to get through auditions and excel at whatever roles you are given to demonstrate that you are able to take the next step. Some people will vault over some of the hard work through sheer talent, and good for them, but MOST people get there by taking their talent and working it as hard as they can, then coming back for just one more rehearsal.
There is nothing, I think, better than being on stage, and the years I spent working in the theater were hands down the happiest years of my life. Which is crazy, but there it is. Good luck, and if you want to talk about any of this in any more detail, please reach out!
One of the best things an actor can do in New York is to get into acting workshops or actors groups. Many valuable connections can be made through the workshops and working outside theater together with other actors. You learn and hone your craft, and you work at developing relationships that may endure, and even benefit you in the long-term.
And from the acting workshops, go to open call auditions, go to as many as you can. Audition as much as you are able, for one, it puts you out there, but it also exposes you to other actors and craft, you get to see how the process works. It's daunting and sometimes defeating to do auditions, but it benefits you the more experience you have.
Bottom line is that you have to put yourself out there, no matter where you go or what you do, you will be visible. Not doing that won't get you seen, and seen is where people can take note of you. Don't be disheartened either. It may be one after another that goes nowhere, but you just never know what will happen next, and the best thing you can do is be there when something does happen.