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Posted by JB on 1/30/2005, 7:19 pm, in reply to "Re: To get started . . ." Thanks for writing. I'm glad you liked CANDIDE. To answer your question, working with Matthew Broderick on HOW TO SUCCEED... was terrific. What you might not know about him is that he's incredibly mischievous and fun-loving, and sharing a stage with him is slightly dangerous, particularly for someone like me who will crack up with the slightest provocation. But I'm definitely not complaining. We all had a GREAT time with him on H2$. He's wonderful to work with, as I'm sure anyone would corroborate. As for advice re: performing on Broadway, it sounds like you are getting a lot of positive feedback from your community, which is great. Obviously, there is no way to guarantee or predict success in this business. The best advice I can think to give you at this point is to seek as much training as possible. The more experienced and skilled you are when you get to New York, the more likely it is that you will land a job and be able to sustain a long career. Also, along the way, when you meet an acting, voice or dance teacher, vocal coach, or director/musical director whom you trust, ask them how they see you, what kind of roles they think you should be playing, what they think your strengths (and weaknesses) are, and try to be open to what they say. Sometimes we see ourselves in one way, and others see us quite differently. And it will help you in the long run to know what qualities people respond to so you can feature them. For instance, if people really respond to your comedic talents, you might pay special attention to your comedic audition songs, maybe take a comedy improv class, sharpen those skills. Training and education go a long way. I went to college, and I'm so glad I did. I studied acting there, but I also got to study everything from French to Poetry to Sociology, be in many different kinds of plays, write music, and hang out with great people who are still my friends. As for your mother's comment about your being too sensitive, just remember that our moms want to protect us so we can have the best possible lives, and your mom may not understand exactly how passionate you are about performing. You might be able to allay her fears by taking your training very seriously and being a great all-around kid/daughter/student/etc. Best of luck to you! I hope this has been even the slightest bit helpful. Take care- Jeff
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