For those of us eligible to work in the U.S., the last leg of our LAMDA journey involved showcase performances in NY and LA in which we each got to perform a 3 min. duologue with a partner. Luckily for me, I was able to do 2 scenes: one as Ariel from Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman and the other as Benji in Amy Herzog's short play Christmas Present).
We kicked off the first week of our tour with 4 performances at the incredible Playwrights Horizons in NYC and enjoyed several Q & A's with industry professionals. The second week we headed to LA for 4 more performances at the Colony Theater in Burbank, where we had some major industry reps from companies like Disney and Paramount in attendance. Finally, thanks to the hard work and initiative of one of my peers, we organized a very succesful 3rd showcase in the budding industry hub of Atlanta!
Ultimately all of the performances went extremely well and I personally got some really good bites from casting directors and managers on both coasts. Of note, the NYC showcase yielded an opportunity to audition for the role of Gem Finch in Aaron Sorkin's Broadway adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird (CD: Destiny Lilly, Telsey & Co.). I also started working with Alan Iezman at Shelter Entertainment Group - a 17 year veteran agent of William Morris turned manager - who helped launch the careers of greats such as Tom Hanks and Robin Williams and agreed to manage me from L.A. while I'm in NYC.
Now that my time with LAMDA is officially done, it's time to turn my sights towards NYC and all the diems I fully intend to carpe there. After 4 years abroad, two masters degrees, and all of the tools/skills that have made me the confident, versatile, and dynamic performer I am today, I am finally coming home to make my name. Stay tuned!
