I remember the day I got my “big break.” I was sitting in Washington Square Park when my agent called to tell me I had booked my first Broadway show. I looked up at the sky, silently thanked God, and sighed the biggest sigh of relief. I have arrived, the struggle is over! I always imagined my “big break” would change my life forever. I saw myself finally being able to afford to live in my own New York apartment; my inbox would be full of appointments and opportunities to play iconic roles; Oprah would come see the play, and with tears in her eyes, offer to be my mentor.
But…none of that happened. Instead, after my Broadway debut, I still had two roommates, and I was juggling four side jobs to pay my share of the rent: working the front desk of a hotel, tutoring failing kindergarteners, teaching acting classes to teenagers, and recording audiobooks that were so raunchy, I had to use an alias. The struggle was the realest it had ever been. I truly believed that if I trained, struggled, and “paid my dues,” I would eventually land a big job and the rest would be smooth sailing. But this craft I claimed to love was demanding so much more than I had ever imagined. I thought about giving up.
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