Theater students have a lot of challenges to face when they get out of high school. How to support themselves when gigs are not constant? How to get an agent? Do I need an agent? Where do I get gigs? And many more questions. 

Drama III and IV students had an opportunity to meet with Broadway star Sasha Hutchings to ask about education to pursue theater or any advice on how she got to where she is today. 

“I took away that there is a lot more self management than I thought when pursuing a career in theatre,” junior Selena Sercu said. “You really have to say yes to every opportunity you have and whether you thrive or not is in your hands.”

Hutchings commented on how actors or actresses get by in between gigs by saying yes to everything and being polite as possible. It’s amazing how just being nice can spread their name around enough to get gigs because people will want to work with them. 

That’s the big thing with working with other people, being polite can go a long way, especially when they are the one in charge of themselves. Hutchings took dance classes when she was young and it gave her connections later on. People would go up to her and ask her if she wanted to do a gig and she would always say yes. It helped her in the long run with getting gigs all the time. 

“Build your confidence and independence. Say yes to every opportunity because you never know where it will lead you and what doors it will open for you. Even if you aren’t in theatre,” Sercu said. 

Confidence and independence can go a long way, especially in the entertainment field because people will want to work with them. In the meeting, Hutchings touched on, actors or actresses have to be a little weird to get more jobs. The weirder they are the better they can be because they are being themselves and directors like that.

Confidence is what is key to a successful future, especially their self-confidence in any work field. It will make them the person people look up to. 

“As Sasha said “,You are the CEO of you,” You get to control how your life pans out in the end,” junior Alex Petro said. “One way you can accomplish this is by getting involved.” 

Controlling their own career can be hard, but getting involved in it can make it enjoyable. In the entertainment field, they really cannot get anywhere unless they are really involved in anything they do. If they are not involved they can cost a lot of money to go to waste. 

Hutchings commented that if people are just 10 minutes late, they can cost hundreds of dollars so they really have to know what they are doing, or less they will not have a job and a bad reputation. 

Being a successful actor or actress takes a lot of work, but more importantly organization. They must organize everything because if they are late, they are costing money or if they do not know what they are doing, they are costing money. 

Without organization, they have no career. This is when actors or actresses get agents so they have everything organized and all they have to do is the actors part of the job, like memorizing lines and blocking, etc. 

Finally, most jobs people need experience to do, some more than others. Hutchings did not get into theatre until she was in college, but she grew up dancing. 

When she was in college she took a theatre class and then started to pursue a career in theater, so actors or actresses just need enough experience to know how to act and dance.

 However, Hutchings touched on how people should have extra skills so they can have more opportunities. 

For example, if they can play the piano they might get spread around to someone who needs a piano player and they can get a gig that way. If they can act, sing and dance, they have many doors that are open to them, like musicals or just plays in general. Experience in many different skills is key to getting gigs and getting paid. 

Theatre is a workload to pursue but it can be done. All you need is confidence, support, politeness and experience. Then they can make the Broadway stage just like Sasha Hutchings did. 

Most importantly, they do not need to be the lead in the show, pursuing a successful entertainment career is what matters the most.