“These five young performers not only inspire me with their talent on the stage but also with their resilience off the stage during these times.”

“Don’t let anyone define your personal success but yourself. You’re not a failure just because you didn’t live up to someone else’s expectations of you.”

“My advice to a young aspiring artist is totally cliche, but it works. FREE YOURSELF. BE YOURSELF. LOVE YOURSELF. Everything else is here today, gone tomorrow.”

“Be curious. Work hard and then work harder than you thought you could.”

“I know it sounds cliche, but follow your dreams and never give up. I knew very young this is what I wanted to do and I set goals and stuck to my path and dreams. All my dreams have come true and I am still reaching for more dreams.”

“Your life is more than your career. Accept more things from the universe than just being an artist because art will not love you back, and you need to have love and connection with others in order to live a full and happy life.”

“I found my passion when I changed my way of thinking about theatre.”

“As hard as it can be, and trust me I’ve been there, no one else will stand up as strong as you will for yourself.”

“I think this is a great time to reiterate the importance of saying no for your mental health’s sake. I’ve had to take breaks from performing a number of times and I’ve always come out of it stronger for it. Saying no or taking a break may seem like a setback, but it's actually a good thing!”

“Nothing and nobody but yourself can tell you who you are. Be individually you, but don’t change yourself to be unique, love who you are, but not the attention it gives you, and share with others the joy you feel while you are creating your art.”

“Don’t ever stop making stuff, whatever that means to you. Stay curious-- follow your whims.”

“You are capable of more than you know, and creating art is one of the bravest, challenging, and most rewarding things you can do in life.”

“Go for it. Really, just go for it with all you've got. We hear it all the time, but it's true.”

“If you have the opportunity to work on the crew or be the stage manager, costume designer, etc, do it!! You might find that you like that more!”

“It's never too early or late to create. No matter your age or background, your stories and ideas can inspire and motivate.”

“Take dance classes if you can, learn how to work social media/web development, and experience as much theatre as you can!”

“There’s also a toxic idea that the only true “professional” career in theatre is Broadway which is just not true.”

“There is so much to learn about theatre, and the journey is never ending! Always be open to absorbing as much as you can to be the best version of yourself as an artist and person.”

“Build a career, not a competition. If you love being in the career of theater, you will find a path. When you only want the job to win something, you won’t actually love DOING it.”

“I loved playing Carrie because of the transformation she goes through in the show from a shy, bullied, and abused girl to a powerful and dark force. The vocals I did in the show were insane, and of course, the blood dump/destruction sequence was my favorite part.”