Honestly, if you can have a career in anything else you should do that. There is being an artist and then there is the career of being an artist. It’s just challenging emotionally, physically, and financially.If you are like me and you absolutely have to do it, it is the highest of the high and the lowest of the low so you have to navigate those ups and downs and constantly seek healthy ways to bridge that gap. It’s a life’s work and one I am deeply grateful for.

You have to do you. People do, in fact, want you to succeed, and the best way you can do that is by bringing what you want to bring and not what you think “they” want you to bring. It may not pay off immediately, but if you stick to it and keep present with yourself, it will attract the people who want to work with you!

First, always lead with kindness. I think being adaptable is also important. Not with just your talents, but with people. Covers are constantly going on, casts change, and no two people are the same. Lastly, be accountable. We still have a long way to go with diversity, equity, and inclusion. Be there to support it.

The hardest part of an actor’s life is the time between gigs: You always wonder if you’ll ever work again (at least I do). Writing lifts some of that pressure off because you realize you can still enjoy making theater in your own imagination, which can be a surprisingly fun place to be. There is so much in this business that is out of one’s control. Cultivating your own creative outlet is a great way to make yourself feel that you are in the driver’s seat.

“To me, the phone is everything. It's such a good tool. When I started out, you had to rent an expensive camera. Now everyone's got a really good camera that shoots in 4K. Use it.”

The sooner they can let go of any concerns about people-pleasing, being liked, impressing, not being enough, etc., and truly reframing their mission, the sooner they will be liberated and they will be living truthfully authentically to themselves.

I would tell them to be dedicated to a life of thankfulness and focus while allowing flexibility to enjoy things outside of their career. I would tell them to surround themselves as much as possible with things that inspire and motivate them to be the greatest human on this earth they can be (by their thought-out definition or image of who that is).

First thing’s first; understand that none of the people that you admire know what they are doing. They’re all making it up as they go along because there isn’t a perfect recipe that you can follow that will give you a great play, book, script, or record. That’s the madness and the glory of it.

My advice to young singers- it’s ok to not go the collegiate way of study. Seek out the best teachers and coaches to work with. Be cautious of who you let pour into you. Don’t let someone's opinion of your art dictate if you will or will not have a career.

​Be authentically you! You can't please everyone (a self-journey I'm still on), but the people who like you, are going to LOVE you and be on your team!

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t. Make sure you bring a little bit of yourself to each role you are given. Characters are interesting, but it’s you that’s giving life to the character, not the other way around. If this is your passion, and you believe in your talents, then the sky is the limit! When you walk into an audition, focus on the things that you can control.

Hmmm... Seeing as I feel like I'm just getting started myself, any advice from me should be taken with that in mind. But I would say first, always say yes to anything you are comfortable with. Even if you have limited experience, you owe it to yourself to try. Coming off of that though, never allow anyone to make you feel like your boundaries are wrong. There is no opportunity in the world that is worth you belittling yourself.

“.One of the things I've been most proud of is hiring people who were out of work due to the pandemic and using their skills in different ways, like hiring Broadway stage managers as Zoom stage managers. I'm very proud of the public-facing work that we've done, but I'm equally as proud of the work that we've done behind the scenes.”

Most actors have little control over the roles they ultimately get to perform on stage, so chase the work that inspires you and the people you want to work with. At the end of the day, this is a job and your value as a member of society is not dictated by what is on your resume.

Take breaks. Time to breathe is not time away from moving forward. If anything, taking a step back only enriches and deepens your perspective on your work, your life, and your artistry.

“My biggest word of advice to any young aspiring artist would be to remember that your worth is not measured by the number of callbacks you receive or jobs that you book.”

“Never compare your career to someone else’s. Enjoy your journey because you have your own story to tell.”

“I didn't truly discover theater until my late 20's and now I'm on Broadway. Just do you and follow your path. It will work out the way it's supposed to, even if it's different than you had envisioned.”

“Learn the “business” part of “show business” just as well as you learn your craft.”

Nathalie Bonjour invites us on an exhilarating journey through the extreme states of the heart, from anguish and fervour to passion and rage. It is a universal narrative, and we can all intimately relate to L-E-V’s vulnerable study on heartbreak.