Instead of telling you about all the things I did right on my journey to Broadway I thought I’d dive a bit deeper and share some of my mistakes and regrets.

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You’ve probably guessed by now that the premise of this blog is ’stop waiting for someone to give you a career and go make it happen’.

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At GigSmacked.com we honestly believe that success in your career lies within your ability to take control and play to your strengths instead of waiting for some agent or producer to notice you.

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I feel pretty strongly about this because I lived it.  Audition after audition.  Meeting after meeting.  Sending headshots with no response.  Taking class after class feeling empty but obliged.  The decision to write my own show and take it to Broadway was a result of these frustrations.

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These are some of the missteps (limited room here) I made during the five years it took me to get my show from unknown commodity to Off Broadway success story:

• No Famous Man (or Woman) Is An Island:  Barry Josephson (Enchanted, Bones) was one of the biggest supporters of my talent and career and I’m eternally thankful for that.  But our strategy of putting it on his shoulders; thinking Barry could single-handedly take my show to Broadway on his own, was silly.  It’s just not humanly possible.  Recovery:  I took the show to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2007 and it sold out.  As a result I found more producers to get the show to New York alongside Barry.  Lesson:  A star player can win any game.  A team can win every game.
• Don’t talk about it. Just do it!  It was May of 2004 that I got the first offer to take my show to Broadway.  As I toured Canada that year to critical acclaim I told every journalist who interviewed me about those plans and how imminent they were.  Had I known it would take until 2008 I would’ve never uttered a word.  Recovery:  There is no recovery.  I just looked like a boob for four years.  Lesson:  Shut up and work.
• Okay For Now.  There are several images and videos on the Internet that do not represent the quality or integrity that myself or my brand are known for.  I was presented these products at a time when I didn’t have the money to do anything better so I caved in and allowed them to be distributed for the Broadway run.  Bad idea.  The Internet is forever.  A whole lot of nothing is better than a handful of mediocrity.  Recovery:  I got a professional photo shoot done and I am replacing the mediocre with the awesome.  Lesson:  When it comes to quality there is no gray area.  Insist on the best because you hit what you aim at.

For a more in depth view of how a Broadway show is built and the risks involved I highly recommend renting ‘Show Business’ (excerpt above).  It’s a great fly-on-the-wall documentary for those of you who want to do full scale theatre whether it’s onstage or backstage.

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