CMU School of Drama


Monday, October 02, 2023

Moving In

SoundGirls.org: Moving anywhere usually signals a major life change. For many people who choose a career in theatre, moving to New York and working on Broadway is the starry-eyed dream and I was no exception. Even when I wanted to tour, the endgame was to save money, gain experience, and eventually get off the road to head to the city. The tour ended up being a larger part of my career than I originally expected, but when I was ready to leave, New York still felt like the next step.

4 comments:

willavu said...

This article spoke to me, being a college student now and having my whole life just change suddenly, I can appreciate a place to call ‘home.’ I would call my dorm room my home, even my whole dorm. I used to think home had to be this picture-perfect place, with walls and a roof, but home for me now is somewhere I just live. It isn't as deep as I put it out to be. A home is where I wake up and go to bed, somewhere where I keep my stuff, in the future I hope my home is more comfortable than this, which hopefully won't be hard, my room is tiny, but where you live affects your mental state a lot, so I hope to live in a place that improves that as well. The article is interesting to hear it comes from someone who uses their room as a creative outlet– I do this as well, I am always painting, drawing, or crafting in my room so that is a part of ‘home’ to me.

Kelsey Harlow said...

As someone who wants to move to New York, or a similar large city, I certainly relate to this article. That being said, does anything really compare to New York for theatre? I really don’t think so. Either way, moving to New York seems so daunting because of how large and overwhelming it feels but is really not that big of a city, square foot wise. I am lucky to have two of my closest friends living in New York so they can help guide me when I am looking for an apartment or a neighborhood to live in. They can tell me what subway lines are the most reliable and advise me on commutes difference places and so much more beyond that. I am so lucky to have this but so many people are not. I feel like move to a city like that is such a leap of faith but I always remind myself that a lease is typically only a year long and you can always move.

Ella McCullough said...

I feel like I have been looking for this article for a long time. I have always been curious about when the move to somewhere like New York should happen or if it should happen. It is a topic that is brought up often especially when talking to non-theatre people, and I have always found it very overwhelming. And now even more so after moving from Idaho to Pittsburgh. I now know how difficult it can be to leave everything behind and move somewhere new. I really liked ow this article broke down some helpful tips. I think subletting an apartment for short periods of time is really smart. I think in my head moving to New York is this big leap of faith that requires just diving in head first. But I like that in this it was not described that way but in small manageable steps. I have seen so many people pick up and move and then not succeed and have to come home and that has always been something that has really scared me. I think this was incredibly easy to relate to and put some of my worries at ease.

Sam Regardie said...

I think this article said a lot of things that I needed to hear. I think about my future more than I would like to, and hearing the experience of someone moving and adjusting to their new location is really helpful and it answered many of the questions that I have constantly asked myself. Something different about me versus the article is that I am not sure if I want to live in New York City. While it is likely the best city for theater in the world, I do not think I could be capable of keeping up with the intense pace of bustling city life. While this may mean getting fewer potential opportunities, I am willing to take that loss in order to live in a smaller city that is not quite as busy and chaotic all the time. Nevertheless, much of the advice about meeting people and getting settled in still applies, and it is definitely advice that I will continue to think about as I continue my career working in the live entertainment industry