Video: Jumpstart Your Career on Stage and Screen with AMDA College of the Performing Arts

Well, hi there, you big beautiful Broadway World

It's me, your Broadway buddy, Ben Cameron, and I am here at the 54th Street campus of Amda College of the Performing Arts

Right here, 250 West 54th Street. And I am joined by AMDA alum faculty member and upcoming judge of our next season of Next onstage with Broadway World

the fabulous Broadway veteran slash icon J. Elaine Marcos. Oh, Icon, J-éréne, Marcos, that's it

I mean, not Icon J-A-Lane Marcos, but, you know, Jay-Alan is fine. I'll say what I want to say

Thank you, thank you. You're one of my favorite people. I'm so excited to have you here, and I'm excited because we are gearing up to yet another exciting season of Next Onstage, our online singing competition that is brought to us by AMDA, which you have a long and storied history with

Over 25 years. Yes, that's where it all started at AMDA. What started at AMDA

Yes. So you're a faculty member, you get a chance, you were talking a little bit about some varied positions you get to fill at AMDA that involve traveling

Yes. Tell me a little bit about that. So I actually am often one of the scary people behind the table or watching people's video submissions or auditioning people virtually because there are

many different ways to audition for AMDA now. Sure. But I have the opportunity of watching potential students, like, their first taste of

auditioning, you know, of, like, doing pieces in front of somebody and being like, oh, my gosh

this is what I want to do for a living. And I see them, and I go, that was me many years ago

But I have an opportunity to, in a sense, be an audition coach for them

Also, when I say audition coach, the reason why is we don't call ourselves adjudicator

Like, I'm not, and I'm not here to, like, judge you. Judge you, yeah. Even with this competition, we're not, in a sense, judging you

We are seeing, like, assessing your talent. I know it sounds picky, but using the word judge

Feels harsh. Yeah, I'm not turning my chair around going, you're going to Hollywood. I mean, you are, because if you do go to AMDA, we do have a campus there

But it's not about that. It's not about saying you're going to make it or you're not going to make it. Sure

It's a different lens. You serve, I think, as a faculty member with AMDA and certainly, as I've watched you on Next Onstage

more of a mentor and a coach and someone to help people refine their craft and build upon the talents that they come to us with

Exactly. It's about building. So that's what I love about AMDA is we, my job and our job is to help people build

from what they bring in already, as opposed to going, you know what, if you're going to make in the business

get rid of this, get rid of this, and change. It's about being authentic. And I know for my career

if I just did what I thought people wanted and tried to be someone other than myself

I really don't think I would have continued having a career. So I think both of us understand the idea of being

authentic in order to have a career. And at AMDA, I was really taught that

What you bring in is, you know, everywhere says that that's your special sauce, but I really

honed into that very quickly because I did not feel like I could quote unquote fit in but my teachers and faculty members were saying oh you know what you do this well I go uh uh uh They like lean into that still work on other things but still try to stay within my world

Like, I'm really never going to defy gravity in the sense of being, you know, singing that song

Yeah. There are other things in that show I might be right for. Well, but your career has been, has you're one of the workiest ladies in the game

How many Broadway shows have we done? And you're currently in Drag the Musical. Currently in drag and 10 Broadway shows

10 Broadway shows. Yeah, but for a long time. You know, it's been a while, but it really is about that experience and constantly

going and putting ourselves out there. Yeah. Tell me a little bit more about how you feel that your time as a student at Amda prepared

you to have this career. Yeah. One of my first auditions, I was recommended by a faculty member

And of course it was a chorus line. Now, I wasn't told, like, you're going to get this gig

They would recommend, and they said, this audition is happening. And I was like, yeah, I was going to go to that

And they're like, this is the person who's going to be there. And we can mention, since we do know people in the biz

Like, hey, look out for jailing. That kind of thing. And then, of course, being in New York, I mean, we're in New York right now

That's one of the most exciting things. We're looking out over the skyline right here

We both were like, oh, I remember showing up in the 90s as an MDA student, and, you know, the access to New York City and to the community was what was really exciting

Yeah, and being able to go from, there are different locations. Like, AMDA has a couple spots where, you know, traveling for classes

And so you're really in that world. So the idea of going to places where I would have class, but then also be like, oh my gosh, there's an audition for, I don't know, Miss Saigon

in this same area, you're like, I'm in it. So that's what helped me kind of grow my tough skin, especially being an international student

Yes, only from Canada, but coming into a place where I'm like, I don't really know

but able to learn in this setting, I have to like really be present and push myself in the best way and also show up

It really is about showing up. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's 90% of the business is walking at the door

Yeah, because a lot of times you could say, yeah, I don't think I'm going to go to that. But at AMDA, I was really taught, you know, take those opportunities

And every time I would go into a room and they might say, no, thank you

I took it as, you know, no, thank you. But it's hard. But that's the type of training that I got

And I think that's the reason why I consistently, thankfully work is because I'm not going to stop

after you say no. Gosh, no. No. None of us would get anywhere

No. So that's a big thing. What do you feel as somebody who juggles being an educator as a faculty member at AMDA

and still being a performer on stage? What have you learned about yourself as a performer that you've got and maybe some aha moments from being an educator

Yeah, like being an educator and also being on the other side of the other side of

the table. Yeah. Because I see it and I see how I might not remember someone specifically maybe their name

or what they sang, but their energy and who they are is undeniable

You can kind of tell that So I realize when I am performing and when I am even auditioning the part of me that is nervous the part of me that is so scared that is it can be charming

And so I realize it's okay for me to feel that way. So when I see people come in and they're really nervous and they're just really nervous

I find it so, they're so vulnerable. And I'm like, that's, oh my gosh, I'm rude

for you already. So I realized that is a superpower that I want to cultivate when I'm in

auditions and on the other tie of the table where when I am like, oh my gosh, I'm so nervous

I'm like, okay. Just lean into that. Just prepare as much as you can. But being able to

watch people come in being very vulnerable, not knowing anything about this business

I imagine a lot of what they have going for them is present in those moments when they are most

vulnerable that they may not even know. Yeah. And that's what you get to help cultivate. Yes

Yeah, absolutely. And even then other people come in and they might be really well trained already and that's fantastic

And that also shows me how like there are many different types of people who come in whenever

they audition. You know, that's what I kind of love about college auditions specifically because they're

different from a Broadway audition TV. You know, I am looking for potentially

to see if they have potential. So I'm looking at it in a way of like

would I want this person in my classroom as a student or as my peer

Would I be able to thrive with them? And like, for example, like you, I'd see you. I'm like, you haven't even sung or done anything

I'd be like, yeah, I want to hang out with you. Let's work on a scene. You know, it's that type of energy that is very important

when it comes to these college auditions. So whenever I am teaching

I kind of make sure people lean into into their own authenticity and to be messy, it's okay

Yeah. You know? Yeah. Messiness can absolutely be your superpower. Yeah. So we're about to launch into this competition

So you'll be joining the judging panel again that's not only fabulous J. Lane, Marcos

Kate Rockwell, Kyle Taylor Parker, Michael James Scott, Courtney Reed, Leslie Margarita

It's just, this is a superstar-studded panel of mentors and quote-unquote, judge

We don't like that word. No, but I can't wait to be able to, you know, watch things and they'll have any type of notes

And I am writing stuff down. I am like writing stuff down that they say because sometimes we're saying the same thing, but the way they say, I can hear it

And students are different. Sometimes I'm like, oh, I'm going to take that from what Courtney said

I'm going to take, you know, because it's so helpful. I absolutely learn from listening to all of your feed

back as well. And it's very exciting because the finalists from both the college competition

and the high school competition will be flown to New York City for a live final of 54 below

Yes. Will they get to perform live in front of these judges, friends, mentors

Yes. Which is super exciting. Last year it was just so magical

I know, we were crying. And there's some really incredible prizes and offerings coming from the Amde side of things. Yes

Let's talk about one of the grand prize of this is the emerging artist scholarship that our winners will be awarded to attend Amda

Yes, so there's- That's crazy. I know, I mean, like, training is so important

So the idea of actually having that off your back to know that you like oh I have a scholarship and being able to attend with that Training is so important So I always just like am so excited that we able to be part of that Yeah

And especially, you know, Amda has such a history, such a legacy, and so many great Broadway performers like yourself, you know, have come, walked the halls of Amda and have come out and gone to have incredible careers

And many of them, like yourself, coming back to. be mentors, teachers, to speak

Because that's our mission is to be taught by people who are working in the business

So that's what I love about it. I get so excited when

I'm at the stage door and then students come in and they go

oh, I want to be where you're at and I look at them. I go, yeah, you are. What song would you use

Because I know about, I know. We know so much information of like

I think this person's leaving this show or whatever. And it's like, we can give you insider

information because we know the creators, the directors now, and they're, let's be honest, a lot of times they're looking

for the new, the new one, just like what we're doing. So I see them and I really do want to help

them because we know people who need their talent. So I always really get excited because

I'm always like, okay, can you send me your information? Because I think this person's doing that

and I want you to connect with that person or I want to help you

And that's what my faculty members did. Yeah. Yeah. And that's so, I mean, we hear it all the time that so much of the business is who you know

and who you're connected with and who wants to work with you. Yeah. And that is really special that you're at Amda working with people who are feet on the ground

in the shows doing the work currently. Yes. In a large regard

Absolutely. And on November 22nd, we will be announcing, live to the interwebs, our top 15 college and high school age competitors

who will get an opportunity to be mentored by our incredible judges and faculty

and it's once again so exciting to have AMDA part of this. And it's so informative too

Like any performer who wants to get into this business, being able to watch these tapes

putting the tape together is not easy. So everybody who did put a tape and submitted, that amount of work is not

lost regardless if they didn't make it in it's that amount of work that is

required so I am so proud of anyone who put one together but then if anyone did

and they get to the 15 please people vote because the amount of work that is

required to do a tape yeah it's a lot well and what great I just this has just

occurred to me what great practice for what is commonplace in our industry you've

got to be able to put together a self-tape so this is you know kind of self-tape

boot camp I really do think it's a degree you will audition students for AMDA via tape as well

And the more you get used to it, it becomes a machine

And that's what I was taught at AMDA. You just, it's repetition, it's experience, keep on doing it

Whether or not you win or not, because I will not always win everything. I won't book everything, but it's like, oh, I did it again and I did it again, I did

it again, regardless of whether or not the outcome is how I want it to be. Yeah

It's the journey, not the destination. Isn't that what we're saying? It's the journey

Well, continued success. I can't wait to come see Drag the Musical with you

And I'm so excited to meet our finalists for Next On Stage

brought to you by Amda College of the Performing Arts. Lots on the line here

So make sure you tune in, vote frequently, vote often, and make sure that you tune in

And thanks for being here with me at Amda