Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Tuckman
Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I studied comparative literature and theatre in college, and planned on moving to New York to pursue the dream. I booked my first show in Boston before I graduated, so I moved there and would drive into nyc with my handy backstage newspaper in hand, circling open calls and crashing with friends. When I got into the Bacchae, I moved into my friend’s closet which held one full mattress, and nothing else. I began to pursue my passion. When I was 24, my beloved grandpa passed away, and his dying wish was that I go into teaching. I got into NYU’s education program to teach theater, and stayed an extra 6 months to get my English certification as well. I thought I’d get a year long gig to fund my acting classes and rent. I ended up landing a coveted position teaching English at the prestigious Brooklyn Tech, and I stayed 10 years, starting a booming theatre program and directing teenagers and watching them excel. While working on Hamlet’s soliloquy with one of my students, he turned to me and said, “it’s your turn to follow YOUR passion. You have given so much to us all. Give back to yourself.” So I did. I went back to acting full time, and academic tutoring to pay the bills. I have been acting and producing theater and film ever since!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Finances have always been a struggle. Balancing making money with creative passion is difficult, especially as I want to continue to train and grow. I also had a surprise pregnancy in my late 30s which caused me to put my Broadway dreams on hold in order to look after this amazing, tiny human. It is also difficult to navigate the constant rejection, while still owning my sense of self and confidence in my craft.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actor, a producer, and an academic tutor. I straddle both worlds fairly equally, auditioning, creating, and taking production meetings by day, tutoring in the afternoon and evening. When I’m in a play or tv show or film, that timeline shifts. I’m incredibly proud that I am able to balance both worlds while also (trying;) to be an attentive and loving mother. I tutor ACT, and SAT prep, as well as college essay, geometry and algebra. I work in all theatrical mediums and love the creativity that both worlds enable me.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
There is a definite fear of AI taking over in both the tv and film world, and in the academic world. Both of these fields require such creative and individualized thought and preparation; it is my hope that we can use AI as a tool, as opposed to it taking over these disciplines. I anticipate alot more technology in both fields as well, as we are seeing with the shift to an all digital SAT, and more and more technology incorporated into tv and film. So I see that happening in both of these industries in the next 5-10 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emilytuckman.com
- Instagram: www.prismprep.com
