We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Nestlerode recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

On March 11th, 2020 I taught a workshop introducing students to music and choreography from a Broadway show and facilitated a talkback (15 min Q & A between the audience and performers) for what we would soon find out had been the penultimate performance of Frozen on Broadway. I was in rehearsal for a concert I would be performing at the Florida Thespians Festival the following week, stepping in for one of the members of the band The Skivvies. On March 12th, I took the train deep into Queens to direct an after school rehearsal for an elementary school theater production as a part of the Disney Musicals in Schools residency program. After rehearsal we got the announcement that Broadway was shutting down. Over the next 24 hours, every job I was currently working, and every job I had lined up disappeared.

Because I work as an actor and a teacher, all of my jobs are predicated on arts organizations and/or schools being open. So in March of 2020, I — like so many others — had to pivot. It had been many years since I had taken a nannying job, but I was trying to convince myself to finish that care.com profile because I knew I needed to find some work. But there was a nagging voice in my head reminding me that I’d always said I wanted to find a job I could do remotely, and maybe this was the time to figure out how to do that. I never finished my care.com profile. Instead I invested in a business coach who helped me develop my ideas into my own small business.

Initially, I thought we’d just be expanding my private coaching studio and developing a marketing plan, but my coach guided me to articulate that I had a ton of knowledge from my 10 years of working in the industry as an actor. We also realized that there were a huge contingency of students who were about to graduate with college degrees in theatre, hoping to enter an industry that was completely shut down. I knew there were lots of things those students could be doing to prepare themselves for the return of the industry. But many of them were stuck in their parents basement wondering “what now?” So I built N2NYT: New to New York Theatre to answer that question and help the next generation of professional actors approach the start of their professional careers with a healthy mindset, and a solid strategy to build a life in the arts.

I’ve seen too many young artists burn out after “pounding the pavement” for a year, and I’ve seen the difference it can make in an artist’s ability to thrive in the long term, once they’ve been able to articulate their goals, strengths, priorities, and boundaries as an artist. Both of my courses help emerging and established professional actors do that, and so much more.

After working with clients for 2 years in the program, it’s clear that this kind of preparation is vital for all new professionals because there is a giant gap of knowledge between learning their craft and knowing how to pursue a career with no guidebook and no clear path to follow. Now that the industry has returned, it’s even more important for young artists to make sure they’re ready for all of the things that this career requires beyond simply knowing how to act, sing, and dance.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson that I’ve had to unlearn is that every actor has to “pay your dues”.

At every step of the process, actors are taught to accept crumbs. We are told over and over that the odds of us ever working are so slim, that we’d better so yes to everything and be grateful for any kind of work we get. Most of my clients start our work together with this message so deeply internalized that they don’t even realize it’s guiding their actions. The problem with this message is it leaves actors feeling like they have to put themselves out there for every kind of work in the hopes of getting anything, face rejection for projects they wouldn’t have wanted to do in the first place, and if they are offered a job, feel obligated to accept it without negotiation and put up with whatever treatment and salary the producers decide to pay them, all in the name of “paying your dues.”

This is not the way it has to be. I’m not saying turn down everything but a Broadway contract when you’re at the beginning of your career. But there’s a HUGE difference between accepting a contract because you feel you have to, and accepting a contract because you’ve weighed the pros and cons of the job against your own values and priorities and decided it’s worth it. It could be worth it because it’s a role you want to play, or at a theatre you want to work at, or for any other reason that you decide matters to you. I work with my clients to articulate their artistic vision, get specific about their goals, and realize they have the power to negotiate, and the right to say no. If you’ve taken the time to consider why you want to take a job then you will enter that contract feeling empowered and able to make the most of the experience.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I’ve built a career in the arts that is multi-faceted, and multi-hyphenated, meaning all of my work is in the arts but I switch roles often. Sometimes I’m an actor, sometimes a musician, sometimes an actor-musician, a director, a music director, or a private coach. That variety keeps me interested. By viewing our industry from so many different vantage points over the years, I’ve been able to gain a well-rounded perspective that I can share with my clients as they navigate an industry that has no clear path to follow and requires you to chart your own course.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Taylor Hooper Photography (for primary image and additional image in pink tank top) Kendra Irene (for additional image in black blouse) Playbill.com (for The Other Josh Cohen Opening Night photo)