Why Performers Need a New Approach to Booking their Dream Roles
You were trained to be relentless.
From your first day in drama school, the message was clear: push harder, do more, never stop. You were taught that success comes to those who sacrifice everything for the craft—your time, your body, your well-being. But here’s the truth no one tells you: this hustle and grind approach is not sustainable. And it’s not the only way.
I work with musical theatre performers every day who are burnt out, disillusioned, and quietly wondering, “Is it supposed to feel like this?”
They’ve booked dream roles, worked on incredible productions, and from the outside, it looks like they’re living the dream. But behind the scenes, they’re exhausted, anxious, and often doubting their own talent. The joy they once felt for performing has been replaced by pressure, perfectionism, and the constant fear of being “found out.”
And let’s be honest—the industry doesn’t make it easy.
You're expected to be physically strong, emotionally shut down, mentally sharp, and endlessly grateful—all at once. Eight-show weeks, cover runs, last-minute auditions, body image pressures, and financial instability—it’s a lot. And yet, there’s little to no support on how to actually manage this demanding lifestyle. No one teaches you how to nourish your body, manage performance anxiety, or create boundaries while navigating the highs and lows of a performing career.
But what if it didn’t have to be this way?
What if success didn’t require sacrificing your health?
What if the version of success you’re chasing is allowed to include joy, balance, and well-being?
The performers I work with are rewriting the rules. They’re learning to:
Build eating habits that fuel their energy and stamina
Set boundaries that protect their time and mental health
Manage stress, pressure, and rejection with emotional agility
Create a lifestyle that supports—not sabotages—their long-term goals
And here’s the best part: when you take care of yourself, everything else gets better. Your performances improve, your confidence grows, your recovery speeds up, and you begin to reconnect with the love you had for performing in the first place.
This isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing it differently.
It’s about stepping away from hustle culture and stepping into a version of success that actually works for you.
So if you’re nodding along, thinking “this is me,” then know you’re not alone. There is a healthier, more sustainable path—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.
This is your invitation to start building a performing career that doesn’t just look good on the outside, but feels good on the inside too.
