Stage and screen actor Jason Veasey holds FTC Masterclass
By Clarissa Biener
Photos by James Suckle
The Five Towns College community was inspired by a special masterclass with Broadway (A Strange Loop) and screen (Only Murders in the Building) actor Jason Veasey. Theatre Professor Mitchell Walker, who recently directed Nine, interviewed Veasey in the Performing Arts Center on March 26th.
“It’s always important to have people who are currently working in the industry to come talk to the students about what’s happening right now,” said Professor Walker. The masterclass especially gave theatre students the opportunity to hear directly from a successful actor in the field, who offered advice on the industry, followed by a Q&A in which students could ask Veasey questions. Veasey is a SAG Award nominee and two-time Obie Award winner.
Veasey talked about auditions as a way to introduce yourself, with the goal of booking the room, not just the job, saying “The key is to be prepared and be yourself, and to remember that an audition is just one moment in time.”
Veasey emphasized the importance of keeping in mind the reason you started acting in the first place so that you can anchor yourself. Having a prosperous acting career takes patience, and actors need to support each other, find the right scripts, and self-advocate.
In tandem with self-advocating can also come self-doubt. Veasey encouraged students to look at their experiences and emerging resumes to combat negative self-thoughts, as well as to listen to the people around them who support them. Students took the message to heart. “It’s okay to be confident in your abilities and talents,” said Musical Theatre major Ashlyn Daniels. “It’s okay to say, actually, yeah, I can sing, I can dance, I can act, I’m a whole package.”
Veasey explained that during the college years, professors are tasked with giving students the skills, confidence, and perspective to succeed, but it is the student’s job to find out what type of artist they are meant to be. “It (the masterclass) was a really good experience,” said Musical Theatre major Saija White, “[…] to think more about what I would necessarily want as a creative and not what other people necessarily want from me.”
“It was important to hear somebody who’s been in the industry, especially Broadway and film,” continued White. “Especially someone, as a person of color, hearing a person of color’s perspective on it and hearing someone who’s been successful.”
Students walked away with insight into the industry’s inner workings, as well as a resource in Veasey himself. “They have a connection to the industry now. There’s a new liaison to what’s happening in New York and abroad,” said Professor Walker. “They’re not alone.”
Students can follow Veasey on Instagram @veaseyville to keep up with his career and receive industry updates.
