In the past year of the Playbill feature series How Did I Get Here, actors, directors, designers, musicians, and others who work on and off the stage to create the magic that is live theatre shared their journeys to Broadway.

These diverse artists also offered much hard-earned advice—tips for those starting out in the business and words of wisdom they would have offered their younger selves. Read some of their advice below, and click here for the full series of interviews.

Actor Scott Bakula
"I always tell people starting out to get involved in the theatre at any level. Performing live is great training for a young actor, and being connected to the community that surrounds live theatre is invaluable. You learn to appreciate all aspects of production, often wearing many hats to get the show ready for opening night, and you learn to take care of yourself, your props, your wardrobe, etc. There is a great sense of teamwork and collaboration that the theatre insists on, and if you’re lucky, ultimately the process can be a magical and often transformative experience. There is nothing like live performance. Yes, AI looms, but I believe it can never replace the thrill and the surprise of seeing real people create art in front of you!"

Stage manager Bryan Bauer
"It’s very easy to get lost in the details and the routine aspects of our job, but make sure you can zoom out a bit. I think perspective and being tuned in to the vibes is just as (if not more) important than a great call or a perfect run sheet. Also, be someone people want to be around and show up as a teammate. It is 10 times easier to navigate challenges when you have taken the time to forge trusting and meaningful relationships with the people you’re supposed to be leading."

Actor Daniel Breaker
"What people think of you is none of your business. Be bold with your creative self. Take artistic risks, set the trend of what art should be. Art is built by the artists, not the reviewers."

Actor Bryson Bruce
"The advice I would give anyone starting out is to absorb everything! I auditioned for just about all the school plays and musicals, and with each new script I absorbed, I learned so much about different character types, writers, directors, you name it. I also absorb a lot of TV, and my favorite thing to do is turn on subtitles and talk along with the lines being said. If they said it quicker or slower than how I said it, I try to find out why. I learn so much about how they’re playing the character, and I learn more about my own acting instincts."

Actor Justin Collette
"My advice I would give to anyone starting out is to not forget to grow as a person while growing as an artist. It’s important to refine your skills, but it is critical that you grow as a person. Don’t spend all your time with other artists. Do a liberal arts degree if you can afford it. Do therapy if you can afford it. Fucking read. Read opinions you disagree with. You’ll never be good at pretending to be other people if you don’t know what other people are like."

Costume designer Christian Cowan
"My main advice I would give to a younger creative is to not ask for too much advice, but identify those people you can come to, and rely on their thoughts. I would also say stay true to what you creatively are excited by, because that is what will excite the world."

Composer Kate Diaz
"One piece of advice I hold close is to always remember the joy you felt when you first started playing music, and never lose that as it becomes your profession."

Actor Brandon Victor Dixon
"Keep going. Try everything. Say yes now so you can say no later. Do not let fear keep you from pouring yourself fully into things."

Actor Linedy Genao
"I spent many years doubting myself and dealing with imposter syndrome. The advice I’d give Linedita is: Do not be afraid! You may think there's not a chance for you, but there is. Don't wait for anyone to give you permission to follow your dreams. Bet on yourself. You are more than enough."

Costume designer Marg Horwell
"There is no one way to make a career in this industry; find your own path. Find your people—this can take time, but it's the most rewarding thing when you get to make work with your creative soul mates. Building a career can take longer than you think: If you haven't found great success by the age of 30, you are not a failure! Document your work properly. The amazing thing about theatre is that it is live for the time the season runs, but make sure you properly record the work you have done before it disappears.

"Also, someone once told me to never scrimp on shoes, and it's excellent advice. Buy actors good shoes."

Actor Chilina Kennedy
"Be yourself. It sounds hokey, but it's true. You can never be anyone else and if you try, you'll only be a lesser version of someone else instead of a full version of you. And take risks. Other people are doing it, so why can't you?"

Lighting designer Jack Knowles
"Find a hobby or interest that will encourage you to interact with people outside of the industry and will allow you to switch your mind to somewhere else. Theatre can become all consuming far too easily, and it’s very easy to be sucked into the theatre bubble with your mind constantly thinking about the projects you are working on, making it hard to confront challenges with a clear head. Spending time interacting with people from outside our industry is a great way of distracting and allowing for ideas to come fresh. I find a lot of my design ideas come when I’m either cycling or swimming, when I’m having to concentrate enough to distract me from constantly thinking about my current projects. My big escape from theatre is playing water polo—I am so grateful to have a club to play with that can accommodate the varied nature of theatre. Having the commitments outside of theatre allows me to stop theatre being all-consuming, as well as remind myself of my own love for it."

Actor Jeremy Kushnier
"It's advice that I give to anyone who asks, and that is: If you really love doing this and can’t imagine anything else that you’d rather do, then don’t let anyone get in your way of doing it. It will be hard, but if you’re doing it cause you love it, you will always be successful."

Actor Beth Leavel
"My advice to my younger self (artists starting out) would be—your singularity is your greatest gift. So learn, grow, experience, listen, be persistent! Be kind!"

Actor Ainsley Melham
"Just lean into that which is unique to you. For so long I tried to guess what casting directors wanted to see. Now I just offer up what I have within me."

Actor Alan Mingo, Jr.
"Patience. This profession will throw a lot at you, and it’s easy to want to do everything all at once. When I was younger, as soon as I got a show, I was already looking for the next one. I would tell my younger self to slow down, relax, and truly enjoy the opportunity right in front of me—right now, today."

Actor Adam Pascal
"Don’t take it personally, there’s nothing personal in this business. It’s not personal when it’s good, and it’s not personal when it’s bad. We’re all essentially expendable in some way, so if you rely on show business for validation, you will consistently be let down."

Costume and scenic designer Clint Ramos
"Find your people. Go where the love is. You may be physically hungry, but at least if you find your people, you will always be spiritually fed."

Sound designer Dan Moses Schreier
"Be an omnivore and take in everything. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind wide open."

Stage manager Justin Scribner
"I think young people (I include my younger self here) need to discover for themselves what makes them tick. I have always had a strong sense of self, but I did look to others for validation and guidance and ultimately found that I was the only one who could see clearly what was best for me. The thing we often forget is that we are the captains of our own proverbial ships. While you’re learning what it is you truly want and works best for you, I hope you’ll find joy where you can and lean into it. I hope you have deep conversations and find your way into relationships that lift you up. I hope you won’t obsess too much over what’s right and wrong—it’s truly all relative. I hope you’ll see perfectionism and laugh at it. We don’t need to have all the answers. We can be soft and vulnerable. We can try different things, and you can fail. It’s probably best if you do anyway, so you can see what you’re made of and which direction you really want to head."

Actor Christopher Sieber
"Pay attention to the human zoo. Get off your phones and social media if you want to know human behavior. We (humans) are weird creatures. Talk to each other without a phone. Listen to each other without a phone.

"Say 'yes' as much as possible. There is always something amazing that will come from that. Even if it’s a bad experience or not a good show, you will have the experience and, most of all, knowledge of what you don't want. Plus, think of all the fun stories you will also have!"

Actor Jason Tam
"Save your money when you have it, and don't spend money you don't have.

"Say yes to everything, until it's time to say no. Saying yes will allow you to build relationships with a wide array of collaborators, and many of those partnerships will last your entire career. Eventually you'll reach a point where you'll want to start shaping your career more specifically, and one way to do that is to be more selective about the things you say yes to. It's different for everyone, but you'll know when you get there."

Lighting designer Justin Townsend
"Stay dangerous. Set designer Doug Stein shared that idea with me, and I repeat it often. When we’re starting, we have to stay nimble and ready—we have to do our best to be ready to pivot and make any opportunity work. Careful of debt, expenses, leases, relationships that don’t support our dreams and efforts—it’s not an easy field and requires, in my experience, a dedicated effort."

Actor Tryphena Wade
"I would tell those starting out in this industry to explore all your interests and cultivate a life that you enjoy. This career can be all-consuming. And at times, you have to have blinders on in order to focus and ascend. But it’s so important to have a life that you enjoy outside of the business. There will be many ups and many downs, and in order to ride the wave in a healthy way, you have to have other things that you can give your attention to and find joy and fulfillment in. A diversified life experience gives you a point of view, which allows you to embody a variety of characters and tell a variety of stories."

Actor Teal Wicks
"I wish I could give my younger self that confidence to let go and move on from all the extreme emotions of not getting the job, but that’s not realistic because you have to go through that pain to come out of it and rise above it.

"But what I really wish I could do is go back in time and buy an apartment in NYC after my almost three-year stint with Wicked. Ugh, just knowing what I could have afforded at the time compared to what it would be worth now is so annoying."