A Look Back at Adrienne Walker Navigating Rejection as a Broadway Actor

About this episode

The episode features a conversation with Adrienne Walker about navigating rejection and finding purpose as a Broadway actor amidst challenges.

Rejection is a constant in this business, even when you’ve had success. Some days you take it in stride, other days it can really sink in deeper than you expect. I’ve had plenty of moments where I questioned whether I was on the right path, wondering if I should leave New York or perhaps find another career altogether. At times it has been a real challenge to balance hope with reality. And there was no clearer example of that, for all of us, than during the Covid shutdowns. That’s when I met actress and singer Adrienne Walker and asked her to come on the podcast. She's appeared on Broadway in The Lion King and Kiss Me, Kate as well as the Dirty Dancing national tour. It’s hard to believe that it was five years ago—in the midst of our industry being turned upside down—that she and I sat down and talked about finding purpose as actors and the determination to keep going. That’s something that remains an issue even after the pandemic. Whether professional projects or personal goals, whatever comes her way, Adrienne handles the ups and downs with perseverance and humor. She shows us that resilience isn’t some grand gesture, it’s the steady, everyday choices that make the difference…

People in this episode

Host: Patrick Oliver Jones

Guest: Adrienne Walker

Topics covered

• rejection
• Broadway
• resilience
• acting
• perseverance
• career challenges

Keywords

• rejection
• Broadway
• acting
• resilience
• Covid
• career
• perseverance

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Lion King, Kiss Me, Kate, Dirty Dancing

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