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Paul Canaan – Take It From The Top
Episode Summary –
Despite many assumptions of the performing art world getting diminished soon because of the TV shows and internet, instead, it is attracting new talents from all age groups to become broadway artists.
Becoming a successful broadway artist requires passion & love, but like any other field, you need to prepare and build yourself. In this episode, Paul Canaan shares his story of how he got into broadway and his journey of building two successful businesses.
Key Points Discussed:
- What are the things required for starting your career in broadway?
- How being a full-time performer is different from performing theatres in college?
- What can you learn from the “take it from the top” program?
- Which is the best performance of Paul Canaan’s as per him?
- How is the online world beneficial for the young artist and the upcoming artist?
- What is a must that every artist needs to do to grow in their career?
- How is the artistic world different now than 10 years back?
- What is Paul Canaan’s work from your happy place?
- What can you learn from the “top of the class” subscription to build your career in theatres?
Name of the Guest – Paul Canaan
About Paul Canaan:
Paul grew up in Novato, CA, and has performed and taught all over the world. As an actor, he most recently flipped across the stage in the original cast of the Tony award-winning musical Kinky Boots, as an Angel and Dance Captain. Other Broadway credits include Legally Blonde, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, La Cage Aux Follies, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Miss Saigon. Also, the National Tour of Annie Get Your Gun, Radio City Christmas Spectacular (New York), and regionally he performed at Papermill Playhouse in Miss Saigon and Carousel, and the Fords Theatre in Hot Mikado.
Paul served alongside casting director Bernie Telsey, and screenwriter Heather Hach as a judge on the MTV reality show “Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods.”
He also appears in the films Sex In The City 2 (including the movie soundtrack) and Across the Universe (directed by Julie Taymor). He partnered with director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell to launch The Original Production, a dance licensing company that offers high schools and regional theaters a digital instructional tool to learn steps and the licensing rights to perform original Broadway choreography: www.theoriginalproduction.com.
As a theatre educator, Paul founded the non-profit arts organization Take It From The Top with co-founder and Tony award nominee, Laura Bell Bundy, to allow aspiring young artists the opportunity to explore theatre with mentoring Broadway professionals: www.takeitfromthetop.org. He has taught and developed arts programs in New York with The Broadway League’s “Kids Night On Broadway” and served as a judge for The National High School Musical Theatre Awards – The JIMMY Awards. He also served as artistic director for the Broadway Dreams Foundation for four years.
Paul feels passionate about making performing arts education accessible for students everywhere to inspire confidence and create a pathway for young artists to achieve their highest potential.
Five Ways To Live Happier
All of us want to live happier, but with the stress of work, finances and responsibilities, sometimes it can feel impossible. That is why I recorded my new audio, Five Ways to Live Happier.