Guest Speaker Cecelia Ticktin Speaks to Oakwood Performing Arts Students About Becoming a Broadway Actor

Actress Cecelia Ticktin, the current Elphaba Standby in the National Broadway Tour of Wicked, graciously came to speak to Oakwood's Performing Arts Students on Wednesday. Ticktin recounted that at the age of ten, during a Broadway performance of Les Miserables, after feeling a connection with the lead actor, she decided to pursue a career as a Broadway actor. While speaking to the students, Ms. Ticktin relayed it was her willingness to work much harder than others, an enormous amount of perseverance, and a slight touch of delusion, that allowed her to pursue her lofty goals and finally achieve her dream role.

Ms. Ticktin explained how a career on Broadway is exceptionally demanding and not as glamorous as one might think. She went on to relay the demands of her role as the Standby, explaining that she must be ready to perform as Elphaba at a moment's notice. Ms. Ticktin also mentioned she gets called on to make tough decisions about the performance; and although she questions if she should make the call, she has learned that is part of her responsibility. After passing along the wealth of information to our students, she then took time to sign autographs, and also pose for photos. We would like to thank Ms. Ticktin for making time in her busy schedule to share her sage advice with our students.