Dwayne Interview
When you speak to young people, what is your motivational message?
My message is based around building a foundation in order to build a successful career or life for yourself. I share what I have used to achieve success in my life. Achieving success is not always going to be an easy road.
By creating a foundation a young person can separate themselves from crowd, and be a leader not a follower.
I also talk about how the world and the workplace is changing. You need to be able to adapt to keep up with that change. By the time you graduate, the world may be a very different place than it is now.
What is your philosophy?
I believe that taking control of your future is the most important thing you can do for yourself. I teach young people that someone else’s expectation of you does not have to become your reality.
If we can really focus in on ourselves, loving ourselves, trusting ourselves, then we can change the world. Your mind, your will, and your emotions are key components to help you believe in yourself and keep pushing forward. You need to know that you matter – that you can be a change maker.
Taking control of your future includes having self-discipline to get up in the morning and go to work or school. I was an athlete. To compete I had to have the discipline to work at my skills and improve.
My mother and father made sure that I understood exactly what rules there were in the house. And if I broke those rules, there were consequences. The same is true in your community. I had a lot of drug addiction and alcoholism in my family, and I realized I wanted to be opposite of that. I wanted to build my own future.
I realized I’ve got to make these things happen for myself.
What has your experience as a Broadway actor and singer taught you?
As a kid I played basketball. I worked hard at it. I would practice different shots over and over. With repetition and coaching you get better. When I started getting into theater, the discipline I learned from basketball helped me tackle eight shows a week.
I was also lucky to have mentors who taught me how to audition, what to wear, and how to handle a call back. It was on-the-job training.
My self-discipline also helped me. I would get to the show early. I would exercise my body and my voice every day to take care of myself, so I could perform.
When you audition, you sometimes must face rejection. How do you handle that?
I've heard so many “no’s” over the years, that “no” is embedded in my brain. I’ve learned that “no” leads to the next opportunity. I've had friends who left the business or gave up because of one “no.”
The word “no’ does not mean that you're finished and you're over. That one “no” could transform your life because it might lead you to something even better.
When you speak to young people, what is your motivational message?
My message is based around building a foundation in order to build a successful career or life for yourself. I share what I have used to achieve success in my life. Achieving success is not always going to be an easy road.
By creating a foundation a young person can separate themselves from crowd, and be a leader not a follower.
I also talk about how the world and the workplace is changing. You need to be able to adapt to keep up with that change. By the time you graduate, the world may be a very different place than it is now.
What is your philosophy?
I believe that taking control of your future is the most important thing you can do for yourself. I teach young people that someone else’s expectation of you does not have to become your reality.
If we can really focus in on ourselves, loving ourselves, trusting ourselves, then we can change the world. Your mind, your will, and your emotions are key components to help you believe in yourself and keep pushing forward. You need to know that you matter – that you can be a change maker.
Taking control of your future includes having self-discipline to get up in the morning and go to work or school. I was an athlete. To compete I had to have the discipline to work at my skills and improve.
My mother and father made sure that I understood exactly what rules there were in the house. And if I broke those rules, there were consequences. The same is true in your community. I had a lot of drug addiction and alcoholism in my family, and I realized I wanted to be opposite of that. I wanted to build my own future.
I realized I’ve got to make these things happen for myself.
What has your experience as a Broadway actor and singer taught you?
As a kid I played basketball. I worked hard at it. I would practice different shots over and over. With repetition and coaching you get better. When I started getting into theater, the discipline I learned from basketball helped me tackle eight shows a week.
I was also lucky to have mentors who taught me how to audition, what to wear, and how to handle a call back. It was on-the-job training.
My self-discipline also helped me. I would get to the show early. I would exercise my body and my voice every day to take care of myself, so I could perform.
When you audition, you sometimes must face rejection. How do you handle that?
I've heard so many “no’s” over the years, that “no” is embedded in my brain. I’ve learned that “no” leads to the next opportunity. I've had friends who left the business or gave up because of one “no.”
The word “no’ does not mean that you're finished and you're over. That one “no” could transform your life because it might lead you to something even better.
