For our very first episode, we were so excited to be joined by actor Nihar Duvvuri (John Proctor Is The Villain, Romeo + Juliet, SMASH). Our conversation ranged from discussing why Gen Z craves theater now more than ever, to expressing what representation means to us, to navigating the chaos of a Broadway dressing room.

Nihar booked his first major gig as a second-year student at NYU, which ended up being a project that he would go on to describe as “wild” and “anxiety-inducing.” The pressure of being young in this industry is far from understated, and I think we all can identify with that anxiety-filled moment when you finally get to prove yourself. I think anyone early in their career, or even in the process of switching careers, can recognize that feeling of being thrown into the deep end and choosing to swim anyway.

What We Learned (Or Were Reminded Of)

⭐️ Commercial success ≠ having your life figured out. You don’t need to have it all figured out to be successful.

⭐️ Audition processes can be really long… but they can also be really short.

⭐️ Focus on the art.

⭐️ Originality and specificity resonate.

⭐️ Let yourself be cringe.

Something that stuck with me after we filmed the episode with Nihar is how chill he is about all of it. He’s mentioned that maybe he doesn’t quite know the scale of what he’s done so far. I found his grounded perspective to be really refreshing. I think part of why great art is great isn’t because it’s painfully self-aware, but because it centers the work and the instinct of knowing when something just feels right. I believe the same can be said about great artists. All in all, many of his words reminded everyone in the room of why we do what we do.

“Be a kid… and follow your instincts.” —Nihar Duvvuri

Check out this week’s episode to hear all about How Nihar Duvvuri Got On Broadway.

Resources

John Proctor Is The Villain

Romeo + Juliet

SMASH (Workshop)

NYU Tisch School of the Arts

—uchenna agbu 💫