Story & Lesson Highlights with Alyssa Cassese of New York

We recently had the chance to connect with Alyssa Cassese and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Alyssa, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Thank you for having me! Overall, I think that I’ve always been pretty risk-averse and am definitely type-A when it comes to both major and minor life changes/choices. Historically, I’ve been pretty obsessed with my yearly plans and following my step-by-step guides to achieve my goals.

As I’ve gotten older, though, I feel like I’m becoming more inspired to go after the things I want and more willing to seize every moment, even if that means taking big jumps. I’ve definitely become eager to try new things, chase new experiences, and form new relationships, even if that means letting the go-with-the-flow people in my life take the wheel.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Alyssa Cassese (Alyx, if you’re nasty) and I’m a genderfluid performer and writer currently based in New York City. I published my first queer fantasy novel as a freshman in high school before transitioning into on-stage work and earning my BFA in musical theatre. I have been working professionally as an actor in NYC for the last four years, specializing in the development of new theatrical works. In addition to my work Off-Broadway and on other stages in New York, I’ve worked on feature films, short films, audio dramas, concept albums, and video games.

Outside of work, I’m a big jigsaw puzzler, science fantasy reader, and geek about the OG Sherlock Holmes stories.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I’m definitely very lucky in that I’ve retained a lot of the zest for life and creativity of my childhood. My family was always supportive of me writing “books” by hand on reams of printer paper, and many teachers of my early life encouraged my passion for storytelling alongside my academic growth. I do think that the me of the past was less guarded with their vulnerability, as the world can be rough on the weird kids, and I’ve absolutely retained some of that tendency toward isolation, but overall, I like to think that I’m quite similar to how I used to be. I had to give the salutatory address at my high school graduation, and my whole speech was about how great it is to be a weird little freak, so I’ve definitely kept that aspect of my childhood alive.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
Being authentically true to myself, absolutely. When I first graduated from college and entered the entertainment industry, I was very concerned with the opinions of others and presenting myself as someone they would want to hire, especially in terms of appearance. I was terrified to cut my hair or present in a manner that made me more confident in myself and my body, in fear that it would result in me losing out on work. However, after some career disappointments and failures, I decided that I was done trying to make myself palatable, and pursued what felt true to myself. Since then, I’ve seen a massive positive difference, both in how I view myself, and in how my work benefits from me feeling comfortable and confident. It turns out that following your authenticity actually benefits both your personal and professional lives. Who knew!

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I remember being told, especially in my college theatre program, that it’s vital to be a kind and humble performer, because the only people who consistently work in the industry are those who are a joy to work with. I believed it, at first, because I knew of so many amazing humans who worked on the biggest stages, and thought that the sentiment behind the lesson was beautiful and inspiring.

I’m still relatively new to the industry, but I’ve learned firsthand that the “only kind, genuine people work consistently” platitude is extremely far from the truth. It can be demoralizing to watch people succeed who you’ve seen harm others, when you’ve been told that their attitudes or actions would blacklist them, but it only reaffirms my belief that kindness and generosity must be given without expectation of reciprocity. I think it’s harmful to tell young people in the industry that being kind will result in work and that those who succeed are inherently good people – it’s much more valuable, in my opinion, to encourage kindness without expectation, instead of promoting false ideas equating moral goodness with industry success. Making the conscious effort to be a kind and genuine person, purely out of love for humanity and because it makes the world a nicer place to live, will always mean more than kindness only given because you expect something in return.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Right now, it’s more important than ever for me to collaborate with and work alongside developmental artists in as many markets as I can. It’s a real priority for me to connect with as many people as possible, especially in the realm of theatre, since those ideas can take many years to develop into larger-scale projects. I’m focused right now on cultivating the working relationships I’ve developed in New York while trying to make new connections across the pond, in the hopes that my career in ten years will be full of collaborators from all over.

On a personal note, I’m trying to do as many push ups and stretches for my lower back as I can each day. I’m not getting super jacked quickly, nor can I see the stretches keeping my back in working order, but I hope that my everyday mobility exercises keep my joints feeling okay in my 30s!

Contact Info:

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm_NwQ4Kx72KJPtV6vmP1VA
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12995860/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_2_nm_5_in_0_q_alyssa%2520cassese

Image Credits
Leilani Carr, Brie Underwood, Lexi Webster