Caroline Bryant
The Southern Editor
After graduating from Florida Southern College last spring with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and a minor in communications, Morgan Bruewer continued with the Missoula Children’s Theatre for her second summer.
Returning, Bruewer was a veteran actor and director, touring around Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota with her partner Zach Pickle. Together, they taught casts of 64 children the show “Black Beard the Pirate.”
As her contract for the Missoula Children’s Theatre ended, her life-long family friend and dance teacher called Bruewer up. She told her she was moving to New York City and invited Bruewer to come with her. Dreaming of living in the Big Apple since she was a little girl, Bruewer didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“I’ve always wanted to move to New York, but career-wise, pretty much the center of musical theater in America is New York,” Bruewer said. “This is where most of the auditions are. Even theaters that perform in my hometown that hire professional actors, they all audition people up here in New York…so, it’s really the best place to be.”
So, in Aug. 2023, Bruewer settled into the Forest Hills area in Queens. When she’s not a section crew leader of the floral department at her neighborhood’s Trader Joe’s, she’s traveling downtown to audition for shows.
“I’ve been to a bunch of auditions and had a couple of call-backs,” Bruewer said. “We just started the audition season in January. It’s not like a formal title, but most theaters in America are open in the summer season because that is when it’s most profitable to be open, so these months from January to May are some of the most important months of the year for an actor auditioning.”
This “season” is when many non-union and union auditions take place. While Bruewer is currently a non-union actor, she will attend Equity Principal Auditions or Equity Chorus Calls at studios like Pearl of Ripley-Grier in hopes of being called in the place of a union actor.
“You’ll put your name on a list for an alternate for these equity auditions as a non-union actor,” Bruewer said. “Then, you’ll walk in, they’ll either accept the non-union list or they’ll reject it and start a new one. And then you sit around for the whole day and hope that maybe an equity actor has canceled their appointment.”
Bruewer will wake up at 3 a.m. to make these auditions in time, proving it takes grit and dedication to be an artist – especially in a city full of artists. But despite the early mornings, Bruewer doesn’t mind the challenges NYC presents.
“It definitely does take hard work and getting up at 3 a.m. to get downtown to go to the audition, or working your 5-1 shift and then coming home and filming a self-tape,” Bruewer said. “But I’d rather work hard and lay down a solid foundation and a solid career and a good reputation and kind of climb the mountain than take a shortcut or have a short-lived career.”
That’s also why Bruewer loves how the city emphasizes “betterment and continual education.” Sometimes, she’ll attend classes in Manhattan’s Steps on Broadway dance school to improve her technique. And while she hasn’t gone to them yet, she hopes to book sessions at the various acting academies available.
“I’m hoping in the next couple months to start doing those types of things to develop connections and networking and to also work with other people and better my craft,” Bruewer said.
Alongside self-enhancement, being surrounded by creative people has inspired Bruewer. No matter where she goes, someone will have a mindblowing backstory that exposes her to new possibilities she could’ve never imagined.
“You are surrounded by some of the most creative, inspiring, amazing people that are literally all around you,” Bruewer said. “Like my co-workers at Trader Joe’s: I found out the other day that one of them was the executive producer for “The Voice” in the Dominican Republic…and one of my other co-workers used to be a marketing intern for Nickelodeon.”
The city Bruewer dreamed of as a kid is exceeding her expectations. She said she could see herself living here for the rest of her life, possibly sticking to more residential areas as she grows older.
But no matter where in the city she ends up, the life-changing experience for her will stay the same.
“My favorite part is that there is endless opportunity,” Bruewer said. “If I could switch my career, I could. If I want to find a very specific boba type, I could find it. If I want to go to the MoMA, I can. There’s just endless opportunities career-wise, friendship, experiences, and all I have to do is have my Metro Card to get there.”
