The article delves into reasons and times she was grateful for not landing a role and covers aspects of her career from the beginning to present day.
A recent article in Playbill featuring Elon alumna Nasia Thomas ’15 highlighted the ups and downs of her career, influential teachers, and proud moments during her time in theater.
Thomas told Playbill that her interest in the spotlight first began during her childhood, seeing Broadway shows and immersing herself in the world of music. It extended further as she attended high school at the Governor’s School for Arts in Norfolk, Virginia. She graduated from Elon with a BFA in Music Theatre in 2015, and then took the world by storm on stages like The Kennedy Center and the Ahmanson in Los Angeles.
Her hard work and accomplishment in the theater industry does not go unnoticed by her alma mater as she joined fellow alumni in Elon’s “Top 10 Under 10: A celebration of young success” in May 2022. The event honors accomplished alumni for their continuous loyalty to the Elon community and their professional success.
In addition to her alumni recognition, Thomas was featured on Today at Elon for her first big break on Broadway back in 2016 for her role as Little Eva in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
That was just the beginning.
She was featured extensively throughout the next few years for her roles on Broadway, including her work in “Ain’t Too Proud: The Temptations Musical” in 2018, and her lead role in the Drama League-nominated streaming version of “The Last 5 Years.”
Although it may have all seemed to go seamlessly, her first night on the Broadway stage didn’t initially go as planned, Thomas told Playbill.
“I remember calling my mom and saying, ‘I’m making my Broadway debut tonight,’” Thomas explained in the Playbill article. “None of my family could be there until Friday, so I called up one of my best friends, Jake Sokoloff. The show was able to comp him in to see me. I remember coming out to bow, and my breath was taken away. It was exhilarating!”
Thomas is used to this ‘go with the flow’ attitude in the theater business and has learned to adopt the mindset that everything happens for a reason. This is reflected all the time in her career when it comes to callbacks for roles.
“In 2019, I auditioned for my dream role Nala in ‘The Lion King’ tour,” Thomas said in the Playbill article. “I was doing ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ at the time, and I got the call that it wasn’t going my way…I was devastated. But then something clicked in me, and I said, ‘Nasia, there is a reason you didn’t book this job, this tour. Because something is coming. Something is coming.’ And that night I had the best show of ‘Ain’t Too Proud.’ I felt confident, and I felt strong, and I felt hopeful.”
Read the full article in Playbill to learn more.