Dear Toni,

My name is Shantelle Canzanese and I am a twenty-three year old actress, singer and dancer. For as long as I can remember, I have always expressed a love for the arts. At the age of fifteen I auditioned for Wexford C.I., a high school for the performing arts. There, I gained life-changing experiences that made me realize that acting was my calling, and after graduating, I decided to turn my love for acting into a career. I then went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting at the University of Windsor.

I now have over eight years experience in the Industry and I’m lucky to have been a part of several independent short and feature films, several music videos, television show pilots, radio commercials, print ads, television commercials, plays, and multiple musical theatre productions. I am a versatile performer and my drive is very evident with strengths in sketch, improv and physical comedy. I am also an improv Instructor and have studied at the famed Second City Conservatory in Toronto. I have a well-trained singing voice and having studied with several vocal coaches over the past few years, my musical focus is in rhythm and blues and musical theatre with an Alto/Soprano vocal range. I can honestly say that I take pride in my ability to be a young, fearless performer and I strongly believe that failure is not an option.

This is my question for you Toni. When an actress moves to a new city, where does she begin? I have experience, but I feel as though I’m starting from the bottom again. Do you have any strategies for becoming successful in this city?

Sincerely,
Shantelle Canzanese