Education Spotlight: THE CHER SHOW'S Teal Wicks

Education takes center stage in BroadwayWorld's new Education Spotlight education series. We ask Broadway stars a survey of questions about their college experience and how its made them the performer they are today.

Next up is Teal Wicks, currently gettin' groovy playing one iteration of the incomparable diva Cher in The Cher Show. Find out how her education played its part in bringing her to Broadway!

Name: Teal Wicks

Show you're in: The Cher Show

Role(s) you play: Lady

College/University you attended: University of California Irvine

Favorite professor and/or class: Dennis Castellano. NY Satellite Program

What did you learn in school that has helped you most in your career?

To be a sponge and absorb anything and everything you can whether you think it's important to your craft or not. I found so much inspiration in my non-theater classes, traveling abroad, and my various survival jobs. I still tap into those reserves for artistic inspiration today.

What's the best piece of advice you ever got from a professor or other instructor?

It took me the first couple years in college to really focus on my training. I was figuring out who I was in this new chapter of my life, having a great time, making life long friends, but not super focused on my future career path. So, one day one of my professors called me out, she said "You need to decide if you want to be a rockstar or an actor." And although I always dreamed of being a rockstar, I realized I had a real opportunity to make a career out of being an actor (and then hopefully get to play rockstars later on). But to become a professional actor, I needed to buckle down and do the work. So, I did and I fell in love with the process of researching and developing characters.

What do you wish you could say to your college-age self knowing what you know now?

I would tell myself to finish my minor in Business that I started, but abandoned in the last year of college. It took me a long time to understand the business side of showbiz as a professional actor. You are your own business from day one and you have to carefully cultivate it on your own. Even if you have an incredible team supporting you, YOU are the CEO, the CFO, head of HR, and the product itself.

What advice would you give to aspiring theatre students?

Work hard. Be kind. Be a collaborator. Stay humble and know there is always something new to learn. And trust that no one in the world is like you and can do what you do best.

Superstars come and go. Cher is forever.

For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture - breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries, and letting nothing and no one stand in her way.

The Cher Show is her story, and it's packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: The kid starting out, the glam pop star and the icon. The Cher Show is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy, an Oscar, an Emmy, and enough Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequins shortage in New York City, all in one unabashedly fabulous new musical.

For tickets, visit thechershowbroadway.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos; Production Photo Credit: Joan Marcus