Carmen Cusack

Taking the arts out of schools is a terrible mistake.

I didn't get jobs because when I went into the audition, I tried to be somebody else. I had to realize, what I can actually bring to the table is unique. No one else has experienced what I've experienced; no one else has walked in my shoes.

It's hard for some parents to give their children compliments.

I grew up in the church. My mother was highly religious. I was singing at the age of five for big congregations.

My mother had me when she was 16, and that was an issue that had to be dealt with. She grew up in a very religious background, and there was a lot of discussion of what they should do with this unborn child. But here I am, and thank goodness.

I didn't know I was going to go into musical theater necessarily. It was never planned. I just kind of fell into it because I knew I wanted to act, and yet I had this opera training... I knew I had a voice.

We will always need to be reminded that we are human. Art gives us that.

An accent always helps me ground a character. It also helps to remind me what age I'm playing.

To be honest with you, most of the time the ingenue roles are a little bit dull and boring, in my opinion.

I believe there's no reason why we couldn't be entering a new age of musical theater if we continue to nurture young talent, take risks, and give them a playing field.