Megan Billings is a NYC-based actress, singer, and dancer who is an inspiration to us all. She is our understudy for the role of Pam Chapman. Her story:
"Growing up in Sacramento, California, I spent my summers watching musicals in the folding chairs of The Sacramento Music Circus, back when it was still just a tent with no air conditioning. It was there - and in front of the TV watching The Music Man on VHS - that I first developed a love for the transformative storytelling that happens through the delightful medium of the musical.
After college, I moved to Oklahoma City to pursue my Master’s in opera performance. (I think I was afraid of the dancing!) It was there that I met my husband, and we spent many weekly date nights ballroom dancing. After a couple of seasons working for a professional opera company, I still wanted to do musical theatre more than anything else. I began dancing more seriously and found that…I LOVED it. My sweet, supportive husband agreed to pick up his life and move to New York in order to allow me to pursue my dream.
In the midst of planning our move, I was told that I’d need to have my thyroid removed to address thyroid cancer. Having to undergo a thyroidectomy might be a singer’s worst nightmare because the surgeon has to be so incredibly careful to not damage or sever the nerves that serve the vocal cords, and even if the surgery goes perfectly, the voice is impacted and requires some rehabilitation.
But by the grace of God alone, I came through the surgery, cancer-free, singing, and living in New York doing what I love to do.
If you have a dream that is being threatened and all seems lost, this one’s for you. Your story's not over yet."
Megan