Nick Blaemire traveled from Broadway to Iona’s Doorley Auditorium, the hidden home of the Iona Players.

On Sept. 25, students gathered in the auditorium hoping to get a tip or two from a professional actor. During the theatrical workshop hosted by the Iona Players, Blaemire came to teach theater aspirants the tricks of the trade when auditioning professionally or locally.

Blaemire began the workshop by opening himself up to the group, admitting that the acting bug bit him at the age of three. He followed with sharing his background in theater, mentioning previous shows he has performed in, his first being “Evita.” He then worked with three different students on 16 bars of their own song choice, advising them on how to portray their own personality through an audition song.

Blaemire’s positive attitude and encouragement engaged students, getting a laugh from the crowd when he said “don’t be afraid to be terrible at first when singing.”

“I want students to be able to chase their dreams the same way that Nick did after this workshop, [and] to never stop learning about their craft,” said senior Laura Lubrano, who invited him to conduct the workshop.

Blaemire emphasized how important determination and confidence are when going into an audition. In this career path, determination is a key element when getting something accomplished. He reminisced on “Godspell” where he had to master playing guitar while singing and jumping on a trampoline at the same time. He finally admitted he achieved this challenge by the end of previews for the show. His career has led him to write a musical, which he is composing the book, music and lyrics for, titled “A Little More Alive.” The show is set to premiere at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre this spring.

“It was great to learn from a professional actor first hand who has experienced the struggle and the success,” said sophomore Steven Pearce. “He was able to relay all sorts of information and it was extremely helpful, considering I’m an aspiring actor.”

Concluding the workshop, students requested if Blaemire could sing something for the group. Blaemire sat down on the piano and chose the song “Balancing,” a song he wrote for his band.

Blaemire’s theatre resumé includes the Broadway shows “Godspell” and “Cry-Baby,” numerous off-Broadway shows, and touring and regional credits such as “Dogfight,” and “The Last Goodbye.” Blaemire has shared the stage with stars like Corbin Bleu and Hunter Parrish, along with Wicked’s newest Elphaba and Fieryo duo, Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena. Not only does he spend time on New York City stages, he also has seen some screen time in several television series. He headlines his own band, “Nick Blaemire and The Hustle.”

“To see people going through their education who love this art form as much as I do makes me feel like we’re all trying to figure it out together.” Blaemire said. “It reminds me of what’s important about making theater, and I’m constantly inspired by the discoveries that get made in a classroom environment. I hope I connected to the students in the workshop, because they definitely affected me.”

Donations from the workshop were collected to be given towards the Players’ philanthropic organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.