Thom Allison: Today’s Notable Young Professional

Today’s Notable Young Professional is actor Thom Allison, who you might recognize from the hit sci-fi adventure show, KILLJOYS, and who you can catch on stage this holiday season performing his two-act cabaret “Shut Up, It’s Christmas!” at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts and the Rose Theatre in Brampton. We caught up with him to find out what inspires him and what advice he would share with other young professionals… 

WORK

1. Describe what you do in less than 140 characters. Go.
I’m an actor, singer, coach, cabaret performer, writer and theatre director working across Canada, on Broadway and internationally. I play “Pree” in the Space Channel/Syfy hit, KILLJOYS.

2. What was the inspiration for your career route?
I don’t think I was inspired to begin with. I wanted to be an actor since I was four years old. I don’t even think I knew what that was but I feel like it chose me. At Ryerson Theatre School, I had an amazing singing teacher who made me realize what was possible when you tell a story in a song and I was hooked.

3. What is the most memorable milestone in your career so far?
2012 was a milestone year which began with finishing up my year-long run on Broadway. I was then called “the new great Canadian Musical Theatre Star” for my performance in Ragtime at the Shaw Festival, which led to hosting the Dora Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Tony Awards), and finally I was chosen as one of the three judges on the CBC reality show, Over The Rainbow. I could have died happy by Christmas.

thom-allison

4. Where do you see yourself in five years, 10 years, 20 years?
Five years – hosting a TV show (variety, cooking, travel), performing in stage productions that really interest me, directing theatre productions.
Ten years – Writing plays, producing productions, perhaps producing some television, directing theatre, teaching and coaching acting/musical theatre.
Twenty years – chilling out in my house in Maui (fingers crossed).

5. Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Study, study, study. Talent is only the beginning. A life in acting needs skills and technique. Learn and keep learning. Be really hungry for ways to be better. Bad actors are a dime-a-dozen. Go for greatness.

6. Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is it (or they) important to you?
I don’t support one charity in particular but I’m lucky enough to be able to sing for several charity events every year including LOFT Community Services, Voices of Hope for World AIDS Day, Gilda’s Club, Metropolitan Community Church Toronto and Fife House.

7.What is one major challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career? How did you overcome it?
I suffered from bulimia for about ten years. But the root of that was self-esteem and fearing that I wasn’t good enough. I realized one day that I was so tired of hating myself so much, I must be wrong; I must be worth something. I decided to just do my work and let the successes happen if they were going to happen and let the disappointments be lessons and not punishments. I didn’t want to let my fears rule me. I adopted the rule “Say Yes, and Throw Up Later”. It took time but I fought to find peace. And did.

8. What does the word notable mean to you?
Achieving high standards of success that are apparent even to people who don’t do or know much about what you do.

PLAY

1. Where is your favourite place to wine/dine in your city and why?
Le Select Bistro. It’s a french bistro with a beautiful, simple décor, an amazing menu and a fun, funky, welcoming staff. It became a favourite evening place after filming Over the Rainbow because it was down the street from the CBC.

2. What’s the most visited website on your Internet browser? The most played song on your phone?
Most visited website: I don’t know you well enough to tell you. 😉
Most played song: At the moment, Joni Mitchell’s Hejira (It was just in a show I was working on and I’m obsessed)

3. Who’s one person you think everyone should be following on social media?
Sharron Matthews.

4. What’s your favourite country to visit and why? And what’s the next one you plan on travelling to?
Italy. Why? Are you kidding me? It’s gorgeous, the food is amazing, the people are friendly and stunning, the architecture is breathtaking. There is no negative, y’all. Next: would love to do England.

thom-allison

5. What gives you the greatest FOMO?
Travel magazines. I have wanderlust and I love seeing new places. When I see magazines with incredible locales all over the world, I can’t help feeling people are living a glorious existence living and playing in paradises all over the world and I’m missing it.

6. What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
Laughing at the occasional cat video. . . only occasional… (now I’m embarrassed) Or eating 500ml containers of Hagen Daz’ Caramel Cone Explosion as a single serving.

7. What’s something you wish you didn’t spend so much money on? What’s something you wish you spent more on?
Too much money: food. I love eating out in great restaurants. Not enough money: musical orchestrations for my concert work.

8. And finally, what does success look like to you? Work, play, or otherwise…
Work, play and otherwise all bring me the same great joy and contentment.

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