The saying goes: "Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes." We never know what talents a stranger may possess or what hardships they've had to face, so it's always better to not judge a book by its cover.
If you were in New York in 2008, you might have passed Terri White as she slept in the street, recently evicted and having no place to live. You might have breezed on by and had no idea that she used to perform on Broadway, the pinnacle of live theater. She was even nominated for the medium's highest award, the Tony, when she appeared alongside Glenn Close in the musical Barnum.
But how does one go from performing on Broadway to being homeless?
At the time of her eviction she had been performing both on stage and in concert venues for decades with little to no other work experience. A recent economy slump left her without any job prospects as producers just weren't producing as many shows… and Terri was too proud to ask for help. Even concert gigs in some of her regular venues were hard to come by as the club owners were looking for a new style.
As she told the New York Times, "They wanted to bring a younger crowd in. And I'm old."
White took work when she could, earning just enough to cover her phone bills and keep her health up, but she was nowhere near where she needed to be physically or mentally to get back on the Great White Way.
Fortunately, one of New York's Finest, officer David Taylor friended the jovial woman he had met out on the streets and even went to see her perform. Realizing that a woman with such an incredible gift was unable to keep up her strength enough to continue to perform, he made some calls and was able to provide White with a rent-free basement apartment in nearby Jersey City.
White still struggled, even auditioning a failed 9 times to be cast in the Broadway production of Chicago, but eventually she made a triumphant return to Broadway in the revival of Finnian's Rainbow followed by Follies where she stopped the show cold 8 times a week tap-dancing alongside Bernadette Peters.
Terri White continues to look for her next Broadway show as she performs in theaters, cabarets and concert halls across America and she's even released a new album available on her website.
Terri White proves that hard work and hope can sometimes be enough to help turn a life around. Check out Terri's amazing vocal prowess and stage presence in the videos below and please SHARE if you enjoy these kind of inspirational stories of hope.
Check out Terri's amazing vocal power and stage presence in the videos below and please SHARE if you enjoy these kind of inspirational stories of hope.
