3 replies to this topic

[Rosaline]

I think it is rare that anyone actually as a CAREER as an actor due to the fact that you get rejected so much you can't consider it stable. However, I am planning on being a Theatre/Education Major and was wondering if there were any others out there who are pursuing theatre as a job or at least as something to get paid on the side. I'm planning on teaching theatre at the high school level but then during the summers auditioning for whatever chances I can get.

My college's theatre professor says that I would get called back using monologues that I've rehearsed, and she seems very encouraging about me pursuing this, so I am assuming I have some talent. All the same, it would be a hard process to start small and get paid nearly nothing. Has anyone gone through this before?

I absolutely adore theatre, and simply working as an english/drama teacher at a high school while directing high school plays (like one a semester) would be fabulous. I would love to talk to theatre people who are interested in the art of acting or directing or anything else, especially those who are thinking of pursuing it further or who actually have. I know a lot of people who moved to Chicago this year after they graduated from my college to try and make a go at it. It's exciting, but scary!

[Misanthrope]

Yes, it is very rare because people so rarely follow up on their dreams. I considered Drama before deciding to major in Music, and did take an improv class I absolutely loved - though I couldn't stand our arrogant little professor. Classes were uncomfortably small so there was no getting around that annoying fact. Improvisation appealed to me for the mere fact I can't memorize lines unless they're set to music, and then I can't get the darned words out of my head! That being the case, I got my Music degree and performed professionally for most of my working career, made a great income and bucked the odds despite advice to the contrary. And I still can't get those lyrics out of my head! My point is, if a career in Theatre is what you want, just go for it, and it will happen. Don't listen to the naysayers, for they are generally motivated by jealousy. Sheer will and tenacity will always win out in the end.

I helped pay my way through college by working as a movie extra on productions which rolled through town quite often before Vancouver BC became Hollywood's locale of choice. Most of them were ABC movies made for TV, like "Divorce Wars" and "Innocent Love" with Melissa Sue Anderson, who some of us remember as Mary Ellen on Little House on the Prairie. I recall being shocked at how short and non-descript she was in person - not to mention her foul mouth. Sweet little Mary Ellen sweared like a Sailor on shore leave. I never looked at movies the same after that. Believe me - these actors look nothing like they appear on the big screen. Now that the US dollar is falling so radically I suspect Hollywood may abandon Canada and come back to the states for much of their filming. Doing extra work was fun and easy with a free lunch thrown it to boot, and the best part was I didn't have to memorize any lines. But you need to be located near a major metropolis to sustain regular work. For me, this is a huge drawback as I choose to live in the rural outback these days.

If you don't mind being located in a large city I see no reason why you shouldn't pursue theatre as a profession. Or, if you simply want to teach, you could avoid large cities altogether. Young people are increasingly choosing technical related careers over classical educations in the Liberal Arts, which leaves more acting opportunities for you! Nice thread starter, by the way. Do hope you stick around the Trap for the long haul.

[TikiPrincess]

Since I grew up in the Los Angeles area, I think almost everyone here considered acting as a career at one point or another in their lives, including me. I got bit by the bug when I was 8 or 9 and got a part in all the school plays all through high school, but my mom wouldn't let me audition for anything more than that. I took some professional classes in college and did some extra work, but auditioning is pretty grueling work and you have to have the self-confidence to withstand constant rejection for the most superficial things. I should probably thank my mom for saving my self-esteem.
One of my friends started out as a techie working backstage and kinda worked his way onto the stage by schmoozing with the producers and directors at parties. But it wasn't steady work, so he still worked backstage and had another part-time job to pay the bills and save up enough money to move to New York to do theater, since LA doesn't really have a thriving theater community. He finally had too many on-camera hours working as an extra so he either had to join SAG and pay their dues or stop doing any film or tv gigs. He's been in New York for over a year now, mostly taking classes and auditioning, but the competition is really tough.
It's always a good idea to have something to fall back on if your career doesn't pan out. Education is a great one since you have so much time off during the summer and your work day ends pretty early so you could possibly make it to some casting calls. I would do as the Queen of Evil suggests and take some improv classes. Most of the auditions that I went to handed you the script when you got there and you were expected to read off it rather than a prepared piece. It kinda sucks for us actors, but it's easier for them to compare the differences. My instructors always told me to try interpreting the piece in as unusual a way as possible, especially since they give you a pretty bare backstory if they give you one at all.
Good luck in your endeavor and I hope you're one of the lucky ones that make it!

[Mermaid711]

I act on stage and on camera.

Look out, I could be in Steven spielburg's next movie