..these are little known facts that now you know!

 

 

During my four years at University I never played an actual lead in a show. My friends Fred and Lisa weren’t given the chance either.  I decided to look elsewhere for the opportunities I was missing.  At the time it was frowned upon to go outside of the Theatre Department to do shows, but that's what I did.  I went out into the world...and by “the world” I mean the largest city in the area, which was only twenty minutes away.

I was confident I was completely prepared for venturing out into the cruel cold world. I had been performing constantly since I was 15. I had been taught and was being taught by some of the best teachers money could buy (...or should I say student loans could buy...). How much different could theatre outside of school really be?

What I found outside was the chance to do more shows and meet new people. And money. Producers actually wanted to give me money to perform in their shows. This was a crazy notion to me at the time. I had been performing non-stop for the last five years and not one dime was thrown my way. The experiences I had and the things I learned in those five years were beyond what money could give me. But there’s something to be said for being able to buy a new pair of shoes...

I recently read a blog post called “Things I wish I had been told in Theatre School” and it’s by Callam Rodya.  One of my Facebook friends had shared it and a few other friends totally agreed with the sentiments. Then I started seeing a lot of people liking the post and agreeing with it and sharing it. It’s a great post. Everyone has his or her own opinions based on their individual life experiences. There are some differences between what I’ve experienced in my travels after University and what's listed in Callam's bog.

I’m including the post in my blog. I don’t personally know Callam, nor do I know anyone who does. I have no way of getting his permission to include his work. I believe it’s better to give him full credit and acknowledgement (number 23). After all these are his truths and his opinions. I don’t dispute them. I can only compare them with my own, which are in italics.

 

Things I Wish I Had Been Told in Theatre School

Posted by Callam Rodya on March 17, 2013

 

Theatre school was great. It is great. But it can omit some of the more fundamental and important career lessons. School is, after all, a bubble. It’s not a natural professional environment. So, with what little wisdom I have regarding a career as an actor, here’s a list of some things I wish somebody had told me in theatre school. Some of these lessons, I had to learn the hard way. Others simply would have saved me a bit of time.

 

1.      “Stealing the show” is not a compliment. The ensemble is more important than your “moments”.

 

Everyone’s “moments” in the show are important. If the moment isn’t important it shouldn’t be there. If you have the ability, talent and focus, and a role that allows it, then you should steal the show. Every actor is on stage to shine and give of their talents freely and abundantly. But know there’s a huge difference between “stealing the show” and “stealing focus”.

 

2.      You’d be surprised how few people are willing to pay for theatre tickets when they aren’t your friends and family and have no personal connection to you whatsoever.

 

People do pay for theatre tickets when they don’t know directly someone connected to a particular show. However most won’t buy them from a random solicitation. My friend Dom sold theatre tickets on the street for a living, and it’s hard as hell.

 

3.      No, you can’t actually play forty and fifty-year-olds in your twenties. At least, no one will pay you to do it.

 

Plenty of non-equity summer stock theatres will gladly pay a younger person to play older. These places generally don’t offer a high enough wage to hire someone of the correct age. With age comes a greater fiscal responsibility. A forty year old man with a wife and 5 year old child cannot afford to go to Po Dunk, Miskantucka for $300 a week and still sustain his life and family in New York.

 

4.      By the same token, there are very few roles in the theatre for twenty-year-olds.

 

In straight plays there are very few roles for twenty year olds. The musical theatre world is saturated with roles for 20 year olds. Just look at the breakdowns where they're looking for an "girl" in here early twenties and her "mother" in her late twenties to early thirties. Do the math. It’s the 30-40 year olds that have very few roles.

 

5.      The stage manager always works much harder than you. And technically, you work for him/her, not the other way around.

 

You do not work for a Stage Manager. You work with a Stage Manager. You work for whoever signs the checks. The Stage Manager is that person’s (and the director’s) on site representative.

 

6.      Most people don’t get drunk on Opening Night…because they have a show the next day…idiot. Oh, and cast parties are more likely to be cast dinners.

 

Every cast party I have ever been to involves alcohol and it’s never been a dinner party.  I’ve found the amount of alcohol at cast parties is in direct correlation to the production budget of the show: the larger the budget the more the alcohol freely flows. Any responsible adult knows their limit, not to mention their ability to artistically function with a hangover the next day.

 

7.      Developing and producing your own work is the single MOST important thing you can do after you graduate.

 

This may be true for film and TV, but I have a very small point of reference for those mediums. For theatre most people behind the table want to see known works on your resume. It helps give them a point of reference as to your potential abilities.

 

8.      Background film roles don’t do shit for your career.

 

But they do pay the bills ...and buy shoes!!!

 

9.      Unions are awesome and the worst at the same time.

 

Can I get an “Amen”?

 

10.  When people said you would be poor thanks to your brilliant career choice, what they really meant was “completely fucking destitute.” And that’s okay.

 

You don’t have to be destitute because of your career choice and the scarcity of that work. The idea of the “starving artist” is a myth. Get a marketable skill to help pay for your life while you pursue your career. Everyone does it or has done it. See number 8.

 

11.  Auditions are on one level. Knowing the right people is a completely different level altogether.

 

Knowing the right people will get you nowhere. Having the right people know you and appreciate your particular talents will eventually get you everything those people have to offer, and that includes auditions, jobs and introductions to other people who will appreciate you.

 

12.  Directors, casting agents, and producers care as much about how easy you will be to work with as they do about how good you are for the role. If not more so.

 

OH HELL YES. The people behind the table would rather take someone less talented who is a genuinely nice and amiable person to work with over someone who is incredibly talent and impossible to work with.

 

13.  Remember how you used to have five weeks to get off book? NOPE. Get off book NOW.

 

It depends on the length of the rehearsal period and the desire of the director. Some directors prefer you not to be off book until all the mechanics have been worked out. Some expect you to walk into the first rehearsal completely memorized. When in doubt, ask.

 

14.  Save up a certifiable shit-ton of money if you’re going to move to Toronto. Like, a ridiculous amount. Student-loan worthy. That is, if you want to actually be able to go for auditions, take classes, network, and you know, any of those other career-building essentials.

 

I cannot agree with this more. My one caveat is that when you feel in your very bones that it’s time for you to move, do it. And do it then. But be prepared for an uphill battle. (More on this in another blog)

 

15.  Don’t do everything. Seriously. Know when to turn something down. And believe me, you’ll know.

 

Do everything that pays you a decent wage, promotes your career or feeds you inner artist. In the perfect world every job would do all those things. In the real world, you’re lucky if you get two of the three.

 

16.  It’s not unreasonable to expect to be paid for your work. And you should be. But you won’t always be. So when you do work for free, which will be a lot, make sure it’s work that you’re passionate about or will really be a career booster. And honestly, it should be both.

 

“No one is going to buy the cow if you keep giving the milk away for free”. And see previous comment.

 

17.  Ninety percent of casting decisions have nothing to do with how you perform in your audition.

 

I wish someone could get the actual percentages on this one, because I suspect it could be higher.

 

18.  Most of the time, when you don’t get the part, it’s not because you suck, but because of some other (probably superficial) reason altogether. Unless you suck.

 

No one sucks. The appeal of your talents may be limited... really limited, but since the performing arts are completely subjective, someone somewhere will hire you to do something. It just takes some artists longer to find that one person.

 

19.  Energy is more important than appearance. So get more sleep instead of wasting your time making yourself look good. After all, there’s always a hair and makeup person on set. There’s rarely a person to spoon-feed you caffeine and cocaine.

 

I could not disagree more with this. I believe both are equally important and feed off of one and other. If you're well rested you will have more energy. When you have more energy you look fresher more alive. When you look  fresher/more alive people naturally perceive you to be better looking. When think people find you attractive, you tend to be more energized.

 

20.  Take your “me” time. And cherish it. Because the pursuit of an acting career will totally consume your life.

 

The pursuit of a career should BE your life. But that life should include a wide range of unrelated hobbies and passions. It makes you more of a well-rounded interesting person and thus a well-rounded interesting actor.

 

21.  Don’t hide your “physical flaws.” Embrace them. And learn how to look at yourself objectively.

 

Know what you need to work on, be it posture, weight or some other thing, and work on it. However make yourself look the best that you possibly can at any given moment.

 

22.  Your “hit” is no joke. It’s what you’re selling. Either be okay with it, or figure out a way to change it and still look like a real human being.

 

I have no idea what a “hit” is. I can only guess that it means your “product”. If that's the case "see previous comment".

 

 

23.  No matter how big of a star you were in school, out here, you are just a part of a team. So act like it. And give credit where credit is due at every opportunity.

 

Always give credit where credit is due. And yes some people, who were stars in school, are stars out here. Never dim your light to become another bulb in a chandelier. See number1.

 

24.  Acting is actually easier than you want to believe it is. And more people can actually do it than you want to believe. And most people behind the scenes work harder than you do. So don’t be a diva.

 

Statement number one I disagree with. Acting is work. And to do it well not only takes work, it takes talent and dedication. Statement number two I disagree with as well. But since it’s subjective I’ll not comment on it. And whether the people behind the scenes work harder than you or not, don’t be a diva. See number 12!

 

25.  You are replaceable.

 

Very sad, but very true. There are a hundred people just like you waiting to take your job. And they’re happy to do it. So when you’re in a show, whether it be community theatre in Po Dunk, Miskantucka or the next big Broadway hit, cherish it. You are one of the fortunate few.

 

26.  The camera really does add ten pounds. No shit.

 

Yep. Sometimes 20!

 

27.  Stage and screen are completely different worlds requiring completely different approaches and are cast in completely different ways.

 

Yes, yes and no. The casting process is the same for everything. You walk in, display your wares, the people behind the table (or camera) look them over. You leave. They talk (sometimes they talk and then you leave). This continues until they’ve seen everyone they want to see. They meet and decide who’s going to be cast. Of course there will be callbacks involved but callbacks are just more of the same “display and look and talk” dynamic.

 

28.  You thought there was “technique” to acting on stage? Just wait till you get some serious face time with the camera.

 

No more or less technique is needed for on camera work...just a completely different technique that needs to be completely hidden.

 

29.  Rehearsals are a luxury. Don’t waste them.

 

Oh yes, and not a time for socializing or romancing. Save that for the lunch break and the cast house.

 

30.  It is not okay to be drunk, stoned, high, or any other kind of intoxicated while you work. Not for “professionalism” reasons. But because you are, in fact, worse.

 

We need not go any further than it is unprofessional.

 

31.  Try not to get discouraged/cynical/jaded/resentful too early. This is a tough business. That’s just the way it is, and it’s not going to change any time soon. So be tough. Or get out.

 

Everyone gets a little discouraged/cynical/jaded/resentful, even those just starting out. It’s frustration. And what is frustration? A blockage of needs. And what do you need? To be employed in your craft. The trick is to not let those negative feelings overwhelm you on a constant basis. If they do, then for your own sanity and health, you should step away from the business, even if just for a few weeks or months.

 

After that summer of performing in the real world I returned to University. My senior year was interesting to say the least. Things had changed. Everyone seemed to look at me oddly and interact with me differently. I had committed a cardinal sin and I went to a Catholic school. What made things more tense was the fact that I had to finish out some contractual obligations during that first semester. I was able to do both, work outside performing and work inside of the university on finishing my degree.

I had broken out of the insular bubble that school puts around you. That bubble is there for your own protection, and preparation for career longevity. The teachers at universities want their charges studying and learning and building their craft. They don’t want their students seeing the teachings of Meisner and Uta Hagen and the like distorted and perverted. They don’t want students exposed to “screalting” (singing while screaming and belting simultaneously) Teachers don’t want their students to be tainted by commercialism. There is plenty of time for that once they’ve graduated. However, if as a student school isn’t giving you what you want and need, then you should find it elsewhere, be it outside of school or another school all together.

Lisa transferred schools and found the education and opportunities she had been looking for.

My senior year we did West Side Story as one of the main musicals. I was cast as “Chino the white-faced boy”. While not a “lead” in the show, the role did allow for some stand alone moments. And because I also dance I was put into all the Puerto Rican dance numbers.

Did I finally get a break because the faculty saw that I was wanted elsewhere? Did they finally see I had marketability? Did it take someone actually paying me to make them realize my potential? Or did they pick that show so I could be featured not only acting but singing and dancing as well? I’ll never know. What I do know is that upon graduating my friend Fred and I had the longest bios of our class. He’d decided to go behind the scenes into the production side of things.

Today, Fred is a professor of Theatre Management in a prestigious New England University.

Lisa is an award-nominated Broadway actress and teacher.

And as for me? I’m literally one of two people from my class still performing and pursuing professionally what I spent all that money and time in University to learn.

The last point Callam Rodya made in his blog “Things I Wish I Had Been Told in Theatre School” is this:

 

32.  And finally, don’t go down this path just because you’re “good enough” to be a professional actor. For the love of God, do it ONLY because you cannot do anything else.

 

My classmates discovered performing to be lacking and unfulfilling for them. They moved on to the pursuit of other careers. Today they live wonderful lives, happy with their choice. Whether a career in the Arts is right for you is something you discover once you’re outside of the school environment. It happens when you're living Life.

 

I think the single most important thing a student needs to be told in University is simply this:

You should be an actor because your soul, your spirit, your very being cannot exist without it.

 

Everything else you can learn.