Actor Taking a Stand (part 1)

I've been an actor for 29 years. From day 1 I was told, "Do something else if you can because this is a very difficult career choice". Throughout my life there were variations on that theme. Often, I listened and tried other avenues, but I always came, and continue to come back.

Why?

I love acting. I love actors. I love scripts, and sound-booths, and stage managers, and costume designers, and techies, and DP's, and directors, and dramaturgs, and set designers, and sound designers, and engineers, etc. etc. etc.

I do it, because I love it.

So why do our fellow artists often insist on making us pay, dearly, for this love?

I'll explain this in a minute.

These are economically hard times, right? I don't know of any one person getting an artistic subsidy from the government. Would be nice, right? Well, sadly, they are not handing them out. We, artists, are forced to "act as though" our career choice is, essentially, a hobby.

A hobby.

With an average of 4 hours per weekday in rehearsals and often 4-6 hours on the weekend, NOT including tech week or shows, it's like having a second, very intense, part time job.

But you're not getting paid.

Hey, Starbucks employee: you know how you work those extra 24 hours per week on top of your OTHER job? Well, we're not planning to pay you for any of it. Not even $5/week because we believe you can't put a price on talent. We appreciate your service so much we'll pay you in thank you's. And we'll just put your name on this wall of appreciation with your picture. Thanks for all your training and fantastic customer service. You're quite a talent and we're lucky to have you. You are quite the professional.

Yeah, that one would go over like a lead balloon.

Now, before you insist I'm making this all about money and NOT seeing the other side of the coin, understand, this is not the situation. Like I said earlier, I've been in this business a long time. I'm well-versed with the budget of a theatre company, especially one just starting out, and I fully understand the lack of funding for the cast when you're dumpster diving just to finish making the set or costumes. Been there. Used my OWN money. Done it.

But, I'm taking a stand, finally, and saying, I'M DONE WITH IT. I have a "pay to play" attitude. Mind you, I'm not talking a big wad of money. Just treat me like a human who treats THIS like a professional. $5/week. $50/rehearsal process. SOMETHING.

"Pay to Play" is my new outlook with only 2 exceptions:

1) if the money raised is going to charity. That is something we all could add a little more money to. And by charity I do mean a good cause, not for your buddy's ability to hold ANOTHER fund-raiser. Or a kegger

2) if the role is so incredible (a bucket-list role, if you will) or for the director of my dreams.

Other than that, I'm done acting for a hobby.

Actors act as though they will NEVER GET CAST AGAIN after "this" show. Their egos and hearts and confidence shatters with the thought that, "holy crap! I have to start this process all over again!" It's frustrating and scary. And with the continued increase in actors on the street, and theatre companies dying out due to the economy, it always feels like an uphill battle. Always.

I used to try and think of this business as a commission-based job. You know, you try to land the client (auditions) and then you perform your services (rehearsals/performance). In any other career you'd expect payment at the completion of your services. But we actors are often stuck in volunteer land. Doing it for free. Doing it to help the theatre company that may reward you with a chance to become an associate of the company where you will come in on your days off to help build the sets, sew the costumes, drive the u-haul, etc, all for the chance to be part of a theatre company that still won't pay you.

It may seem like I'm a bit bitter. I'm not. I'm just seeing the forest for the trees. I used to audition for ANYTHING. Anything. Because I believed it was better to be cast than not. At least I was a "working actor". I believed I was doing it for the "love" and nothing could stop me. But because the company didn't say "community theatre" it didn't mean that I wasn't doing community theatre. Volunteer theatre. Hell, at least in community theatre they pay for the royalties of big shows. Often in small theatres, in order to avoid the cost of royalties, the director or company member decides to "write his own script" and it will be "experimental" and "less costly" and "minimalist". And when you get there, you often have an un-workshopped, over-written script that, (even with the best actor who is hoping for at least a good shout out in the critic's review), is ALL the critic sees and bashes in his/her review.

Now, no one is forcing actors to be actors. But, I can believe, that like myself, many actors really cannot find another calling like this one. It's frustrating. It would be so much easier if there were some other aspect, a money-making one, for instance that was the calling instead. Does the world truly believe we'd put ourselves through financial and certain frustrations just for attention?

Maybe so.

(In part 2 I will tell a true story about how "professional theatre" treated me in an email where I declined auditioning for their show due to scheduling conflicts)