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Best route for a 40-year-old actor?
Oct 1
2012, 06:42:00 PM
Thank you all again for such excellent advice! I very much appreciate all of you taking the taking to offer me your thoughts.
First, let me address newintown's comments, particularly that my decision "doesn't make sense". From a financial standpoint, I would agree, but that is obvious. Some people can do it as a hobby and be satisfied. I am not one of those people. The choice for me was to either continue to suppress my desire for another 20 years and continue to be full of regrets, or give it a go while I am financially able to support myself for a few years without worrying too much about where my next meal is going to come from (something I did not have the luxury of doing when I was 20). Starting at 40 definitely has disadvantages, but also significant advantages, namely that I am debt free and have a substantial chunk of savings that can rely on to get me through. Another advantage is that I am of course more mature now than I was when I was 20 -- I had trouble taking rejection when I was young, which is a big reason why I decided to suppress my desire to become an actor. Now I really don't care, because even the worst possible outcome -- my giving it a go for five years, going through most of my savings, landing no acting work -- is a much better scenario for me than to continue to suppress my desire and be full of regrets.
This TED speaker is worth listening to, as what he said resonated with me: http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_smith_why_you_will_fail_to_have_a_great_career.html
So what makes sense for one individual may not make sense for another. I didn't choose theatre -- theatre chose me. It's not a choice for me anymore. The choice now is where to go, which is why I posted this to begin with.
Theatre is really my first love, and while I am certainly not opposed to doing TV or film, my heart is on stage. I also have a good voice for musical theatre (although I can't dance very well), and would like to be in a town where I can have opportunities to perform in musical theatre as well as straight acting. That being said, I would love to do good TV and film work, as long as it is not degrading to others or myself, but I definitely do not want to give up theatre to do it.
I found what one responder said about LA to be interesting. To answer the question, yes, that is a headshot of me. I have been told that I look like Jason Alexander (George Costanza in Seinfeld), although not quite as heavy or bald (yet) as him. I do know two actors who live in LA, so I'd have a little bit of a network to start with. But of course LA is extremely competitive, as others have pointed out. Orlando would be another option given that it is close to Tampa, although my sense is that there is not a lot of theatre work there (but please tell me if I am wrong in that assumption). Chicago is definitely a serious consideration.
Thank you again so much for these excellent comments. You have given me lots to think about!
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Best route for a 40-year-old actor?
Sep 30
2012, 11:51:39 PM
I have been teaching English at Japanese universities here for a little over 9 years.
I think NYC or LA would be overwhelming for an actor who has relatively little experience or formal training. I just don't think it would be realistic at this point, especially NYC. The only way I would consider NYC right now is for formal training, and if I were 10 years younger I would most likely go that route. However, at my age, spending two years and tens of thousands of dollars in a conservatory
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Best route for a 40-year-old actor?
Sep 30
2012, 09:55:14 PM
Thank you so much for all of your advice! As far as talent, I do have talent in acting and singing, but what I need is more formal training, and, as you point out, connections.
I should have mentioned before that while the Tampa Bay area is where I was born and raised, I also lived four years in DC (in the education and non-profit fields, not in theatre), and I have lived for the past 9 years in Japan. However, I am leaving Japan in April, and considering where to move to. At first it
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Best route for a 40-year-old actor?
Sep 30
2012, 08:44:53 PM
Hi Roman, thanks for your message and your comments. Yes, I'm well-aware of the challenges in becoming a professional actor, especially in NYC, which is why I am not planning to move there, as I stated in my original message. However, I am exploring regional theatre options, which is why I posed the questions as I did.
I would appreciate it if further comments would focus on my questions and not remind me how difficult it is to become a professional actor -- I'm already well-aware of th
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Best route for a 40-year-old actor?
Sep 30
2012, 07:40:50 PM
Hello,
My question for the forum is two-fold:
1) Should I go to a conservatory as a full-time student?
2) Should I start auditioning immediately and take classes as I (try to) work? If so, what are the best cities to start out in?
Background: I will be 40 years old by April. I started theatre when I was 12, performed in plays and musicals throughout high school, but for many long and complicated reasons, I did not get on stage after high school for over 20 years as
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Good audition pieces for baritone/bass?
Aug 22
2012, 08:03:30 PM
Thanks to all for these great suggestions!
michellek -- I was actually thinking of "I've Heard it All Before" from Shenandoah. I like The Happy Time suggestion too. "What Chance Have I With Love" would indeed be a fun piece to do.
madbrian -- I like "If Ever I Would Leave You", but I fear that anything from Camelot might be too popular to do for auditions... what do others think?
Another piece I was thinking of is "Epilogue" from Threepenny Opera -- it has good range
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Good audition pieces for baritone/bass?
Aug 22
2012, 04:46:33 AM
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Good audition pieces for baritone/bass?
Aug 22
2012, 04:46:32 AM
Thanks very much for your responses!
EricMontreal -- yes, I can transpose songs. I can probably do it myself or hire someone to do it. Thanks for the Sondheim recommendation. Did you have that taken down a third when you sang it?
bwaylvsong -- I'm sorry for not being clear about the 16 bars/2 min. specification. I am applying for several conservatories, and they usually require a 2 min. ballad and a 2 min. light piece in their auditions. However, I do want to have mater
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Good audition pieces for baritone/bass?
Aug 21
2012, 11:04:16 PM
Dear all,
I am looking for a few good musical theater audition pieces for baritone/bass that haven't been overdone in auditions. Specifically, I am looking for the following:
(1) One ballad and one light piece;
(2) Must be Broadway pieces;
(3) Difficulty level should be medium to hard, and should show good range (although I am more of a bass than a baritone, so I do better in the lower ranges)
(4) Should be pieces that are not overdone in auditions;
(5) Should b
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