Patience.

Sorry I dont know if this is OT or not.

How, as a working actor so to speak do you stay patient while waiting for your "big role"?

I'm having a lot of difficulty with that right now. I just got cast in the ensemble of our high school's show "How to Succed in Business Without Really Trying." I'm a sophmore, and it kills me to know I can do better than some of the leads. I audition for Community theatre wherever I can but either there arent any shows for people my age or the general feedback seems to be i am 'too young'. I have been taking voice lessons for four years now...and dance for ten...and been in several shows when i was younger in the community, and have done as much high school stuff as i can.

I dont mean to brag but people always tell me that I am going to be big someday and I try not to get an ego but sometimes I get so frustrated and I want to know when my big chance is coming. I just want to get out of my town so bad and go to college and study musical theatre and actually work in shows...

How do you as actors keep your sanity while you're auditoning and getting rejected/or crappy parts?
Does anybody else feel the same?

Thanks.

don't listen to these people who tell you to wait, margie. it's obviously a conspiracy within the theatre community in your area to keep you out. i've seen this kinda thing before lotsa times. the "old guard" sees someone fresh and new and full of talent coming along and gets together to work to quash that person's dreams. it's all about jealousy, you know? they see your talent and know that you have a chance to make it when they never did, so they try to turn you off to theatre now while your young so you'll never have a chance to make it and show them up. there's only one way to get around this kind of conspiracy: you've got to cut off the head and the body will wither and die. now, do have you any experience with edged weapons like axes, swords, chainsaws, pikes and or tigersaws?

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Updated On: 1/14/05 at 04:56 PM

hey...I know how it feels...I'm a junior and it took me three years to even GET in a show that didn't have an open casting rule....don't feel too bad. I go through the same thing every year. the old favorites get a part, but they...well...suck. And it irritates me that I know I could do better but I'm never given the chance. My advice to "an underclassmen" :) is to just keep trying. Never Ever Ever give up...or one day you'll be forced to ask "what if" instead of "what next"?

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Getting parts in high school shows is a very intersting process. Where I live, high school theatre is very competitive between the different schools. Teachers are very into this and don't want to take any chances in casting. Hence there is sort of an initiation process to getting a bigger part. It is its own political system. Fasinating really. During auditions you can basically tell what the person is capable of talent wise. But what you cannot tell is the following: Are they hard workers? Will they memorize the lines if they get a part? Will they show up to practice? Will they take things seriously?

While some people are passoniate about theatre others are not. Some people think it will be fun so 'why not'. Others might want to do it but are in sports. Its a way for directors to see where 'your loyalties' lie. That is why freshman will almost never get a lead. They haven't proved themselves to the cast and crew yet.

Show up on time, come prepared, and always work your hardest. Make it known to them through your actions that you are ready and willing to take on bigger things.

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Updated On: 1/14/05 at 05:17 PM

Thanks guys for all this advice. And papa, I dont have much experience with sharp objects, but I'm workin on it.

Hey there,
I know what you mean about always being "too young". It does require patience, but in the end it will pay off.
When I was little I would get fantastic kid parts, Mary Lennox, Diana, there were always parts for the young ones, and you could pretty much land them in community theatre if you could sing loud enough for anyone to hear, and on key.
But there's the big gap between about 13- 20 where the parts are limited. There's the Liesl's and the Little Red's but besides that, it all depends on how they cast the show, still most ingenues must at least be in their early 20s.
So I went through a few years where, besides the Liesl, Little Red and Dorothy, I was in the chorus.
I didn't mind one bit. I'm a dancer, so that really helped. I chose shows that I knew would have good dance parts (Crazy for You, West Side Story). I have to admit I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the chorus of Evita too much. It was a way to challenge myself in a different medium- instead of having this full-out character, I had difficult dances to learn. It kept me on my feet, so to speak.
I have to admit on occasion I couldn't help feel dissapointed. The director for Crazy for You told me that if the show had happened five years later he would have cast me as Polly (my dream role, but I was barely 16 at the time). When I was 18 I was considered for Sally Bowles, but after a few callbacks the director decided it wasn't realistic to have an 18 year old play a woman with such a sordid past (and I completley agreed- I would have felt uncomfortable in the role- I ended up as one of the Two Ladies which suited me fine!).
BUT
After years of waiting patiently, I'm starting to grow into the ingenue skin. It's hard to define exactly when you cross the line but once you get there, there's really no going back. I played Lois Lane in Kiss Me Kate a few months ago, and I've been asked to audition for Yum Yum and Mary Magdalene in the next few weeks.
Haha so that's my life story.
Point is. It does suck going through that awful "in between" stage (I think Judy Garland's song describes it best). You pretty much have to suck it up and do the chorus roles. It doesn't hurt, you gain valuable experience, you meet a lot of people, and if you choose the shows wisely, you have a great time. If dancing is your strong point, opt for dance shows like WSS and C4Y. If singing is your strong point, go for choral- heavy shows like Sweeny or Evita.
I honestly reccomend getting as much out of the chorus as you can. It's a great learning tool and a great way to develop yourself on stage.
And then, with all that great experience, you'll wake up one morning and realize...
I'm almost 20, I'm an ingenue, I'm castable!

Papa - you're ruining the pristine image I have of our beloved Judy. I guess that's what the disguise is for