Patience.

[bwaymargie]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 4:24pm

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.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 4:31pm

As an actor I can tell you that ANY role is still a role, and must be treated as such. I am directing and starring in a production of H2$ and, if I may be frank, the information you gave sounds like a perfect H2$ ensemble member(a good singer and great dancer). H2$'s ensemble is very important to the show, just remember that.

Just remember that you will get your time in the spotight.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 4:56pm

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?

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

[LittleBitRacist]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 4:56pm

No one gives the ensemble enough credit! they are like, my favorite. Think about broadway...the emsemble members are amazing. You can be that way too.

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 5:02pm

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"?

[timote316]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 5:13pm

Without the ensemble, there is no show. Simply put. And, believe me, depending on the show, the ensemble is more fun anyway. Some lead parts just arent as much fun as their ensemble counterparts. And you have to start somewhere, just remember that.

Just do your best in the ensemble, do so good that you get yourself noticed (but don't stand out too much, that ruins the point of the ensemble). Your time will come.

[TGIF]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 5:17pm

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.

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

[Guillermo Ugarte]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 10:14am

My dear you bring me back. Reading your note I couldn't help but wander down memory lane. I started quite young at age 9 and I never knew I would want to pursue acting full time. But I always knew I loved it.

That's where you need to focus. If you get caught up in thinking you are better than another actor and should have gotten their role you will never explore the role you are in fully and never do it (or yourself) justice.

The old saw 'there are no small parts, just small actors' is actually true. Do the best you can and keep working. That's the key. The more you work the better you'll get.

After that the only thing you can do is to screw up your courage and go out to lots of auditions. Get rejected and go back for more. You'll learn from that too and when you get the part you'll be seasoned by that rejection and ready to take the barbs thrown at you by those angry little directors out there who don't know how to treat we poor struggling actors.

It's a tough business and my thought is that if you are already thinking about the better part you want in high school you may be very competitive which will serve you well. If that is not the case and you simply feel you deserve the larger part and the attention because you think you have more talent than the next guy then you have a lot of work and thinking to do. Acting may or may not be for you. Because there will be times that the only reason you'll stick with it is because you love it and if you don't have that love - if you are only looking for the spotlight and the bigger parts - you are likely to fall by the wayside.

You're the only one that knows how you feel about the craft. Think about it a lot before you jump into the larger pool after high school. And good luck in whatever you choose to do.

[bwaymargie]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:57am

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

[kitkatgirl54]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 12:02pm

unless you have a page full of resume credits better than the one you were offered, by all means do the role and give it your best. high school shows are cast according to a lot of factors, including who did a great job last year and was extra helpful, who is known to be reliable. not necessarily who is "the best" singer. same goes in the real world, so get used to it. i understand that getting a chorus role in a paying show is much different than getting a chorus role in high school, however there will always be people you think you can do better than, so i wouldn't waste my time in worrying about that, especially now, when the lead could have been cast for any number of reasons, including that his mom baked cookies for the cast last year or something.

sometimes when i'm doing a show that i know isn't going to knock any old credits off my resume, i wonder, "why am i even doing this? when i'm done the show will be over and i will have nothing to show for it." however, if you aren't up for any other great roles right now, why not just do it for experience and because you love performing? what other opportunity are you going to have to be on stage today?

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 12:17pm

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!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 2:05pm

i see you're leaving out your roles in those "art movies" from last year, judy. probably wise, but it could make a good cautionary tale about reading the fine print when it comes to those "full participation" clauses.

Posted: 1/15/05 at 2:13pm

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

[Popular]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 2:28pm

It doesn't always have to do with age... a friend of mine understudied Sutton Foster in Millie and got to go on for her quite a few times straight out of high school at age 18! Don't give up!