Getting Started In D.C.
I did not move to Washington, D.C., to become an actor. Like many young people, I came for the “show business for ugly people” of politics. It wasn’t until I had been here for half a decade that I even discovered I had an interest in performing — and was surprised to discover I was in one of the nation’s up-and-coming theater communities.
It is hard to verify if, as many boosters now claim, Washington is actually “the second-largest theater market in the country,” since there are many ways that could be measured — by overall intake, number of theaters, number of seats, quality and quantity of performers, etc. But there are currently more than 80 professional or semi-professional theater companies in operation here, as well as more than 30 community theaters, the second-largest Fringe Festival in the U.S., a large improv community, and an active independent film industry. Chicago was the original “Second City,” but in terms of performance, D.C. may be the Second Second City.
Day Jobs According to Web M.D.
Do you feel sad? Are you irritable? Tired? Frustrated? Do you find yourself subject to uncontrollable fits of rage, usually directed at unsuspecting tourists? Do you occasionally burst into tears for no reason, possibly in supply closets? Are you an actor? If you’ve answered yes, to one or more of these questions…then you might be suffering from a condition known as “Soul Sucking Day Job” or S.S.D.J. S.S.D.J. is a chronic condition that effects 98.3% of all actors at some point in their life, in which, (between shows) tiny particles of an actor’s soul are devoured at varying rates, leaving the actor feeling hopeless, artistically unfulfilled, and personally frustrated.
This condition may be severe or mild depending on the length and frequency of each outbreak. In many patients, the frequency of outbreaks decreases with age while, in others, symptoms do not occur until later in life. While there is no guaranteed cure for occasional outbreaks of S.S.D.J., the following treatment options are available to alleviate some, if not all of the symptoms.
Do you de-value your own work? The Enterprising Actor shares her thoughts:
“Sometimes a project comes across my transom that I’m interested in and appropriate for but the pay rate is shockingly low. In film/TV/commercial work, my agency generally has already negotiated the rate and to increase it substantially isn’t really an option. Everything can be negotiated, though, so recently I responded to my agent that I would be interested in a project, but that the pay was simply too low to justify the time I would be investing in the project…” Here’s the rest!
How To Be A Bookish Actor In Under 24 Hours
Hey New Yorkers! Have the day off?
Grab your reading glasses because here’s a challenge for ya!
As theatre artists, we should (and I think we want) to be as well-read as possible when it comes to scripts. It keeps a constant flow of new audition material coming our way, plants ideas for scenes we’d like to work on in scene study class, and as professionals, it is just completely necessary.
So here’s my bookish challenge: How many plays can you cram in one day?
The following NYC locations are all within walking distance of one another. Also, this challenge is complete with perks!
The Evolution of “The Dream Job”
To all the struggling performers out there: close down the browser that’s searching for a survival job, close down that one with your diminishing checking account staring you in the face, put down the book of audition monologues your desperately flipping through. Now look back on your past career as a whole and compare it to your dream job in the future. Are you the person you always dreamed you’d become? I urge you to throw that question away and replace it with this: Are you happy with the person you are now?
As a child, I told everyone I encountered that I was going to be an astronaut and walk on the moon. Moving into my teens, I advanced from my astronomical fascination and moved into the glossy eyed land of superstardom infatuation, tenaciously stopping at nothing to become a famous movie star. Currently, in my early twenties, I seem pretty thrilled simply to tell anyone who will listen that I have a low paying, non-union, zero budget job in which I get to do a bit of singing and dancing.
What exactly was the bridging gap between young enthusiastic dreamer and current day realistic survivor? Is it years of rejection at auditions that bring our dreams crashing to the ground? Is it that dwindling bank account that keeps us accepting jobs we never thought we’d wind up doing? Or is it a genuine change of heart that moves our life in a different direction.
I Have a Minor in Stage Combat
I went to college and wanted nothing more than to study stage combat—I filled out a lot of paperwork to make sure there would be no obstacles. This week, I filled out some more paperwork, to declare a second minor in Combat Movement.
No, my school doesn’t actually offer a minor in Stage Combat—I have been incredibly lucky and willing to fill out all sorts of paperwork that allowed me to self-design a minor that uses my dance and combat credits. Essentially, I got to give myself a future degree in something I am passionate about and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study. I didn’t plan on picking up a second minor—between majoring in theatre and minoring in creative writing, my semesters are usually over the maximum. But I was planning out my schedule for senior year and realized that with all the classes I had taken already (plus what I was going to take next), I could complete another minor easily.
Why combat? I’m not planning on becoming a fight choreographer and I could have created a minor in Playwriting or Feminist Poetry or even major in Halloween (which has actually been done here!).
Self-Producing: A Solo Adventure #2
My solo show, View from the Pews, has been invited to perform at the Tennessee Women’s Theatre Project Women’s Work Festival next month! Follow along on my journey as I post weekly about what I am doing to prepare, and the kind of progress I am making.
Tasks Week 1:
Edit script. Then let it go; let this production’s version of the script happen. Tinker more, later.Get my game plan together: action steps and deadlines!Send program and other requested info to producers of Festival.Confirm technical specs for the slides, or devise a plan to do the show without them.Generate a prop list.Check with Equity about getting a Solo Show Waiver
The Dreaded Phone Call.
My j.o.b. involves a decent amount of time spent on the phone. People calling for lost credit cards or to book an event or with questions on what game the bar is playing on what day. Blah blah blah.
I can’t tell you how many people call and they have no idea how to talk on the phone. Which inevitably means I sit there listening to “Um…I think maybe…uhhh…are you…um….” And it is the most obnoxious thing in the entire world, so I am making it a bit of a mission to help improve people’s phone calling etiquette.
So here are a few tips on how to talk on the phone – it sounds simple, but it really makes a big difference in how you present yourself to someone who can’t see you.
