I recently spoke to actors from all different markets in the US and abroad. Actors that are working in smaller markets in the states, actors that are working in bigger markets in the states, actors on Broadway, on TV and actors that are working across the pond at the Globe Theatre in London.
There was one thing I found consistent with all of the conversations – everyone thinks the other person has more opportunity. The smaller market actors thought the bigger markets had more opportunity because there was more work and the bigger market actors thought the smaller markets had more opportunity because there were fewer actors. American actors thought the actors in London work on a more consistent basis because there is a feeling that the Brits go to Drama School, get out and go immediately into theatre companies. And although they don’t have the big bang of Hollywood, they are always working. British actors thought that with the several hundred channels we Americans have, there must be more work than we know what to do with. I was really shocked and amazed by these conversations; especially since I was guilty of all thoughts on all counts.
Several years ago, I was going through some personal upheaval in my life and I moved to Dallas for four months. From the moment I got there, I hit the ground running in their acting community (which consists of a very talented and committed group of actors). I called the equity hotline, went to all the equity auditions, sent my picture/resume and reel to agents, started taking classes, joined a group that was the mother ship of all the acting that came through town, really went for it. I thought I would be able to get work based on the fact that I was a NY/LA actor. But what I discovered was that the Texas actors were all really talented and many from great theatre programs there. They just made the choice to stay close to home with their families instead of moving to another city. Within that, they began their own community and they were all working a lot. But it was going to take me a while to break in. I will say, I did notice I got called back for almost everything. That was the benefit of not having four hundred actors in the lobby. I did come close to getting lead parts in a lot of equity shows but the feeling was, “stick around, we really like you but we want to see if you’re staying.”
When talking to some acting students in London, I was surprised to see they were putting themselves though these rigorous Shakespeare programs, only to be asking me what work was like in Hollywood. They think we’re on top of it because they think we are going from one TV/film job to the next. And we think they’re on top of it because they are walking the boards playing “Lady Macbeth”. I’m looking at this girl thinking, “you are being trained to play some of the greatest characters ever written. You are being trained to tell some of the best stories in history.” She is looking at me thinking, “What’s it like to work with movie stars?” But the truth of all of these conversations is that we are all in the same boat. Whether we’re TV/film actors, voice actors, background actors, commercial actors, classical theatre actors, musical theatre actors and so on, we all have one thing in common: we are all always looking for the next job and that will not change no matter where we live or which part of the performing arts we gravitate to.
So, what I took away from all this was the old saying, “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side” (except for England… the grass is actually the greenest grass I’ve ever seen!). But moving back to the point, I think what we need to start with is our personal happiness. Do you actually like living in New York City or would you rather stay close to the people and the place you grew up? Do you mind traveling the country doing theatre or would you rather stay put in Los Angeles and concentrate on TV and Film? Do you want to spend your life doing the classics abroad? Start with that and wherever your happiness lands, build your acting world from there. Because at the end of the day, the performing arts are not something you can count on for your happiness but your happiness is something you count on for your life!