Too Many Pies?

I've been a little slack with posting this month - my apologies for that are infinite. I've spent a huge amount of time that I could be writing mulling over what I should be writing about. Or more specifically, what I should be doing with my life which I will later write about. 

This is because every interview with an actor, article about a successful writer or or comedian's memoir seems to say the same thing. It doesn't matter whether they made it overnight or whether it was a thirty year long, hard slog: they all say the same things. Work your arse off, develop your talents and focus. 

It's the last one that gets me. Although I'm a bit sporadic and sometimes undisciplined I do work hard - often eschewing weekends and adequate sleeping patterns to get things done. I attend masterclasses, workshops and more to develop my talents in various creative fields. I'm lined up to take acting classes again (more on that in another blog) so, although I could improve on this, I'm certainly in the game. 

But what does 'focus' mean? I focus on the things I'm doing when I'm doing them. Usually. Yes, I'm being facetious, I know that's not what they mean. They mean "Hey you, if acting's your thing then get a flexible job and spend the rest of your time and money on becoming an actor". They mean "If writing's your thing, set up a writing schedule. Then get a job that fits into this or go wild, get a crazy ass job and write all about it". Successful producers, casting directors and agents have tales packed full of internships, scaling the ladder from entry level PA jobs and spending mornings calling and recalling every company in Contacts. 

So as I sit here in London with a file full of producing notes for an upcoming production in Brighton, email confirmations for acting auditions, plans for a meeting in Canterbury for my comedy club and a deadline to update a radio script I wonder, "Are my fingers in too many pies?"

On a first reading of the previous paragraph I imagine the answer will naturally be yes. And if we're going to subscribe to the concept that it's only by really truly focusing on your one true love that you'll 'make it' in that field then the answer is still yes. How can I possibly be serious about anything if I'm willing to entertain other possibilities? If I want to be an actor why am I dabbling in playwriting. Or vice versa? But is this rock steady devotion to one goal really an option nowadays? 

I appreciate that in the days of repertory theatre or, at least, of fairly regular work it made sense to direct all your energy into one activity. However these days, the majority of UK actors constantly working on refining their art will be doing so by creating the work themselves, attending classes or performing unpaid. The rest of their time will be spent making a living in a way often unassociated with acting: telemarketing, teaching, temping, promotions etc. Ian McKellen recently bemoaned the fact that 'the current generation of actors won't develop into good middle-aged performers because they won't have been able to live from their work'*. It's not quite as bad for all creative professions but it is still pretty difficult to work full time as a writer, freelance producer or dancer. 

Look, I understand that if you're serious about becoming an actor there's a big difference between taking on a job that you're happy to ditch when a good gig comes along and committing yourself to something like writing a play or producing an event. I can see the arguments that, as mind numbing and painful as it might be to hang your life on the line and work and pray for that big opportunity to come along, it has to be done. It's the sacrifice you make for wanting to do something so crazy with your life. 

But then I flip the coin and I realise that, by taking on different roles in theatre and/or film, these individuals are making sure that they are constantly immersed in the industry, that they know exactly what's going on, who's who and understand the business from all angles. In fact aren't they, to some degree, recreating the opportunities that repertory theatre afforded actors? When they'd start off as lowly stage sweepers and rise through the ranks of the company with single line roles right up to starring in each and every production. When they'd be witness to every great actor's performance, every director's quirks and every script's nuances. 

So, should we be maligning or applauding those who are too impatient to put all their eggs in one basket? Is it hurting my chances or increasing them? Or in this crazy world we call show business are there really way less rules than we make out? Is it, at the end of the day, each to his own? I hope so. 

*http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9678384/Sir-Ian-McKellen-there-will-be-no-more-British-acting-greats.html

Getting an Acting Agent

How!? How exactly does one do this getting an agent thing? And by that I mean one of the good ones. 

Oh I've had agents. I've had one who was okay and got me auditions for things like Crimewatch and a particularly good medical role playing job for the GMC but ultimately wasn't very get-up-and-go and never came to see me in anything I was in. A couple of years later I had another agent who, frankly, was one of the growing group of what I call Cowboy Agents. These are people who sign up to every casting call website going and call themselves agents for submitting other people's CVs and Spotlights to these online cattle calls and unpaid jobs. They have no contacts in the industry and few to no skills in contract negotiation or entertainment law. Yet wannabe actors and newbie graduates go flocking to them and lock themselves down into pointless year long contracts because they feel that any agent is better than none. Frankly, an agent who fails to chase up contracts, forgets to respond to a major casting director with whom you set up a meeting and calls regularly to ask "Did you say you could sing again? Oh sorry I thought you said you couldn't, that's why I turned down a well-paid job for you earlier", is not only a hindrance but also a great liability. 

Having said that, I totally understand why people are hedging their bets and going with these guys when it seems impossible to otherwise find a footing even right at the very bottom of the ladder in this profession. Like the other billion actors out there I've been curled up around the computer for days with a copy of Contacts at my side, painstakingly contacting one agency after another and selling myself hard. I'm not a Drama School actress (though this does not mean I'm untrained - I'll leave this for another blog) and I don't have a CV boasting an extraordinary body of work with big name companies but I have done a respectable amount of work in theatre and film both paid and unpaid over a significant number of years playing major and minor roles and have received some really good reviews. I have also worked in a variety of other positions in the business including running a live comedy company, directing two fringe plays and interning in the casting department at the Donmar Warehouse. I've written a play which has toured and had fantastic reviews. I have a MDrama & Theatre Studies degree. I have clearly made every effort to stay within the profession and be involved in the creation, presentation and production of theatre and film. I'm not sure how else I can show my commitment to the industry, my get-up-and-go mentality or my clear need to work as an actor. Yet not one agent has shown an iota of interest in meeting me. 

I know I'm not the only one in this position and it doesn't affect my opinion of my talent. None of these agents have seen me perform or read my reviews so their opinions are based on something other than my potential abilities. Plus some of the most incredible actors I know are unrepresented. And you can work without an agent, of course you can. But you have to be terribly organised and disciplined and many actors aren't or don't have the time to be. Plus, an agent's connections really help in getting seen for those important auditions. Many of the casting directors I have spoken to are very open about the fact that they tend to mostly audition from a list of actors pitched to them from the major agencies. 

So how do you get one of these magical Fairy Godmotherly types? From the responses I've had what I have worked out is that you should either: 

a) Stand-out in a end of year major Drama School production

b) Have a kick-ass showreel 

c) Be in a current show that they are able and willing to come and see and be good in it

a) has worked for many many people and is a major reason for going to Drama School (in addition to the training of course). Doing so is not, however, an option for everyone nor is it the be all and end all to being a great actor. Also, a great number of those who do pay thousands and do three years of training do not end up with agents out of it. 

b) is getting more and more common for a way of attracting both agents and casting directors. Most of us have done innumerable short and student films to bulk up our showreels but, of course, not everyone has been as lucky as others in the quality of the productions they have ended up in. Without the agent to help you attract the professional TV and film makers it is not always easy to create a solid showreel. The thing that actors are now doing more regularly is paying £500 to shut themselves into a studio with a script and a cameraman and creating a showreel. 

c) is something I personally find quite hard to master. Firstly the type of theatre productions one tends to end up getting involved with without an agent to guide the way are often profit share, fringe shows and personally I get very nervous inviting agents to come and see something when I have no idea how it might turn out. This is true with any show of course but a little more risky on the fringe circuit. However if you wait for the show to develop before inviting people it's often too late. Putting on a showstopping vehicle starring yourself is not always the great marketing tool that people think it might be since casting directors and agents tend to like to choose shows where they'll get the opportunity to view numerous potential clients at once. 

Yup, despite the fact it's the first step in getting yourself seen for most serious and properly paid opportunities, getting an agent is a real tricky business.