So You Want to be an Actor? – Understanding Commitment
It’s been a long time since I posted a “So You Want to be an Actor?” piece. So I thought I’d take a moment to address a serious issue.
You might want to brace yourself, because I’m about to drop the C-bomb on you. Are you ready?
Commitment.
As an actor, that one word should mean a lot. In order to play a role, you have to commit to it. The secret to improv is to commit to the scene, the character, and the situation. But there’s more than one place in the theatre for commitment.
As an actor, you’re expected to audition. Sometimes you’ll get offered a part. Sometimes you won’t. When you get offered a part, it’s just that – an offer. You can accept or refuse it as you see fit. But once you accept it, you’ve made a commitment.
It’s more than just a matter of “I said I’d play this part.” It’s a matter of “I said I’d play this part and now other people have scheduled themselves around me.” The production in which you have accepted a part is the product of a lot of work from a lot of people. And those people are committed to making the show work.
Case in point – my play, The Mouser’s Tales was selected for production as part of the Got Theater? Project’s Children’s Theatre Festival. A lot of work has gone into the production. Jason Dinant of GT?P has been a marvel at keeping me up to date on the status of the show, and following auditions he was thrilled with the way it was going.
Then, two actors suddenly pulled out of the production.
I know nothing about the circumstances behind their decisions to do so. But here’s where it put the show and people involved in it.
First of all, there are the actors who auditioned and didn’t get cast. Many of these people were good – as a director, I can speak to times when I honestly would have cast everybody who had auditioned if I had been able to do so. But unfortunately it’s just not feasible. Happily for them, many of the people who didn’t get cast after auditioning for Mouser did get cast elsewhere. But it’s disrespectful to the other actors to take a role only to bow out later – and it makes it difficult to call those actors and ask them to take your place.
Second, there’s the director of the show. Pulling out leaves the director in a lurch. Rehearsal plans are delicate constructs. When you pull out of a show, it means that you have to be replaced. The chances of being able to pull a replacement from the audition pool are very slim – and get thinner the longer you wait to pull out. Frequently, the only halfway good option is to hold a new set of auditions. This takes time, which pushes back the rehearsal process, which causes everything to be rushed. It can completely throw off the rhythm of a production.
Which brings us to the producer. Pulling out of a show can put the producer in a tough situation. The sudden departure of two actors from the cast put Jason Dinant in the undesirable position of having to call the playwright (me, if you’re keeping score) and ask permission to postpone the play. Which means that The Mouser’s Tales will not be produced as part of the Children’s Theatre Festival, although it will be produced in the future by GT?P in Las Vegas.
That puts me in a tough situation, as well. I do keep a list of people that I notify about new developments in my career. This was a particularly big one – the first production of one of my plays outside of a college setting. Several of these people had told me they intended to be in Syracuse to see the show. I had to write an e-mail to them informing them of the circumstances and of the decision to postpone. It also means that while my play will be represented at the festival – an information booth will feature The Mouser’s Tales with contact information and details on my work – it will not be seen on stage by anybody attending.
And then there’s another group that’s affected – in this case, a group of five. Five other actors auditioned, were offered roles, and accepted. Now they won’t have the production they auditioned for.
The theatre requires commitment. When you take a role that you have auditioned for, you become responsible for staying with it – and a lot of people are depending on you.
April 23rd, 2004 at 12:14 pm
Thanks for posting this. I am very disappointed in the events that came to the production having to be postponed. In the end 3 actors dropped out without a reason.
As a producer and as an actor I take my commitment to the theatre serious. Theatre is about commitment. The reason you go to audition for a show is to be cast. If you are cast and accept the role, it is your role. I can understand if an actor becomes sick or has a family emergency as far as having to quit the production but a voice-mail message stating simply it is not going to work anymore is not PROFESSIONAL. It is very unprofessional and I know I will never work with these actors again.
This is lesson for actors. If you leave a “bad taste in a producer’s mouth” it is there for good. You have just lost your chances of getting cast in any of that producer’s shows and producers talk; they alert other producers and directors about you as well. When you later find it hard to get a role it may be due to the one time you left a voice-mail saying, “I just don’t want to do it anymore, bye.â€
I look forward to The Mouser’s Tales. It is a WONDERFUL script and everyone involved was very upset at the postponement and could not believe actors would actually take a role, be excited to get the role and then at the last minute drop out.