I sometimes joke to people that I left the teaching profession to become an actor because I wanted a more secure career path with reliable and regular pay. Since I am quite deadpan with my delivery, most people do a slight double take before realising that I'm being ironic. One one person really didn't get it and half an hour later was still shaking her head at my apparent stupidity, despite me laying it on with a trowel by shrugging my shoulders in mock bewilderment and gurning for all the world's worth.
So unless you're super lucky, it's pretty much a given that the chances of you being well off as an actor are pretty slim. Given these are lean times and the fact that acting jobs are scarse, and that even big companies are used to getting performers for free or for a token fee, by the use of the magic words: 'viral ad', what used to be lucrative work for jobbing actors has not so much dried up but become much less lucrative. I was taught by one of the infamous milk-tray ad men. He told me that he was paid in the region of 80K in the early '80's to be in one ad. I wouldn't know how much that 'should' be now with inflation but I imagine that they would be paid far, far less today.
It is no wonder then that so many of today's young actors come from well-off priviledged backgrounds. Talented as the Cumberbatch's and Eddie Redmayne's of this world undoubtedly are, where are the working class new actors? Without rich parents to bankroll them they are noticable by their absence. It's not just in acting even. It seems that all industries; music, entertainment - politics - I've even heard of internships where the successful applicants have to pay them for the priveledge!
Anyways, this is a rather long introduction to me saying that I have auditioned for and accepted an acting job, which I'm very excited about. It's in London, it's a piece of 'immersive theatre' and 'urban digital gaming' for want of better terms, called The Rise And Fall Of Geo Goynes, which will take place at St James Theatre in London, Victoria in March. I did not know at the time of auditioning that it wasn't paid work, fortunately however, unlike many other companies or directors I've worked with, who've promised the moon on a stick and delivered a big fat nothing, I know these guys are serious as I was involved in their early R&D test workshops when they were developing ideas and themes for their project. Root Experience, the company has also produced many other interesting pieces of interactive theatre as you can see from their website. They've also collaborated with Blast Theory whose work I love. So this is not paid (in fact it will cost me by the time I've factored in loss of earnings from my 'civvy' job and the travel is going to be quite a bit), but they will be touring it later in the year, and then I am assured, it will be paid, and then I will be in prime position!
A friend said the other day when I told him about this that acting's a hobby. I didn't quite know how to respond. I don't want it to be 'just a hobby'. I'm not rich and to practise it properly, it's blooming expensive and I've let all sorts of things slide due to the lack of funds - important things too, like Spotlight membership and headshots - just the sort of things that let other people know you're serious about what you do, but quite frankly, at times over the last couple of years it was between food/rent and joining Spotlight, so it wasn't really much of a contest. Besides I was beginning to feel that I may as well take the monthly fee I was paying to Casting Call Pro and flush it down the toilet, but perhaps too I just needed a break from all the rejections that goes hand-in-hand with being an actor, and to be honest I've never been thicked-skinned enough to take well. So since I'm not rich enough, not resiliant enough (which leads to not putting myself 'out there' enough) I do sometimes wonder "who am I kidding?" and whether I should just get a sensible little job with a secure pension (if those jobs even exist anymore) but then I feel my throat constricting from a sense of feeling suffocated. I may as well face it, my peg is square and ramming it into small round holes is uncomfortable to say the least, and yes I am aware that sounds a bit risque.
Anyway, I digress... aside from the 'little matter' of it not being paid, I'm very happy to have the job as team-leader in Geo Goynes. The audition itself was good fun - I got to use my creativity for a change, e.g. by competing for Jess and Simon's attention by just using noises and gestures and then having ten minutes to work out who you are and why you are in context of the new world of 'Quantum Technology' set five years into the future. This technology has the ability to predict your future (not as outlandish as it might sound since we are traced by location devices in our smart phones and also I remember over ten years ago reading about software on CCTV cameras at tube stations that was able to track movements and predict who could be violent and who might be about to commit suicide). These future predictions are being sold back to us as 'insights' by corporations and of course the Government are using using it. We (the auditionees) are 'gorilla hackers', Robin Hood-types thieving back the info for the good of society.
I only had time to decide I am called Quandra McKenzie and am working in IT when it was time to present our pieces. There were only three of us auditioning in this group and I went last (I usually volunteer to go first in these things, but I'm glad I did in this instance because I learnt fromt the others and adapted what I did accordingly). Once guy I initially thought was superb - he had real presence. The only thing was that he was so intense that it was scary and he touched people too much. Having worked with audiences before and noticing how I don't like people I don't know touching me, I know they won't like that. At the last minute, I changed mine to be a team leader for a work training session, before 'revealing' my true identity and telling people about the nanotechnology that corporations were putting in their cups of coffee that had the ability to hijack your DNA and be passed on to any off-spring you have, which will be 10% the property of that corporation and DO YOU WANT THAT FOR YOUR KIDS, and WILL YOU JOIN ME ON MY QUEST AND DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO TOPPLE THEM?!
So.... rehearsals start in just over a week. It's going to be tough to juggle work and this and the money side jaddajaddajadda, but it's going to be great!
