Two jobs. Two shows. Junky car on it's 210 THOUSANDTH mile needing repairs. Eating dinner in the car whilst in transit between everything.
My first 8 months of acting have been quite the experience. Gone are the comfy (though stressful) days of the Hilberry and it's consistent paycheck, health and dental. Hello, multiple w2's, multiple jobs, and auditions. I gotta say though, I've never felt more confirmed in my choice of profession.
(Listening to "Promises, Promises" by Incubus...reminds me of drinking Staropramen in Prague with absolutely nothing to do and no agenda).
There have been quite the number of ups and downs since graduation. The UPS have been marked by remarkable generosity. Brandon "Most Generous Brother in the World" Whalen gifted me a much needed trip to Oktoberfest and Europe for two weeks as a graduation gift. Mom, Dad and Jenny all gave me money for graduation that helped fund the trip. And Jim, Brandon and Mah all pitched in to buy me a PS3 so I could be a part of an epic Madden franchise.
The DOWNS have mostly been marked by bad luck. Five days before leaving for Europe, I (most likely) permanently lost 85% of my hearing in my left ear. And due to the trip, I had to turn down a lot of work and a lot of opportunities to work....though it was all worth it. I was also thoroughly educated on the idiotic policy known as "No Fault Insurance" as I got zero money from the girl who rear ended me that MAY have caused my hearing loss.
On to what I'm doing. Peter Prouty hooked me up with a job in the technical side of theatre at the Berman Theatre. New theatre, new lights, new tools...new everything. So nice to work there and so nice to learn how to do theatre from a technical standpoint. Also very nice to be making money from the theatre, even if it's not acting.
The best part about this profession: Random phone calls. Between all the people you've worked with in the past and all the auditions you go on, most any random phone call is going to be with some sort of good news. Joe Kvoriak, whom I went to the Hilberry with, called and offered me a role in the Park Bar's production of The Tempest. Couldn't have been a better experience. Got to meet a TON of local Detroit actors (who are great by the way), make a little money acting, and drinking a ton of free beer during the process! I tell ya, if you don't want to annoy actors by calling them to rehearsal and then making them sitting around, provide free beer. No complaints here...at all.
And being an actor wouldn't be complete without being a waiter. The place: Wasabi. The food: sushi. The pay: not bad. Been working for about a month at this point and I'm liking it. There's a bit of a cultural (as well as language) barrier, that makes communication a constant battle. But I'm not a bad waiter...certainly worth 25%:)
And the best part is that I'm blessed! to be in such an amazing production as Mary Stuart at Meadow Brook Theatre. I think the mark of a successful career is always being able to call your latest production "The Best Show I've Been Apart of". That certainly is holding true for me now...no offense to any show I've done in the past or anyone I've ever worked with. This is just a fact. The actors are (mostly) all older than me and I'm learning a ton, which is exactly what I want. Actors that are better than you make you better...IF you're willing to learn. And believe me, I'm taking notes. No seriously, that's the point of this blog.
My next project will hopefully be directing. All I have to do is figure out what to direct, where to perform, who to cast, who to help me, and where to find the money. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Seriously hoping to put something up at The Park Bar's Elizabeth theatre in late April, early May.
According to madeupstats.com, 92% of all blogs never get past their first post. Hopefully I stick with this won. Na zdravi!
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