About Arlene Schulman Expertise As a professional director, dramaturg, acting coach and actor for over 25 years in the NYC/NJ area, I can help with questions on acting technique, character development, audition and rehearsal techniques, dealing with directors and stage managers, what directors are looking for, and other aspects of the acting and directing professions.
Experience A professional director, dramaturg, acting coach and actor for over 25 years in the NYC/NJ area, I have directed in professional, university and amateur theatre and have directed and acted in dramas, comedies, musicals, Shakespeare as well as collaborating closely with playwrights in the development of original plays and musicals.
Organizations SSDC associate member Advisory Board - Isle of Shoals Productions Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America associate member Shakespeare Association of America The Shakespesare Institute -
MA "Shakespeare & Theatre" candidate, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Expert: Arlene Schulman Date: 1/14/2007 Subject: College graduate decides to take a risk
Question Hi there,
I'm sure this question has been asked in one form or another, but through my limited searching, I was unable to find it.
I just recently graduated from college with a degree in Sport and Event Marketing, but my entire life I've been a bit of a performance junkie. I did some very limited acting here and there, but I was mainly focused on music (playing in a band, symphony, ensembles, etc.) and stand up comedy (a few shows that all went very successful, much to my surprise). Once I crossed the stage, it hit me that I'm currently standing at a crossroads. I could be happy following the career path set with my degree, but I know I would be constantly saying, 'What if?' in the back of my mind.
So, at my crossroads, I'm looking for a little guidance. I'm soon to be 24 years old, and I know I want to get serious about performing, the question is, "What do I want to perform?" I know getting into acting (stage or screen) is EXTREMELY difficult, but I'm willing to go after it full bore and be fully committed. So, where do I start, knowing that I just graduated college and, well, for lack of a better word, broke?
Any advice you can give will be golden.
Thanks,
Aaron
Answer Hi Aaron,
First of all I have to apologize for the long delay in answering your questions. This is actually the fourth time I've tried to answer your questions but I've been having computer problems and for some reason my answer would not go through. Hopefully this time will be the charm.
There is no one who doesn't have "what ifs" in their lives. I completely understand your feelings having had them many times myself, but I hope you realize that there really is no answer to that question. Since you have no way of knowing now what the future might hold, no matter what choice you make now there will come a time in your future when you will say to yourself "what if" I had made the other choice. And, while it is true we most often regret that which we haven't done, every positive choice retains within it an aspect of the negative - for every choice to do something we also make a choice not to do something else.
I can't answer your question "What do I want to perform?" There are many, many different kinds of performance. You mention your experience in music and stand-up comedy. You question getting into acting (stage or screen). All of those and more are performance choices that only you can make based on your own passions and talents.
You are right. Acting is one of the most difficult professions there is. And it takes as much training, practice, experience and commitment as any profession, if not more. The best professional actors, like musicians, train for years to learn the skills they need to perform at a professional level and the techniques they need to make the best use of their instrument: themselves - their bodies, their voices, their minds and their emotions.
The best actor training can be found in the universities. I realize that you just graduated college. And, regardless of your major, that, along with your own talent and, perhaps, if you have never studied acting at all, a few basic acting classes, can make you eligible to apply to a good MFA actor training program. I know you say you are broke, but if you want this badly enough you will find a way. There are scholarships, student loans, assistantships and various other ways to make that possible. And MFA programs not only give some of the best training, but also give you good experience on a professional level and contacts and networking to help you get started doing professional work.
Should you be unwilling to invest in an MFA program, or if you feel that you do not yet have the prerequisites, there are many good acting schools around the country that can give you a good basic foundation in acting skills. But be aware that no training is free and even non-university programs will end up costing you significantly usually without the financial assistance programs available for universities.
You don't say if you have any experience or training in acting at all. If you do, then I suppose you could try to simply jump in to the deep end and start auditioning. But understand that the competition is fierce and opportunities are few. Training really helps, not only to learn the skills, but also to learn the business and how to go about it.
You're first step, however, needs to be to get an idea of what it is you want to do. Until you decide that, or at least make a tentative first step, it is impossible for you to know what path to follow. Obviously if you want to follow a musical career you don't need full acting training. And if you want to be an actor you need to learn how. And if you want to go into film, you need to learn acting for the camera techniques. A good university MFA program can address all of these and help you decide where your strengths and interests are.
And just remember, Aaron, no decision you make is carved in stone. People change their careers every day. My daughter studied acting and psychology, earned her Equity card, was a professional stage manager and acting, then went back to get her MA in child development and is now, at age 31 with a husband and son, working in the foster care system doing what she loves best to make the world a better place. My son is a software designer who worked in the industry for some 10 years after graduating from MIT, then took time off to study film editing and to do some production work in film. He is now working for a company that creates film editing software and doing film editing on the side. I trained in college to be a medical technologist, and later learned silk flower design and had my own company, until I discovered my passion for theatre and turned my life around.
Life and choices are never as cut and dried as we think that they are and the possibilities are endless. Think about what you REALLY want to do and then give it a shot. The worst that will happen is that you'll fail, in which case you can always take what you have learned and explore a new pathway. The best is that you will find your passion and a career that will bring you joy, if not fame and fortune.
I wish you all the luck with your choices and if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them for you - hopefully faster than I did this one!
