Morgan Wootten once said, “You learn more from losing than winning. You learn how to keep going”. As citizens of this world, we all come together to form a community. We share ideas, beliefs, and other common goals that binds us together as one whole. For some people, it may be sports, while for others it may be art. A common interest I share with a numerous amount of people is the stage. Theatre can be seen as just an average afterschool activity, but overtime if worked at can become a competitive career choice that people will follow as a path in life.

Theatre can become a tough career path to break into when first starting out. When first asked in an interview, “How did you begin building a career?” a highly skilled professional actor and director commented with, “I started very young. You build by going out there and auditioning. You have to be seen to get the work, and you must build a reputation of professionalism, loyalty and kindness. There will always be those out there that scheme and connive, but they have short lives in this business. You must get known as the person who makes it work, no matter what the challenges. You must become the ‘go to guy’ for your ‘type’.”

Most people think that a performing arts major is a waste of time; they say that it isn’t a practical work environment. It definitely takes special kinds of people to be courageous enough though to risk their entire life for a job in visual arts. There are a million different kinds of aspiring actors and actress’ who just want to make it, and there is only a limited amount of spots on Broadway. “Broadway is a clique. Just like any other clique. You have to break in. It does not take a whole lot of talent to get a break, but you must have extraordinary talent to stay. There are a lot of people who have talent, but only the very best (or the politically connected) survive.”
This is partly the reason why actors have that drive to continue even when work is nearly impossible to find. Actors know their chances are very limited as well and could be over in a heartbeat if they mess up or don’t show improve. Everyone wants their chance, and the only way of pursuing that chance is to put your dreams into hardworking actions. This particular professional actor expressed in the interview, “I couldn’t do anything else. It’s who I am. It’s in my DNA”.

Towards the end of the interview, I asked the trained professional director what advice he would give to a “fresh out of college” student who wants to pursue their dreams in the theatre world. “Theatre is one of the worst career choices. Only 10% of the talent, out there, is working.  If it becomes obvious that you are not getting called back at auditions, if you’re not getting cast, and you are getting nowhere. You need to make a living. That may be harsh, but it is the truth,” was his response to this question. His intelligent words really express what business is all about. Not everyone is going to make it, and is said through the eyes of someone who has dealt with it firsthand. Along with that, actors are going to receive constructive criticism and honest answers. Although this highly skilled actor and director has always found work in the field, he knows how hard it is to make it on Broadway or fulfill the dreams we, as aspiring actors and actress’, all want in our lives. 

As a future candidate for this career path, I am fully aware that it will take many years to build a resume and gather as much information as I can to be prepared for a musical theatre career. Although I plan to earn a degree in some other type of field for a backup, I am willing to dedicate the rest of life to something that I love to do. I believe that a job should be something you love to do. If a person has to work five to seven days a week, it should be something that is worth doing and an interest you have. The best words of advice came at the end of the interview, “Find out exactly who you are and what roles you are suited for. Be realistic. Don’t seek roles that are not in your range. You need to be the very best at who you are. If you can’t belt it out of the park, don’t strive to be Evita. If you are carrying extra weight, don’t strive to be Gigi. Those who work know exactly who they are, the roles they can play, and the smarts to pursue the right gigs. Once you get that, get out there and audition, audition, audition. Don’t get caught up in the gossip and rumors of other actors.”