Why do we do it?

What is that makes us want to have a career as an actor? Why do we need to act?

Personally it is the need to express myself fully through a character that interests me. The need to play and share that with someone else.

Then there is getting a chance to do things that you can't normally do in real life.

It's a chance to bring your creativity to life.

The journey you take as you explore these strange new worlds.

It's fun, it's challenging, it's interesting and it's an art where you never stop learning.

What about you?

I'm only in it for the money.




crg

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The rest of us are only in it for the applause!!

Stu

Mr. Craig Williams said:

"I'm only in it for the money."


Personally, its the debaucherous uni cast parties and the excessive alcohol consumption.

And the excuse to wear women's clothing.


Crispy.

For the personal achievement and developement of a character through decisive interpretation,expression and discovery....

Ha ha ha ha ha ha Nah just kidding...

Booze and for the old people that recognize you in the street and say "I saw you in that play and you were nearly very good"
Thats the best feeling.
Oh and Booze.

What were we talking about?
OH Yeah, I do it for my country.

Jones.

There is another theory appart from creative fulfilment, booze, applause or recognition. I'm probably betraying my BSSci (PolSci) roots here but it goes something like this;

With the breakdown of the traditional family unit, people are looking for somewhere to belong. They cannot create an "us" without creating a "them". In some cultures people are turning (unfortunately violently) to old religious and cultural alliances and old enemies to create this feeling of belonging.

But we do it in different ways, we in the affluant decadent west have other communities available to us. Theatre is the best way to create a "them". You face them on stage, you are in the light, they in the dark, the deliniation is clear. Everyone behind and above you is "one of us", everyone in front of you is the other, "one of them".

And our community comes not only with such a stark pysical definition of it's boarders, it also comes with an artificial and very intimate feeling of belonging, a togetherness and trust that need to exist between the whole of a cast and crew if a show is to work. SOmething completely seperate to the "real world". Even if the cast isn't getting along we still have the feeling of being "in this together".

We have signs and signals of our membership; a secret language, war stories, even to some extent a uniform. We recognise members of our ranks. We know people we live a long way from and that we only see within the confines of our community. We have stories and jokes that only fellow members of the community will understand. We have a common interest, a common goal and a common enemy, not in our case to be defeated, but to be won over.

I think this century will be marked by uncertainty, changes in social patterns and positions. Our expectations of our lives and ourselves, influenced by capitalism, materialism and the television, are too high for our resources to provide; I'm never going to look like Elle McPherson and I'm never going to own a Ferrari. We're not really coping with modern life. We need somewhere to belong, a home.

And we have the theatre.



That's what I think anyway.

Leah

For every reason you just stated Leah, people join the Army too.
Apart from the semi automatic weapons and life threatening situations (well even them too) maybe their more alike than we think?

Jones.

Very beautifully put Leah, "the theatre as family" is probably a good theory to explain many actors' love for this strange profession.

I personally have another reason. For me acting is just an extension of the games I used to play as a kid. I just never properly grew up. Now I get to wear fun costumes and pretend I am someone else and actually (sometimes) get paid to do it!

And as one old pro put it to me on a commercial shoot in London: "eh son, it's better than working down a mine isn't it?"

And it is.


Stephen Lee

Hey that was nice.

Jones wrote:
>
> For every reason you just stated Leah, people join the Army
> too.
> Apart from the semi automatic weapons and life threatening
> situations (well even them too) maybe their more alike than
> we think?

Speaking as someone who has seen both sides of this particular fence (as an actor who earns his daily bread working for the Army) you really have no idea how similar the two are.
And how similar the ethos of the communities are as well.
Ignoring the wallpaper, both communities are VERY big on support for the adopted family and looking after 'your own'.
And I've seen many people who have left the one big family gravitate towards the other big family.
Any comments from those who've actually LIVED both sides of the fence? Lawrie? John? Carol? Phil?

Paul Treasure

Thank you Leah, a brilliantly insightful statement. The first person in this dialogue to really contribute something of weight, and yet, still no one has come up with the other big one...

I may not be as eloquent as Leah, but I'm gonna try...

I don't act because I want to act.
I act because I NEED to act!
It is not a conscious decision, it is an unconscious drawing, like a Lemming to a cliff!

The only way I can put it is that Theatre is a lot cheaper than Therapy!

I am drawn to acting because in my complex and confusing life, it gives me moments where I can escape from myself. For a couple of hours every couple of nights I get to leave myself, my psyche and my problems at the door and find out what life is like for other people.
I sometimes think I live vicariously through theatre.

A Director once made the comment to me that he had rarely met someone who NEEDED to act more than I did. Those of you who have met me, but don't KNOW me, may be surprised to find that I really am HIDEOUSLY shy. If I am in a group of people that I don't know well, it takes me forever to come out of my shell (although once out its hard to put me back).
People reading this wrongly have often accused me of being aloof almost snobbish.

Walk into a theatre that I know, however, and I become a totally different person.

Put me on stage and I will live someone elses life to the fullest!

On stage I am suave, debonair, charming, confident, outgoing, even dare I say irresistable (compelling?)
Off stage I am quiet, reserved, bumbling, insecure.

The only other time that I truly become someone else is at the soccer, but as Stephen will tell you, that in itself is just another form of theatre (or is it we who are just another form of sport?)

If I couldn't act, I'd probably have to go back to playing Dungeons and Dragons...

Paul Treasure

I'm definitely with you on the shy factor, Paul. I intensely dislike meeting new people, and being surrounded by people I don't know. However, if I am given the 'role' of an usher, welcoming people to a place, I can do that, because it is my character in a way.

I am also drawn to the community of theatre. I have met many different kinds of people, and none invigorate me as much as those who are a part of theatre. We have a shared experience. Maybe we are the eternal outsiders (for whatever reason) who have found that family who really don't mind our expression of who we are.

Looking back, I can't even remember why I wanted to start acting. Originally I wanted to be a detective. Possibly it is an unconscious way of empathising with others, by wearing someone else's shoes for a night, for a week; getting a deeper understanding of those around us. And I think it can also help us deal with things in our own lives.

That's my five cents.

Jess.

I have tried to give it up......

Jess wrote:

"Looking back, I can't even remember why I wanted to start acting. Originally I wanted to be a detective."

I wanted to be a toxicologist!

Am reminded of Yvonne Kenny, one of Australia's best Mozartean Sopranos, she went to Uni and did a degree in biochemistry, and did quite well apparently, but while at Uni she became involved in a choir and took up singing seriously and went straight from Uni into Opera, so has never used her degree...

Paul

I have no idea where the desire to act and perform ever came from, but if you were to listen to my parents, it was there from the begining. At an age where I still really didn't have a grasp of the english language, you could shove a mic in my hand (while it was attached to a tape recorder mind you) and I would gabber away talking and interviewing, Singing and Dancing, and so forth. My parents have had GREAT pleasure in toruring me with this in later years and even to this day bring it up.

I guess I had always had a desire to Play Pretend so to speak. When we moved from a small outback town (back then) to the BIG SMOKE of Perth, I became very shy and quiet. I participated in Oliver dureing Primary School and was put-off theatre by the sheer EMBARESSMENT and TEASING. Poor country hick! ;-)

It was during my High-school at a Youth Group that someone demonstrated Theatre Sports. I think my fire was rekindled. I joined a Youth Theatre Group and off we went.

Now, I have a daughter, I have sadly put theatre on a shelf for now, but I have not forgotten. As I watch Hayley, I think of the stories my parents had about me., and she's a far better singer and dancer than me already. She's not even two.

Jeff "The Big Daddy" Watkins

It's just showing off, innit?

crgwllms wrote:

> I'm only in it for the money.



Actually, I like and agree with most of the reasons that have been put forward here.

I don't know whether I NEED to act, specifically, but I DO need to do what I ENJOY.
For that reason, I've never had a job that I didn't really want to do; whether it's performing onstage, writing or playing music, driving a bus for a tour company, teaching people how to scuba dive, or leading camping expeditions for highschool kids, it's all been stuff I love doing.

That all might sound rather easy, just doing what you like...it's actually harder than it seems - the hardest part is committing to it.

I act because even the hard days are FUN.

...and I can turn up for work just wearing a t-shirt and tracky daks...


Cheers,
Craig

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