#actingstories

[tomkiesche]

Could use more readers & reviews! Read the description on Amazon!#writer #actor #acting #actress #actorlife #tomkiesche #hansgerhard #subject #bookvie #funny #actingclass #actingstories #agent #casting #funread #book #bookworm #bookstagram #bookshelf #actors #act

[nrptheatre]

Theater People Can Be So...Dramatic

By Malorie Savran

Yes its true, theater people can be dramatic, myself included. The story I’m about to go in to, I’ve told many times, so if you’ve heard it already I do apologize. And if you know me well, you’re already aware I tell the same stories over and over again, thus it really should not be a surprise.

It was 11 years ago (I think?) and I’d been going along enjoying all my exploits on the stage, either in high school musicals or at camp (Buck’s Rock, the best place ever) and was on the precipice of the next major choice in my life: college. Egads! At the time, I had no motivation to even think about college, but when you are looking at the end of your high school career it’s expected. In all reality, I had no clue what I wanted. But I did love being on stage so before I became the very reasonable, always aiming for financial stability, woman you read before you I went along with applying to be an acting major.

Fast forward about a year and in enters the fall freshman semester in a B.F.A. program at my 4th choice school. Perhaps not the best start, but I went in with a fresh face, mildly good attitude and was ready to work. When it came to school, for the most part I put in a good amount of effort unless it was a subject that didn’t tickle my fancy. Junior year American history was particularly a drag for me, the battle of Bunker Hill just wasn’t cutting it; but I digress.

So there I am, ready to delve in to this acting program with classmates that were going to be with me for the next four years, classes I could not understand (movement class…we explored our spirit animals…it was not for me), and a rule that freshman were not allowed to perform. I repeat, freshmen were not allowed to perform. They had to break all of our bad habits first.

EXCUSE ME?!?! The whole point of being acting major was to act in front of people!!!

Obviously I was less than pleased, but this was how the program worked, so I went with it. However, I was clearly disappointed.

Subsequently I went on to the next best thing…stage managing (to clarify this is not second to acting IMHO, but at the time performing would have been my preference). I was going to work on a production even if it killed me, which it nearly did seeing as I had a full class load, this production counted as a work study. I ended up needing special permission to take 21 credits my first semester of college.

At this point, I was not very friendly with my classmates and the actual program classes were less than inspiring. Very quickly I was debating whether or not to leave the major. Spoiler alert: I dropped out.

Here was the turning point. I was sitting with my acting professor, who was also my academic advisor, who was also the director of the show I was stage managing. She turned to me and said “You know Malorie, its so refreshing to meet someone as nice as you in this industry.” Insert confused face emoji here. I’m refreshing?? I’m nice?? That sentence terrified me and I knew in that moment, I was never going to make it as an actor. I wasn’t aggressive enough, I hated competition, networking took my pretty mild social anxiety and turned it on its head. I was already unhappy with the program, I hadn’t made any real friends and now if I’m refreshing, I’m done for. So, by early November I announced I was withdrawing my spot in the program.

That semester was my last experience with theater for almost 10 years, except as an enthusiastic audience member.

Three majors and a bachelor’s degree later, I moved to Boston without knowing a single person, got a very stable job and settled in to a simple and relatively comfortable life. Of course the truth was that I missed the theater world terribly, I missed my “people.” I was no longer surrounded by those friends who would join in if I started belting out Defying Gravity at the lunch table. My coworkers (who are amazing and I love them dearly) frequently look at my like I’ve lost a few marbles, though it only inspires me to annoy them so it all works out. But still, I missed my “people.” And then after some hours of using the Google I found a small local theater (take a guess at which one…Nemasket River!) and that was that. I was back in the game!! I’ve auditioned here and there but for the most part I’ve stuck with stage managing, I do it well and I get to be involved with all aspects of the production.

After several productions over the last couple of years, here is what I know: I’m perhaps not as refreshing as my acting professor/advisor/director told me I was. There are some amazing, generous, kind people out there. On the other hand she wasn’t wrong either, as there are also just as many difficult, rude, and all around bitchy individuals who don’t realize their negativity is infectious or they just don’t care.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that a smile and a positive attitude goes such a long way, a lot farther than I would have thought possible. It is very easy as a stage manager to get frustrated and just want to yell at people all the time (though for the record it is absolutely one of the perks and can be loads of fun when done in good conscience and everyone is getting along anyways). However, killing people with kindness can have a similar outcome, though not necessarily as effective.

Here’s the takeaway. Once we’ve settled into jobs and routines, life can get monotonous and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But a little drama can make it all a lot more entertaining.

www.nemasketrivetproductions.com