The actor's plight...
So, you want to be an actor, huh? Well, unless you’re very lucky then you’ll need to be willing to spend at least the first five to 10 years of your career working for nothing. Beyond training in the performing arts, it's experience that'll shape your professional development. Then, maybe you’ll get a few paid jobs and reach a point where the work dries up or you become so high-profile that you’re typecast and have to leave the country to find work.
This is the struggle facing a lot of New Zealand acting talent, whether or not they can afford the fees and be accepted by Toi Whakaari (NZ Drama School). Having now worked with actors who have trained at the best institutions or had no training at all, I’m more concerned with what work an actor has done and, most important, how they perform rather than the school they trained at. It’s how they use their training in their performance that counts.
Since actors are usually struggling to pay rent while working on films, plays and other projects to showcase themselves, I’ve always strongly believed in the availability of quality, affordable acting classes.
The two most important elements of a dramatic project are the script and the actors. If either fails to deliver, then you could have the best director and the best production values but you’re going to struggle or just have to make the best of it.
Bearing in mind that at least half of the film and television productions shot in New Zealand are now American, opportunities for actors to upskill with refresher courses and workshops in auditioning, accents and the like are important, especially if they won’t interfere with the fulltime jobs most aspiring or working actors have to do between work.
Wellington alone has a phenomenal amount of acting talent and over the last few years has lost a lot of it to Auckland or further afield largely through lack of opportunities. It’s a shame that so many actors have to leave New Zealand in order to succeed; the ones who haven’t are rare.
A lot of people consider acting a glamorous profession and I've certainly found there’s some contempt for those who reveal themselves to be actors. Some people view acting as a profession that doesn’t require discipline; they think actors haven't had to work hard compared with a doctor, lawyer or tradesman.
The key difference is that all of those professions have a clear career path and though they require years of training, they don’t have the same level of subjective uncertainty, rejection and erratic income that acting does. Actors have to do all this and maintain faith in their own ability and try not to give up. It takes courage. Actors are my heroes and I have a lot of respect for those determined enough to stick at it.
When I heard recently that the Wellington Actors Studio may have to shut its doors at the end of the year I was sad because places like this are important for people who want to take acting classes for fun, as a confidence booster or even because they couldn't afford to study fulltime and need to work around a fulltime job.
Filmmakers have the NZFC, but what do actors have? There's some support for actors through Creative NZ channels but they are not plentiful and are highly competitive. Considering they are one of the most important elements of creating drama on stage and screen, why are actors largely left out in the cold to do their own thing and reliant on filmmakers to pay them? I always hate having to ask actors to work for nothing but the cost of getting the equipment and crew necessary to make them look good and actually film something usually means paying actors becomes prohibitive. However, one day when i'm in the position to do so, I definitely will.
Do you consider acting an "easy" profession? Do you think actors should have more support and training opportunities or just tough it out on their own? Do you think there is much acting talent in New Zealand?
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The most important line an actor should remember:
"Would you like fries with that?"
This is why I’m not an actress, and more generally why I don’t work in the arts. I would rather do a job I don’t particularly like but which does keep my bank manager happy, and do fun stuff on my own time. I don’t want to have to live like a hermit and I find it very sad that this is the choice NZ artists have to make. But then, I don’t think acting is glamorous anywhere. Not even in Hollywood for the majority.
this is why I prefer writing - doesn’t interfere with the day job and has the potential to pay off in the long run *grin*
My bf's little sister is a very talented, beautiful and creative person. She went to Toi Whakaare to study but is now overseas in her home country. She has been involved in a few theatre productions there and has been teaching young drama students. But despite the fact she has so much going for her and she is so committed to her acting it is still so hard for her to get any proper recognition and quality work. For one production in particular she was the creative force and had a leading role yet she received almost no recognition for it. I think it's like that everywhere though. You have to work your arse off and just go for gold on almost everything in order to get anywhere in the industry.
@ Nick #2
So true.
I think NZ actors definitely need more support if not just in the form of more information. It's easy to feel so powerless and in the dark. Barbara Woods of the Wellington Actors Studio is a beacon of light and hope for many of us in Wellington. Not only does she provide easily affordable classes of varying length and difficulty but she also sends out regular updates on auditions, upcoming projects, and advice for actors.
I also find temping a good way to earn a living while I wait for that big break. After which I will no doubt still have to keep temping but it pays better a lot better than Mickey D's!
Thanks for the support, everyone. The closure of The Studio is in limbo at the moment. I'm meeting with two potential sponsors, am fundraising through donations from the student body and wider community. We're only trying to save it because classes and workshops are all full. Our popularity could be our downfall. The admin and marketing takes two people to run it but then we would have to raise our fees to something that most actors could not afford.
Its the hardest profession in the world (except mining, c'mon that job is brutal) but the most fun. For any one afflicted with the passion for performance there is no cure, only refuge in finding a part-time classes and workshops or, and this is where The Studio's potential future is heading, in networking and banding together to generate your own opportunities and creative endeavours.
If you want to help keep The Studio alive and even prosper then go to http://www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/SaveTheStudio to donate by credit card. Or contact The Studio directly, if you wish to set up a automatic payment. Don't be fooled by the $0 sum raised on the Give A Little page. Most people are giving by setting up an AP with The Studio directly. Monies rasied so far are $890. Sposnorship will increase that sum, greatly.
Thanks for the support. Barbara Woods The Wellington Actors Studio www.wellingtonactorsstudio.co.nz
Good topic Chaz
It's definately tough out there for NZ actors. I mean, if shortland street is the TV pinnacle it's not exactly setting the bar high, is it? Fortunately I now there are some much better stage and movie opportunities.
Sadly, the ability to be a fulltime actor is now akin to people who want to be professional poker players or gamblers. Anyone can have a go, but very few can make a living out of it.
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"Paying you dues" is an important part of artistic endeavour but in NZ "artistes" are expected to suffer an ascetics existence and certainly should not expect the support of the New Zealand public in general until they reach Anna Paquin's levels of success.
My eldest loves drama and performance and my wife and I understand that if he is to be successful we'll probably be largely supporting him into his 20s, if he continues down that path. He is committed to his craft and deals with audition rejection like a pro. 2 minutes of depression and then on to the next project. Can;t ask for more.