Conard Fowkes is a professional actor who has supported his family in New York for many years. He earns a living as an actor on daytime TV dramas, commercials, stage, films, and industrials--in short, in every medium. He belongs to Equity, AFTRA, and SAG and is active in union affairs, thus keeping close tabs on the day-to-day aspects of survival.
Mr. Fowkes reminds us that in addition to the expenses of everyday living, actors have some extra expenses for which they must allow, including coaching and lessons, photos and resumes, hair care, union dues, trade publications, directories, an answering service in addition to a telephone, agents' commissions on earnings, and clothing. A writer or painter can perhaps hide behind her or his work, and blue jeans and a sweater may suffice. The actor hides behind nothing--the actor is her or his work, and every actor must have presentable clothes and must keep them cleaned and pressed. You simply don't audition for commercials wearing a dirty dress or un-pressed trousers.
It is not uncommon, according to Mr. Fowkes, for young professionals to spend ten percent of their gross income on acting lessons and another twenty-five percent on the rent. Add to that Social Security, federal and state taxes, and commissions, and it becomes painfully clear that performers are living in fiscally perilous times.
If it is necessary for you to find a part-time job while looking for work, don't misrepresent yourself--that is, don't mislead your employer into thinking your status is permanent. Several employment agencies specialize in placing part-time or temporary help, and these places may welcome actors, with full knowledge that their main interest lies outside the secretarial field. Also, the classified employment section of the daily newspapers list part-time jobs.
Naturally, if you have to find part-time or temporary work, it is preferable to seek hours that will leave you free to pursue your acting career for at least a few hours each day.
To address the problems created by the chronic unemployment and uncertain nature of the entertainment business, the Actors' Work Program was created in 1986 by Actors' Equity Association (although it is now under the aegis of The Actors' Fund of America). It is a project designed to help professionals secure dignified interim employment and/ or explore the possibility of developing a second career. The program has greatly expanded since its inception and now includes other members of the entertainment industry along with actors and is funded by most of the entertainment industry unions. The Actors' Work Program's Career Guidance and Educational Center opened in 1990, and a new division has been created specifically to assist people with disabilities.
The program helps actors evaluate their skills to find out how they can use their talents in other jobs and conduct an effective job search. Every participant receives individual career counseling and participates in seminars to learn how to prepare resumes and go on interviews. Tuition grants are available for participants to study social work, word processing, teaching English as a Second Language, and other career alternatives.
Career Transition for Dancers (CTFD) is a similar program established specifically to help the dancer, whose career is shorter than other performers because of the very physical nature of the work. CTFD offers seminars, workshops, and counseling to assist with career choices. It has offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Rules of the Game
The acting profession has as rigid a set of ethics as any in the world. As you pursue your career, you will sometimes see them violated or sacrificed to expediency, and you will find this hard to accept--but not only the worthy are attracted to the acting profession. True professionals live by the rules, for the sake of their profession and themselves.
Here are some do's and don'ts that you as an actor are expected to understand and live by:
- Don't lie about your experience.
- Be honorable in your dealings with agents; don't allow more than one agent to submit you for the same part.
- Be on time for all appointments and rehearsals. Being late for rehearsal is among the worst breaches of theatre etiquette. Being late for an interview may cost you the appointment. A casting director probably will keep you waiting; but don't keep the casting director waiting. (This doesn't mean that you should cool your heels in somebody's office for an hour if you are keeping a definite engagement. If you feel, after a reasonable time, that you're being taken advantage of, politely tell the secretary that you cannot wait any longer and make another appointment.)
- When you do get a job, learn your lines as quickly as possible.
- If you accept a job, do your best. Even in a showcase production that pays nothing, you should approach your work as if your entire career depended on it. Maybe it does.
- Don't criticize the other actors with whom you're working or with whom you are in competition. If you're up for a job, this won't get it for you. If you're in rehearsal or performance, it is the director's place to give suggestions. If you have ideas or suggestions, talk privately to the director or the stage manager; leave the other actors alone.
As hundreds of new people enter the acting field each year, a growing concern has been expressed that professional standards are breaking down. This does not imply that newcomers are the sole violators of the theatre's rules and traditions. Often, they are not.
As an actor, you will be held in the same regard in which you hold yourself. "Acting," said the late Ralph Bellamy "is a serious profession. We have slowly and gradually acquired a position of respect, and it should be maintained and guarded. It is the responsibility of each actor."
