Acting in America is a website dedicated to collecting the stories of actors across the country. I want to hear from all kinds of actors, from local community actors to professional actors – anyone who has ever stepped across the stage. I want your stories, and I’d like people to have the opportunity to read them and find out what it’s like to pursue acting as a career or avocation in this country.
The statistical evidence on the actor’s condition in this country does not really tell the whole story. Common statistics cited from Actors’ Equity, the professional stage actor’s union, puts the unemployment rate of its members at approximately 85% at any one time. But statistics never tell the whole story about anything, and in particular they never reveal the human side of the profession. Not everyone who acts belongs to AEA, or aspires to belong. Some see it as a hobby, some as an avocation, some as a sideline, and some try to make their entire living from acting.
As someone who has spent 35 years as an actor and as an educator, I’m particularly interested in collecting these stories so that other actors, student actors, and any interested parties across the country can get a more accurate glimpse from those who have gone before them about what they are up against and what they can expect. There are hundreds of books detailing various professional aspects of the profession, but to my knowledge there is no book which gives them a look into the day-to-day lives and struggles of those working in the acting business.
But rather than write a book, I am building this website as a means to get these stories out to interested people. I’m also interested in giving students and others a chance to see and understand that there are several ways to become an actor which go beyond being a Broadway professional. If young people can understand that many actors lead fulfilled lives which do not necessarily entail making it in New York City or Los Angeles, that might go a long way towards helping them to make more informed decisions about where they want to go and where they want to live and make a career for themselves.
My model for this approach is the work done by the late Studs Terkel in his seminal book Working (which was turned into a musical of the same name, and in which the actor Rip Torn tells his story). Studs crisscrossed the country, talking to average Americans and get their take on their working life. Studs didn’t have the internet, but I do, which means that I have the potential to travel virtually around the country, collecting stories from actors coast to coast.
If you’d like to contribute to this site, here are the guidelines for submission:
- I am mainly interested in stories about your experiences working as an actor in general terms. Examples of questions you can ask yourself to get started are:
- How did you get started?
- What cities have you worked in?
- What kinds of theatres, film sets, type of work have you done?
- Why did you become an actor or get involved in acting?
- Why do you act and continue to act?
- What do you love about it? Hate about it?
- Have you ever thought about leaving acting?
- How hard has it been? How easy?
- Do you make a living at it? What support jobs do you do you combine with acting?
Broadly speaking, we are interested in your “life story” to date as an actor. The ultimate objective is to gain some insight into what it’s like to build a career as an actor in the US. The more stories I collect, the more we can all begin to understand the realities involved. If you’re interesting in seeing examples of this type of style, just get a copy of Working and emulate that type of writing to the best of your ability. Don’t worry about how fancy the prose is. As long as it’s honest and personal, it will work fine.
- Write up your story and email it to actinginamerica at gmail dot com. I will take a look at it and consider it for inclusion. Please make sure your return email is accurate, as I might like to follow up with you about details or discuss any editing questions. You may make your submission in the body of an email message or as a word processing document. A picture is not necessary, but if you’d like to submit a photo of yourself feel free. I would ask that it NOT be your professional headshot, but something more personal and representative of your life beyond acting.
- This is not a professional networking site! It’s not a place to submit your headshot/résumé or come looking for work or to make connections. I will not publish any contact information beyond your name and the location where you live. I am not interested in the “professional actor” in you. I’m interested in the human person behind the profession. Submissions which appear to be designed to boost your career will not be accepted.
- I am not interested in specific incidents or stories concerning specific events or shows. The main focus is to get a general overview of your career. If you want to include specific incidents or examples as illustrations, that is fine.
- Please do not include names of specific theatres or places where you may have worked. I don’t want to get you or anyone else in trouble or create any undue controversy. Try to keep your story as generalized and personal to you as possible.
- For the moment I am concentrating on actors and acting. If you’re a director, designer, playwright, technician, or any other profession besides acting, please refrain from submitting. Or better yet, start the same type of process for your side of the house.
- I am also interested in hearing from students in BFA/MFA programs. I’d love to know what you think of your training, if you think it will be worth it, how you expect to manage your debt when you graduate, and what you’re looking for from a career in acting.
- If you were once an actor but have given it up and gone on to something else, I would welcome your story here as well.
- By submitting your story, you give permission for it to appear on this website. Your story will remain your own, however; I do not claim any copyright to your story. The website itself, however, reserves all rights, so that legally no one should be able to re-print your story without permission. If at some time in the future any plans for publishing these stories in any form other than this website come about, I will contact you to gain your permission to publish your story in another form, so please make sure your contact email is accurate and will last for some time.
- I am willing to publish stories anonymously, but I will not accept for publication stories written anonymously without a full name and verifiable email address. If you wish to have your story appear as an anonymous entry, please indicate that. You’ll have to trust me that I will not publish or reveal your name or email.
- I reserve the right to change the rules based on changing conditions. I also reserve the right to edit stories for length or content, or refuse submitted stories I do not wish to publish.
This is one huge experiment, and I have no idea what may happen to it. It will only be as good as the stories I get. I hope to hear from you. -twl
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