The Theatre Times: Acting, as the cliché goes, is child’s play. All that dressing up and pretending to be someone else. For those of us who do “normal” jobs, the idea of the theatre actor’s life sounds like a brilliant return to student life. You don’t have to get up early in the morning to commute to an office. Instead, you drink coffee and try to learn things off by heart during the day while in the evening, you do a couple of hours of intense work, then get drunk afterward. And then after a few months, you get to “rest” until the next job comes along.
8 comments:
Both or my parents are actors and heavily involved in theater productions in other aspects, too, so this article hits home for me not as a performer myself but as a child who has had this experience from the other side. The evenings can become a rush, trying to get dinner and some time in with the family before everyone rushes off to their various productions and shows and leaves you with very little time to see them except in the mornings. I think this idea of job sharing isn't actually that far fetched of an idea. It's just like having a swing or being double cast for one or two performances because of union rules, like is done now, except extended to splitting the role 50-50. I personally think that, from my experience, this could be a huge help for theatrical families who still want to perform while raising children. I'd love to see a few shows do this and how the results are, but I'm sure it wouldn't only improve the lives of the families but make happier and better rested actors, increasing the quality of the productions as well.
I don't think that people really know the toll of being a parent until they are one-- I sadly am not a parent yet. I think something that producers, stage managers, and directors should keep in mind is that denying someone a role due to their parental status is straight out discrimination, it's against the law. I think that the job sharing idea is both equitable and genius for parents working in the industry today, it makes the process fair while also having a set schedule with room for any issues that arise when someone is a parent. That being said, this HAS to be widespread and transparent from the very beginning, or else casting directors and other individuals could just not cast this person from the get go, thus eliminating the problem. In California, there is a law that says that employers can't ask for age in the entertainment industry to prevent discrimination for older actors that look young, there can easily be a law that requires companies to be transparent from the very beginning about these systems in order for parent actors can be informed of options and can hold the company accountable. I hope to be a parent someday, and I also want a career, it's time for the theatrical world so start allowing both.
This article was not what I was expecting at all. I think the idea of job-sharing is very interesting. I think it could work. However, this article forgets one issue that parent in every industry deals with this. here are tons of people who work in fields without any paid sick leave or maternity leave and even if people get this time that doesn’t mean they have a workload that allows them to be home with their kids. My parents both worked jobs with sick days, paid vacation days and maternity leave but that doesn’t mean that they came home every night to cook me dinner or read a bedtime story. This article forgets to address that working parent everywhere should be allowed to be parents. Work culture in America especially is too demanding and a much larger issue than just for actors or the theatre industry as a whole. Another problem with this article as with many articles that talk just about actors is that this isn’t just an actor problem. Many people in the theatre company have to deal with similar if not worse issues. Hopefully, if this job-sharing program goes into effect that it affects more than just the actors.
Being a young person, a lot of what I hear about being in the professional world is how much my place in it will change when I decide I want a family. I think that it is a really upsetting idea that we believe people’s commitment to their passions will weaken because they have gained something else that will truly complete their life. It stems from that dangerous assumption that we can only really do or be one thing; we all must fit in a box. I, personally, think that this notion is ridiculous. I think that there will be growing pains when something changes in a person’s life, but truly, if someone’s passions remain strong, balance will be achieved. Especially in an artistic career, I believe that having balance and fulfillment in all parts of a person’s life can make them better artists with more experience and knowledge of the world around them. From this article, I really hope that the conversation continues about workplaces and families working together to build systems that allow for success in both areas.
I find the article misleading. I expected the article to address the challenges faced by those who are in the profession who also happen to have children, but then the article talks about job sharing, which really, is not the same thing. Coin flipping could keep a play interesting, but in the end, both actresses are still on stage 8 nights a week. I made the decision to enter this world. I made the conscious decision to work in technical theatre. This means that I had to be prepared for working everyday, often long hours, and having little free time available during some parts. I fully support a person’s decision to have kids and have a family, but this line of work is difficult. We don’t have a normal M-F 8-5 schedule. It’s all over the map. I made the decision not to have kids because I knew that I would be able to give them the time they needed or the ability to be there as they grew and matured. For me, it came down to a choice, do what I love or focus on having a family. I could not see doing both. I applaud those who are parents, it’s a tough job, but in the end, a decision has to be made. Having said that, the article should have picked one topic or the other.
I think it’s rather despicable when such wild assumptions are made about those who work in the arts. Yeah, ok, we may not have 9 to 5 jobs like most of the working force, but artists work incredibly hard at sporadic times of the year. And that’s not due to laziness, but rather the scheduling of work opportunities. I completely agree with the article when it states: “Theatre actors are self-employed, so don’t get maternity or sick pay. They work long, unregulated hours in rehearsals and, outside of the big stars, are paid very little. Working in the evening might be easier if you have a partner with a regular job in terms of childcare, but if you don’t, or are a lone parent, you are in a difficult position. Plus, every single evening you miss out on cooking your child dinner or putting them to bed.” To not be able to spend time with your children must be very painful.
First off I found this article pretty rude. “Acting, as the cliché goes, is child’s play. All that dressing up and pretending to be someone else.” This is not a true statement it takes only a select few to do because of how hard it is. Along those lines though this life is not for everyone. It mentioned about parents splitting a role because it is hard to accept projects with children. I do not believe in this, f an actor/actress wants to have kids they need to think of the implications of the child and for them. If you want children, you need to be committed to that child and be able to support it. Another thing about that is what about the parents who do have to work during the day. They don’t get half the week off to split their job with someone else. While I do think its an interesting idea I don’t think it will work well.
Wow, I find it completely insane that actors do not get maternity or sick pay. How is this possible? It is a job, just like any other job, and the employers of these actors should know and understand that they need fair treatment! Anyone in theatre should know how difficult acting is as a job. However, as the article stated early on, it is hard for people to see how doing art as a job is difficult. The hours, the job description, it sounds like pure fun, doing a hobby for a job. But I have learned this year that art has to be one of the most grueling things you could ever choose to do. Keeping up creativity and originality in your work is ridiculously hard on the brain. Especially with actors, I have always assumed trying to act like a whole other person, making them well rounded and realistic, would make it hard to know who they are themselves. They deserve as much compensation as anyone else with a job.
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