I studied at HB Studios under Sandy Dennis before she passed away. I was a professional actor and some of the best acting came from regional and local theatre. I would love to do more now that I am older but my dual residences prohibits that. I say if you want to do theatre please do. You will never be sorry doing theatre as it is really like a family and a good family at that. Enjoy! The audience will be thrilled to have you.
Uta Hagen was my mom's teacher. My sisters and I heard her praises sung for decades. On the minus side, we had to grow up with an *actress* for a mother. She never let us forget that.
Oh--and her greatest stage triumph, in Chicago in the early 1950s? Medea. It went to her head.
Go for it. People learn things later in life all the time, add hobbies, change careers. I am a big fan of learning new things, and acting in community and regional theatre has been on my list for years. I’m 50 myself, and I love skateboarding and I finally skated a skate park for the first time at 49. I’m a self-taught drummer (I’m ok) and guitarist (I’m not ok) and I’m picking up kickboxing this year for exercise. I started collecting pinball machines at age 42, and learned how to repair and even restore them. I couldn’t find the on/off switch when I started. Now I’ve owned over 100 machines. I like to test the limits of what I can do (which has sent me to the ER for broken bones and stitches). I love white water rafting and high-ropes courses and escape rooms. My wife didn’t believe I could juggle while skateboarding down the street (or sensibly didn’t want me to try) so I had her videotape it. I also love to sing and do stand-up comedy on open mic nights. Try all the things, just be careful. :)
I cannot, with a clear conscience, urge anyone to go into theatre, particularly when the industry is going through one of its periodic economic crises (partly of its own making, though don’t quote me on that).
But have a blast. And don’t let the ego freaks get you down.
All I had to do was get OLD and I suddenly became in demand on the local theater scene. I am happily type cast as " the angry old guy" because no one can top me at that. Some local troupes do not even have auditions for that part if it is in the play. They just send me a script with a post it note asking one question: "Are you in or out?"
All of this happened when I went through the normal audition route to land the part of the Earl of Kent in a production of King Lear and upstaged King Lear, Lear's Fool and ALLLL the villains...including Edmund! I had auditioned hoping to get the Edmund role but was told that I was "much too evil" and "too old anyway". So I settled for Kent, used my disappointment to motivate myself and chewed up the scenery!
Kent embodies the whole FAFO mindset. It turned out I was born to play Kent!
Men always get roles as they age because they are always in demand. I worked with Noble Willingham who said that he didn't start acting until he was 40 because there were no good roles. Take advantage of this for sure and break a leg out there.
Back to the gym in a few but the Reclaiming Self, Taking Care of Self Instead of Others update is ok!
Morning glucose 93, small breakfast, took lowered dose of meds, did a hard boot camp class, glucose down to 73, then had a small lunch. Yoga next with non-asshole teacher, prob some further plank workout later. I'm doing a lot better the last few days, not as shaky or weak, yay.
Our dear bluePNWcats has been hit with a maybe-flu and is down for the count. Send along all good rascally wishes, if you do that sort of thing 🩵
I grew up in the theater, through my father who was involved at all levels of off broadway productions. I was cast in a few of those. I am not nostalgic for it, really but it was a good formative experience.
Just got off the phone with the Tetlet. He's spending long days working hard on his lines in the upcoming staging of "The Tempest." He's cast as Prospero. So many lines, has to get them all down. Show opens in a month. Hit your marks, pick up on your cues. Break a leg.
He decided many years ago that he did not want to chase any acting dreams in Chicago or New York or El Lay. He likes where he lives and appreciates the balance it brings to his life -- big skies, mountains, forests, just enough city to keep things challenging, and the ability to get away from it to a quieter place for a while in just a few minutes' time.
I studied at HB Studios under Sandy Dennis before she passed away. I was a professional actor and some of the best acting came from regional and local theatre. I would love to do more now that I am older but my dual residences prohibits that. I say if you want to do theatre please do. You will never be sorry doing theatre as it is really like a family and a good family at that. Enjoy! The audience will be thrilled to have you.
Uta Hagen was my mom's teacher. My sisters and I heard her praises sung for decades. On the minus side, we had to grow up with an *actress* for a mother. She never let us forget that.
Oh--and her greatest stage triumph, in Chicago in the early 1950s? Medea. It went to her head.
Go for it. People learn things later in life all the time, add hobbies, change careers. I am a big fan of learning new things, and acting in community and regional theatre has been on my list for years. I’m 50 myself, and I love skateboarding and I finally skated a skate park for the first time at 49. I’m a self-taught drummer (I’m ok) and guitarist (I’m not ok) and I’m picking up kickboxing this year for exercise. I started collecting pinball machines at age 42, and learned how to repair and even restore them. I couldn’t find the on/off switch when I started. Now I’ve owned over 100 machines. I like to test the limits of what I can do (which has sent me to the ER for broken bones and stitches). I love white water rafting and high-ropes courses and escape rooms. My wife didn’t believe I could juggle while skateboarding down the street (or sensibly didn’t want me to try) so I had her videotape it. I also love to sing and do stand-up comedy on open mic nights. Try all the things, just be careful. :)
Just going back to the Dairy Queen. There is a subset of us who are living with this mantra as our path forward.
Society is far more accepting today. So, sure.
“There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses, and Sarah Bernhardt.”
– Mark Twain, in the program for Bernhardt’s 1912-1913 American tour
I cannot, with a clear conscience, urge anyone to go into theatre, particularly when the industry is going through one of its periodic economic crises (partly of its own making, though don’t quote me on that).
But have a blast. And don’t let the ego freaks get you down.
I can empathize with SAFIMA also too very much.
All I had to do was get OLD and I suddenly became in demand on the local theater scene. I am happily type cast as " the angry old guy" because no one can top me at that. Some local troupes do not even have auditions for that part if it is in the play. They just send me a script with a post it note asking one question: "Are you in or out?"
All of this happened when I went through the normal audition route to land the part of the Earl of Kent in a production of King Lear and upstaged King Lear, Lear's Fool and ALLLL the villains...including Edmund! I had auditioned hoping to get the Edmund role but was told that I was "much too evil" and "too old anyway". So I settled for Kent, used my disappointment to motivate myself and chewed up the scenery!
Kent embodies the whole FAFO mindset. It turned out I was born to play Kent!
Men always get roles as they age because they are always in demand. I worked with Noble Willingham who said that he didn't start acting until he was 40 because there were no good roles. Take advantage of this for sure and break a leg out there.
Gloucester demands equal time! And a cane, please.
Virginia? ‘Cause there’s a Kent there too.
Back to the gym in a few but the Reclaiming Self, Taking Care of Self Instead of Others update is ok!
Morning glucose 93, small breakfast, took lowered dose of meds, did a hard boot camp class, glucose down to 73, then had a small lunch. Yoga next with non-asshole teacher, prob some further plank workout later. I'm doing a lot better the last few days, not as shaky or weak, yay.
Our dear bluePNWcats has been hit with a maybe-flu and is down for the count. Send along all good rascally wishes, if you do that sort of thing 🩵
I grew up in the theater, through my father who was involved at all levels of off broadway productions. I was cast in a few of those. I am not nostalgic for it, really but it was a good formative experience.
Just got off the phone with the Tetlet. He's spending long days working hard on his lines in the upcoming staging of "The Tempest." He's cast as Prospero. So many lines, has to get them all down. Show opens in a month. Hit your marks, pick up on your cues. Break a leg.
He decided many years ago that he did not want to chase any acting dreams in Chicago or New York or El Lay. He likes where he lives and appreciates the balance it brings to his life -- big skies, mountains, forests, just enough city to keep things challenging, and the ability to get away from it to a quieter place for a while in just a few minutes' time.
Sounds like a nice spot, PNW?
No, SW. La Tierra Encantada.
Soy feliz por usted
Oh!
There they are!
(Do not look. They will see you. Let me. I'm setting a trap.)
Oh. Ahem.
Are you schooled in rhetoric?
Do you fancy yourself clever?
Is your ad hominim solipsistic?
🤪
Hey. Could this be one of our theme songs? Because, c'mon.
Cage the Elephant
'There Ain't No Rest for the Wicked'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Z0sON2UPc
Saw them live. The lead singer is a wild man. Fun show.
". And hey, you never know what opportunities may come."
Said every musician to the band about the gig they just booked. If the band needs a reason to play the gig that is.
So, I survived Pride and Prejudice. Now we're in the middle of "A Tale of Two Cities".
It sounds like the best of times. Or maybe the worst of times.
I can never tell.
The signs of spring.
https://substack.com/profile/155702845-land-shark/note/c-55611649