In Their Own Words

I was considering taking a portion of this - itself a segment of an entire lecture - and transcribing it, but this woman is so deft with her performance that I realised it would not have done her justice to simply copy and paste. Watch, listen, and enjoy.

With an explanation like that, why wouldn't you want to do theatre?

Patsy Rodenburg, British Acting Coach

An Actor's Journal

Now Go We in Content

One month ago, I was a different person. As I said then, I was in a strange transitory place. In a few ways I still am, but the major difference is that this month I've been rehearsing. Regardless of the general turmoil of life scattered about my tired frame, I now get up at ungodly hours and spend most of my energy on pretending to be someone else for six days a week. Who wouldn't want this life? Gone are the concerns about paying rent and bills, the fear of not eating is rendered inexistent, and my social life has all but disappeared; but what do I care? I'm working!

Except I'm not actually working. I'm investing my energy and resources, but with no monetary renumeration. It's all out of the goodness of my heart. Why then, I hear you splutter, would I want to waste my time, money and energy doing such a thing? Three words: experience, networking and wellbeing.

Regardless of the financial benefits (or lack thereof), every single project I am involved with is a training all on its own. Think about it: if you want to be a journalist, you may have to spend a lot of time being an intern at a newspaper office, perhaps being promoted to runner and tea/coffee-maker on minimum wage. All the while, you are watching seasoned professionals do it and make a reasonable living from it. Being in the atmosphere is hugely useful for two reasons. Firstly, you see all the triumphs and pitfalls of the work involved which is the best way to discover if something is really for you. Then there's the inspiration: watching the pros do their thing is a great way of making personal comparisons, and learning as you go. Well, the National Youth Theatre may produce amateur theatre on paper, but the working method and production values are equal to those of the hundreds of successful theatre companies out there. Indeed, several alumni of the NYT have gone on to do great things. The roll call of successful actors, directors, producers, technicians and administrators began their careers with the company, and they all come back every year for a Gala event.

These Gala events take various forms and are essentially fundraisers for the company. The good thing about any theatre comany's fundraising events is that you're guaranteed an entertaining night. Guess who'll be performing at this year's Gala event? Meaning that after performing I'll be mingling with the likes of Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall, Matt Smith and Sir Ian McKellen. It won't just be a chance to rub shoulders with stars, of course, as plenty of industry people (directors, casting agents and representatives) also attend. Say I make an impression with some of these highly influential people: they speak to me and ask me what I'm doing. I tell them I'm off to one of the best Drama Schools in the country. They may make a note of this, follow my progress, and who knows? Maybe I'll be signing contracts the day after graduation in 2013. Another reason not to turn one's nose up at "volunteering" with the NYT.

Finally - and this may come as a shock to you, my dear readers - I enjoy it. I mean I really enjoy it! Goodness only knows how I managed to keep sane doing anything else. Since the beginning of August, acting has finally taken its rightful place as Number One Concern in my life, and boy does it feel good to not care about anything else but my career. Is it any wonder actors find it difficult to function in the so-called "real world"? What is there for us? All that serious nonsense and bluff about mortgages, routine, social manners and 9-5: BORING! If your mind doesn't bend that way, why force it? Why not make some quality (and, who knows, maybe even educational and socially enriching) entertainment, instead, and have fun while doing it? Sounds good to me.

It isn't for everyone, of course, as rehearsals are beginning to prove. The division between the serious and not-so-serious members is beginning to make itself clearer as the days go by. We all like a bit of fun, but the theatre is work nevertheless, and there are targets of a sort to be met. Namely, when you have a week to have the show ready - props and all - you don't want to spend five minutes telling people to shut up and reset for a key scene in Act One. It is hard work, and the fun is a bonus, not a substitute. Some people need to remember that. In the strictly professional world, there would have been quite a few job losses already; but that really is the only difference between the National Youth Theatre and the National Theatre. It isn't to say the ethos and work ethic is any less focused. A perfect training ground for a life in the crazy business we call show.

And this really is the beginning of my new life, as it were: halfway through the run of Relish I start at Drama School. Training from 8.30am until 6pm, then hotfooting it down to the venue to perform at 7.30 will be tough, but I'm perversely looking forward to it. It's a model for what one hopes will be a long and varied career. I want to stretch myself as far as possible, and I'll have to get used to gruelling schedules, weight loss (and gain), and the lack of contact with people in the real world. When one considers that 92% of professional actors are out of work one becomesvery grateful for anything they can get. Stay in that 8% and you're happy.

So I really cannot complain about anything, this month. I'm young, I'm free, and I'm doing what I do best. This is living!

let the world slip, we shall ne'er be younger.

The Taming of the Shrew (Induction, Scene 2.137-144)