Do as I say, not as I do! That is the lesson to be learned through the Cautionary Tales -- I make these mistakes so you don't have to. Here's my tale about knowing what you are and are not willing to do for a job.
On a daily basis, there are dozens of new casting opportunities being posted across the various sites. There are so many that it can often feel daunting to jump in and catch up on the postings after a few days away. Also, as starving artists, it is so very easy to fall into the trap of submit-for-everything-in-the-hopes-that-something-sticks mentality when half the time, you don't even register what you're submitting for.
And these two traps together can create quite the storm -- exactly the storm I fell into one fateful day.
I was scrolling along, trying to catch up on my submissions and surfing the metaphorical bulletin boards, when I came across a posting for an upcoming live EPA that I thought I might have a good shot at being seen for. Without thinking, I added it to my calendar and planned my week around the audition, then continued mindlessly, robotically scrolling -- onto the next!
The day of the audition came, and I distinctly remember talking to darling Mychal that morning as I was packing up and heading out. He asked which audition this was, I told him the name, and this funny, kind of startled, look crossed his face before wishing me luck and kissing me goodbye. I went to the audition and I sat in the holding room, hoping I'd get seen that day. After half a day of waiting around, non-eq was sent home. I thankfully had a rehearsal to go to that afternoon -- so the trip into the city wasn't a total bust -- and as I was leaving the audition, I called Mychal to update him before heading to rehearsal. It was during this phone call that he asked, "Do you know what the show is about, by the way?" I gave him a noncommittal answer, saying I think I briefly looked it up, isn't it about this, that, or the other? He sort of laughed and told me what exactly the show was about, and let's just say I was suddenly very glad I had not been seen for it! Whoops.
There are a couple lessons we can learn from this experience:
First, do your research, plain and simple. Yes, we're busy, yes, there are so many auditions out there, yes, it doubles the time it takes to complete submissions... I've heard it all, but there's simply no excuse. In this era, we have the world at our fingertips, meaning research is easier than it's ever been. If I'd taken just five minutes to do a little reading on the production, I could have saved myself an early morning and early trip into the city. Auditioning for a new work and can't find information on this particular story? Still not an excuse: look into the playwright, research past works, get a sense of their style or writing voice. Regardless of the project, know the material to the best of your ability before entering that audition room, full stop.
And second -- the main point of this post -- you have to know and establish your professional boundaries long before ever submitting for a project (or really even entering this industry). If you're an aspiring actor and have not yet stopped to consider this topic before now, drop everything you're doing and start the "conversation". It can be a conversation with yourself, with a loved one, with a trusted mentor, etc., but it must happen. Are you willing to swear on stage? What words? How about slurs, will you say those? Which ones? Are you willing to be nude on stage? How much of your body are you willing to show (be very specific)? Is anything off-limits in that regard? What sort of story material are you uncomfortable with? What trigger warning topics would you not be willing to perform? What are you willing to say when it comes to suggestive, sexual, or explicit content? What about "hot topics"? Are you willing to endorse ideologies that you personally don't agree with and vice versa?
These are just a handful of the questions you need to ask yourself LOOOOOOOONG before putting yourself into a situation where it's suddenly asked of you. DO NOT wait until you're staring down a script, reading through its content, and you realize what material you just signed a contract to perform. You know who you are, you know your own convictions, and understand that you are the one that has to deal with the potential repercussions after the curtain falls. It's been widely understood for a long time that the internet is forever, and anything you say or do in a public space can make its way online. So all those things mentioned above, are you willing to be known for that one thing forever? There are countless stories of celebrities that accepted work in their young adulthood that they regret because they're different people now, because they have children, or because it changed their career trajectory into something other than what they anticipated or wanted.
Maybe it sounds like I'm being harsh in this post, but it's because this conversation should be given the gravity it deserves -- the harshness is here to ensure you pay attention and consider what we're talking about in your own life! Please know that however you answer the above questions and others like it, I am not judging in the slightest. The only person you have to answer to is yourself, so you do you and whatever you're comfortable with. If you ever feel pressured into doing something, RUN. If you ever are asked to reconsider that clause in your contract, RUN. If you ever feel belittled or put down because of what you're willing or not willing to perform, RUN. Do you see what I'm getting at? Understand that there is enough work out there to find projects that align with your standards, so never feel like you have to become someone else in order to be an actor. Stand firm in who you are, and don't apologize.
Thanks for reading, #DreamTeamHLJ, and have the conversation.
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