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Arts & Entertainment

2002-07-01 10:27:00

Tell me about acting

Question:  Are all of the actors in a local music theatre production local, or are they brought in from other areas? How are local actors selected?

Answer:  At Music Theatre of Wichita we audition all over the country, during the month of March, to assemble a resident company of singer-dancer-actors (most of them are currently college students, majoring in musical theatre), as well as the Broadway veteran guest performers who will headline each production. Local actors, as well as those from around the country, are chosen on the basis of singing, dancing and acting skills, and on their appropriateness for the roles we are seeking to fill. This year, we saw roughly 850 adult performers, out of whom about 30 were hired for leading and supporting roles, and 40 were hired for the resident company. Quite a few this year are from the Wichita area. We also saw 250 local teens and children, 125 of whom will be seen in some of the productions. (For those who are interested, the March auditions are held in Wichita, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Ann Arbor, New York, and Los Angeles. Upcoming audition dates are posed at our website, http://www.musictheatreofwichita.org/)Question:  We all know about those actors who were in the right spot at the right time and got their break. Do most actors however get their start by appearing in local music theatre productions? Answer:  It's true that a "lucky break" often helps an actor proceed up the ladder to success, but it's usually accompanied by many hours (weeks, days, years) of preparation, so that the opportunity can be effectively seized. Performers often spend years training in all the various disciplines, in the hopes that a performance somewhere will be seen by someone who can help. Theatres like Music Theatre of Wichita are popular with performers for a number of reasons. An actor can build a resume quickly (five big productions in just ten weeks). All artists, from high school apprentices to Broadway guest stars, are treated with respect and dignity. And, many important contacts are made each season. Directors, choreographers and musical directors are often hired from New York, Los Angeles, and other regional theatre centers. Several of our performers have been hired or recommended for Broadway shows by members of the staff who got to know them here. Right now, Music Theatre of Wichita has young alumni in almost every Broadway musical currently running in NY, and most of the national tours. In many cases, this happened because someone at this theatre got to know them. So, yes, local productions like these can completely change the careers and lives of those who participate.Question:  Other than experience, are there any mandated courses of study to become an actor? How would a local actor ever get noticed for a shot at something better? Answer:  Any person can claim to be an actor. There are no "mandated" courses of study, or degrees required, to be hired in the performing arts. This does not mean, however, that training, study, and education aren't very big advantages. The staff at Music Theatre makes a concerted effort to see performances around town, and to take note of artists who are doing especially fine work. It is to our theatre's advantage, on many levels, to take advantage of expertise that can be found locally. It's important for artists (local and otherwise) to be brutally honest about their own strengths and weaknesses, learning to maximize the effectiveness of the former, and strengthen (or camouflage) the latter. This may mean voice study, dance lessons, acting classes, physical training (like dieting or weight lifting), or classes in better sight-reading (mastering new material at a glance, so auditions are more effective). There are a number of university classes and private instructors in our area who can help with some of these. But it has to begin with a clear knowledge of one's own pluses and minuses.... probably the hardest thing for humans like us to learn to do!Question:  What is the Screen Actors' Guild? Is it necessary to belong to get any kind of shot at commercials, sitcoms and stage performances?Answer:  The Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) is one of three unions to which most professional actors will eventually belong. In larger cities, actors must be a union member to perform in anything created on film, whether it's a TV commercial, a sitcom, a television movie, or a theatrical film. (The other two unions are Actors' Equity Association (AEA), the union of professional stage actors, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), which handles work created on tape, be it video or audio.) In the Wichita area, membership in these unions is not necessary, and can actually be a disadvantage. Once an artist belongs to these unions, he or she may not accept any work that doesn't meet the union requirements and have the union's endorsement. Until our region has more opportunities for union performers, we don't encourage artists to try to join. If one does join one or all of these unions (and one usually has to be hired for a union job before getting into the union - sort of a "Catch 22" situation), one should consider moving to a market which has more opportunities for this kind of work. (At Music Theatre we hire a certain quota of union artists each summer, not only actors but also musicians, stage hands, directors, and choreographers.)For more information about these or any other related questions, please don't hesitate to call the Music Theatre of Wichita office at 316 265-3253.