For those of you who don't know I am an actor. It is really the only thing that I do well and strive for perfection in. It is also the only addiction that I have that is actually beneficial to me. For any one wondering what could possibly posses a person to stand up on a stage in front of complete strangers and make a total ass out of themselves, I will try and explain why at least I do it.
Contrary to popular belief acting is not an easy thing to do. It involves long hours of rehearsal, both at the theater and away to effectively create a believable character and an enthralling experience for those who come to see us. We put ourselves through pain, suffering, and exhaustion voluntarily and regularly with no thought as to what we may be doing to our health, both physically and mentally. And when this is all done but before opening night we frequently leave the theater looking like something out of a George A. Romero movie.
But all of that is worth it when opening night comes. The unadulterated high that we get from putting everything on the line and leaving it all on stage is enough to keep us going for days. You want a high that you never really come down from? Then put all that you are into a character, sweat your ass off giving every ounce of energy that you have into bringing that character to life, and just when you think that nothing good could possibly come of it all, take a look into the faces of your audience. It is an experience that no one who has not gone through it can possibly understand.
Now granted the trials that we suffer in no way compare to those of others in this world (soldiers spring immediately to mind), but we do suffer none the less. However the rewards that we gain from this experience include close friendships with people we probably would never have met otherwise, a little ego boost, and the knowledge that if nothing else we gave our absolute best to bring little distraction to the lives of people who live in a world that needs distraction from time to time.
Oh yeah there's one more reason I almost forgot. Chicks dig actors!
Til we meet again
Paul
4 comments:
Yay! Reading your blog makes me want to get out onto a stage and forget some lines!!
:D Much love Paul - I hope someday I can come out and watch one of your plays.
I feel your pain. Jenny and I just watched mom and dad's old vhs of "my one and only". One of my favorite parts.
Reverend J.D. Montgomery. Apostolic by sunshine, Alcoholic by moonshine!
Glad to see you've gotten on the blogger bandwagon
I loved doing that show with you guys. I wish we could do more together.
You write very well.
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