As part of our continuing series, Four Questions, I have interviewed myself in an attempt to understand why it is I do the things that I do...turns out I'm a tough interviewer to face. Read and comment as you will.
You’ve studied theatre abroad in England – what’s one thing you’re really glad to have learned from this experience?
Obviously it was great to meet new people and experience all the cultural differences, but the most useful thing I learned while there was how to properly write a theatre review. I took a class that was dedicated to this style of writing, and as a requirement we had to see and review six shows. I learned that it is a tricky balancing act of summarizing plot quickly, getting across all your points succinctly and clearly, and being opinionated while still seeming rational. As with the rest of my writing experience, I found the hardest part was the art of being concise. No one is going to sit and read a ten-page essay on why they should or shouldn’t see a play.
Why aren’t you writing reviews of San Diego theatre now that you’re here?
I do on occasion, but I still want to work in other aspects of theatre in San Diego and it’s hard to do both at the same time. I also think it’s difficult for people to understand that a negative review doesn’t equate to dislike of the producing theatre company. In fact, a negative review should be seen as supportive encouragement to improve future productions. After all, reviewers want the theatres to succeed just as much as anyone else, otherwise they would be out of a job.
Why do you stage manage? Isn’t it a lot of work for little reward?
Yes and no. It is a lot of work. And there is often very little monetary reward. That sounds like a full-hearted yes to the latter question. But the question is akin to asking someone why they breathe. It is hardly adequate to reply, “Because I’m good at it and I want to.” That may be true, but it is more of a calling, a love, and perhaps a bit of masochism. Stage management picks you, not the other way around. Stage management is difficult, but it is like being on top of the world; you know everything and everyone within the production and can help all to succeed and reach their fullest potential. And although it’s a heck of a climb to get through rehearsals and tech, there is a beautiful sense of accomplishment when a show goes off smoothly.
If you could do anything in theatre, what would it be?
I would own my own small black box theatre and invite theatre companies and groups to come perform. In this ideal world there would be a coffee shop / bookstore / bar next door with whom we would collaborate. On off nights there would be everything from mini rock concerts, to poetry slams, to readings of new plays, to art shows, to classes, and more. And as long as we’re talking hypothetically, the cost of a ticket would never be more than a trip to the movies. A person can dream, can’t they?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Four Questions
Four Questions is an occasional series in which we ask people to interview themselves. Not many people have had the pleasure of being interviewed and many fewer have been able to choose the questions. So we thought: what the hell? Let’s see what happens when we ask people to ask themselves four questions and then answer them honestly.
As an example, I (Kevin Six) will now ask and answer four questions. Please feel free to read and comment. And get ready! We might ask you to answer four questions too!
Is it possible to be a working actor in San Diego?
No. That is if you want to earn all of your income as an actor in San Diego. Most, if not all, actors in San Diego have second (and third and fourth) jobs. Many work at theatres. But as for San Diego being able to support a working actor solely, no. It is possible in Los Angeles, where there are so many projects being filmed... You could make a good living there as an extra but you'd have to be available to only to that kind of work and, the minute you aren't available to an extras casting person you are off the list. That was the case in San Diego when Stu Segal Studios was furiously filming Tele Novelas here but that work has dried up...
Why do you act?
Acting one of the things I cannot do without. I tried. I really tried and succeeded for almost ten years. I was in nonprofit arts management, which can be like acting at times but there are even less rewards. One day, I found myself unhappy in this life and decided to chuck it (and a pretty decent salary) to get a low-stress job and make myself available for work as an actor.
It's odd, really, working as an actor. Some people have likened acting to prostitution but actors give of their emotions as much as their bodies. So in that way, it's like super-prostitution; you can have my body, for a price, and, for a little more, you can watch me manipulate my emotions. You can even tell me what emotions to experience and have input on how that looks and how those emotions are projected. All this for about the same – or less – money than a prostitute makes.
What about writing - is the need/desire similar?
It's worse, actually. With acting, you can go for a long while and it won't affect your life. But writing... Writing or, more realistically, not writing, can keep you up nights. It can make you irritable, cranky and a little bit crazy. The odd thing is that the feelings don’t stop once you start writing. It's one of the few things that affects you no matter how, or how much (or little) you do it. I don't write because I want to or even have to; I write because I can't live my life without doing it.
Is any of it good?
There's the question. I have acted my socks off and been told "not so much". I have driven home from an audition composing the resignation speech to my agent it was so bad and, before calling or e-mailing the agency, having them call me to say I've been offered the part. What are these people thinking? Don't they know I'm terrible/better/the best/the worst actor in the world? It's just gotten to the point where I do my acting thing for an audience that includes me and whomever is there before me and if some of us like it, I keep doing it.
But writing's worse. I remember reading that English speaking writers are competing with the English-speaking public. There's nothing like competing against hundreds of millions of people who can read, speak and write your language to give you that you-are-here feeling. You've all seen that postcard with a picture of the Milky Way Galaxy and an arrow pointing vaguely to our solar system?
It can feel like that when writing or – or actually when thinking about writing. This is why I try not to think. About acting, about writing, about what people think, what people want, what someone will pay. It's worth less than nothing if you want to create. The best you can do is create, get the hell out of the way of the people watching/reading/reacting and let the feeling you get from finishing a process carry you on to the next one.
But, yes, to answer your question, a lot of it is good. Thanks for asking.
As an example, I (Kevin Six) will now ask and answer four questions. Please feel free to read and comment. And get ready! We might ask you to answer four questions too!
Is it possible to be a working actor in San Diego?
No. That is if you want to earn all of your income as an actor in San Diego. Most, if not all, actors in San Diego have second (and third and fourth) jobs. Many work at theatres. But as for San Diego being able to support a working actor solely, no. It is possible in Los Angeles, where there are so many projects being filmed... You could make a good living there as an extra but you'd have to be available to only to that kind of work and, the minute you aren't available to an extras casting person you are off the list. That was the case in San Diego when Stu Segal Studios was furiously filming Tele Novelas here but that work has dried up...
Why do you act?
Acting one of the things I cannot do without. I tried. I really tried and succeeded for almost ten years. I was in nonprofit arts management, which can be like acting at times but there are even less rewards. One day, I found myself unhappy in this life and decided to chuck it (and a pretty decent salary) to get a low-stress job and make myself available for work as an actor.
It's odd, really, working as an actor. Some people have likened acting to prostitution but actors give of their emotions as much as their bodies. So in that way, it's like super-prostitution; you can have my body, for a price, and, for a little more, you can watch me manipulate my emotions. You can even tell me what emotions to experience and have input on how that looks and how those emotions are projected. All this for about the same – or less – money than a prostitute makes.
What about writing - is the need/desire similar?
It's worse, actually. With acting, you can go for a long while and it won't affect your life. But writing... Writing or, more realistically, not writing, can keep you up nights. It can make you irritable, cranky and a little bit crazy. The odd thing is that the feelings don’t stop once you start writing. It's one of the few things that affects you no matter how, or how much (or little) you do it. I don't write because I want to or even have to; I write because I can't live my life without doing it.
Is any of it good?
There's the question. I have acted my socks off and been told "not so much". I have driven home from an audition composing the resignation speech to my agent it was so bad and, before calling or e-mailing the agency, having them call me to say I've been offered the part. What are these people thinking? Don't they know I'm terrible/better/the best/the worst actor in the world? It's just gotten to the point where I do my acting thing for an audience that includes me and whomever is there before me and if some of us like it, I keep doing it.
But writing's worse. I remember reading that English speaking writers are competing with the English-speaking public. There's nothing like competing against hundreds of millions of people who can read, speak and write your language to give you that you-are-here feeling. You've all seen that postcard with a picture of the Milky Way Galaxy and an arrow pointing vaguely to our solar system?
It can feel like that when writing or – or actually when thinking about writing. This is why I try not to think. About acting, about writing, about what people think, what people want, what someone will pay. It's worth less than nothing if you want to create. The best you can do is create, get the hell out of the way of the people watching/reading/reacting and let the feeling you get from finishing a process carry you on to the next one.
But, yes, to answer your question, a lot of it is good. Thanks for asking.
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