I’ve been a casting director in Mumbai for Six years now, and I’ve noticed an incredibly important distinction: Acting is not the same thing as being an Actor. In fact, they can be worlds apart.
“Acting” is the actual performance by a person on stage or on screen.
“Being an Actor” (and here I mean a professional actor, one pursuing financial gain from acting), means not just performing, but marketing to actually create acting opportunities and jobs. This means marketing, networking, researching, taking meetings, self-producing, and myriad other business endeavors. Being an actor also includes acting (and here I include auditioning and class), but honestly, if you’re pursuing a professional career as an actor, the percentage of your time spent actually performing is relatively low.
Those of you who did theatre in your home town or different cities, your experience there was probably hours and hours of rehearsals and performances, maybe two or six auditions a month, and zero time doing business, marketing, or financial work. 90% of your time was spent acting, and maybe 10% was being an actor.
In Mumbai, the percentages are close to the opposite…10% acting, and 90% being an actor.
If you just want to act, then don’t move to Mumbai. Seriously. Stay in your hometown and do theatre. Perform for children. Act all the time!
There is absolutely no shame in that.
If, however, you do want to get paid enough to pay your rent through artistic expression, you get to think like a business person. You get to market, and find the joy in being an "ACTORPRENEUR". Building any business takes time–normally far more time than we initially anticipate. The reward, though, is like nothing else.
“Acting” is the actual performance by a person on stage or on screen.
“Being an Actor” (and here I mean a professional actor, one pursuing financial gain from acting), means not just performing, but marketing to actually create acting opportunities and jobs. This means marketing, networking, researching, taking meetings, self-producing, and myriad other business endeavors. Being an actor also includes acting (and here I include auditioning and class), but honestly, if you’re pursuing a professional career as an actor, the percentage of your time spent actually performing is relatively low.
Those of you who did theatre in your home town or different cities, your experience there was probably hours and hours of rehearsals and performances, maybe two or six auditions a month, and zero time doing business, marketing, or financial work. 90% of your time was spent acting, and maybe 10% was being an actor.
In Mumbai, the percentages are close to the opposite…10% acting, and 90% being an actor.
If you just want to act, then don’t move to Mumbai. Seriously. Stay in your hometown and do theatre. Perform for children. Act all the time!
There is absolutely no shame in that.
If, however, you do want to get paid enough to pay your rent through artistic expression, you get to think like a business person. You get to market, and find the joy in being an "ACTORPRENEUR". Building any business takes time–normally far more time than we initially anticipate. The reward, though, is like nothing else.