So I'm struggling with this ...

Novelist,
We're on the same track as you, just a decade behind. Nearing 13, my daughter is heavily involved in professional theatre, albeit mostly at the community level, where she's done well. She absolutely has the passion for it and it is indeed what she's focused on doing. The competition is mind-blowing, though through current theatre connections, we've managed some manageable acting lessons, dance classes, etc. with some real pros. She definitely has areas she HAS to improve, and it's also probably true they might not amount to much professionally.

That said, the above quote is what I hold on to as well. I know my daughter will take a run at it, and I'm already proud of her for it. She's taken some criticism well, which is incredible to learn at her age. She's also already worked with every single kind of person - race, creed, orientation, mood, manner - and she's a beautifully open-minded and accepting person because of it. What she's learned already will benefit her in the long game of life. I am most proud of that.

Also, one thing we try to emphasize to her is that not every career in theatre (or similar discipline) has to be on the stage. She greatly admires the artistic director of our community theatre, and while the AD has past Broadway credits, I think that role model of someone who has found a way to pave a fulfilling life in and around theatre is a great influence on my daughter.

One other thing - I liked watching live theatre growing up, but I didn't know anything about it. But with my daughter into it, it's given us this whole new world to embrace, follow and fall in love with. I've learned so much, I've become more open-minded, and I've really enjoyed some new things. What album have I listened to the most in the last 6 months? The Hamilton cast album, BY FAR. Every single time my daughter and I head somewhere in the car, we're listening to it. We trade lines in the car, on the couch, before going to bed, over coffee - everywhere. It's the best thing in the world to share something so smart, so brilliant and so different like Hamilton with her, and when my wife and I surprised her with Hamilton tickets at Christmas, we all cried.

I hope she makes it one day. I hope with everything I have. I also know she may not. But she'll act in community theatre forever, no matter what her day job is. And there's real joy there. We should all be so lucky.

 

Nice post UNC.

One thing you an Novelist can enjoy is continuing to be a part of your kids' lives by watching them perform -- hopefully for many years.

Can't really put a chair in the bank lobby and watch your kid be a teller all day or anything.

I already miss high school wrestling meets and am glad I still get to watch my younger son peform in the band/orchestra in college.

 

((( Hugs )))

Acting is a calling.

She'll follow her dreams.

0-for-15 sounds pretty tame-- she's got a lot more rejection ahead, and some of it will be cutting and personal.

She'll probably encounter the casting couch (sorry Dad) and will have to deal with that.

On a positive note, there do seem to be a lot of opportunities "around" theater in NY and LA. Being a PA, grip, assistant, writer... And an area that might interest her is working in children's theater companies. New York is crawling with them--- all of this while she goes on auditions and continues to develop her craft.

Keep encouraging her !

 

Jesus and Hamilton Ford started out as carpenters. So, keep positive, work hard, and realize there may be a lot of side jobs.

 

What is scale? I thought it was something like $3000 a week, which isn't bad.
Of course, you might not work a week, and rarely 52 weeks a year.

It's a tough career. I hope she makes it.
You don't have to be Julia Roberts. If you can work steady and earn a nice middle-class income, that is awesome.

 

That's why I've come to appreciate character actors more than stars. All of the "that guys" and working actors who will never earn top billing, yet are smart enough to never turn down a role and have about 200 IMDB credits to their name. Or guys like Adam Carrolla and Mark Hamill, who found a niche in voiceover work and made a career out of it.
Being a movie star is easy. Being a working actor is hard.

 

I can't tell you all how much this has helped me. I can't really lay these feelings on her - she's feeling enough pressure without me adding to it - but I couldn't just bottle it up either. Again, thank you.

I'll say this: She's handling it better than I am and it's not close.

 

Lots of good advice here for sure. And as long as she's handling it well, don't worry so much. Kids, even as young adults, are resilient. Just hope she catches her break and can keep doing what she's passionate about.

 

UPDATE: She went to another set of grad school auditions over the weekend and got a handful of callbacks. As I understand it, this means she's invited to apply to those schools. So that's positive. Maybe I just need to step aside and let this all happen ...

 

This is exactly right. Takes gut, but take that shot. Beats the hell out of making all safe choices and spending the rest of your life wondering, "What if I had taken that shot at ...?"

 

It's threads like this that redeem this place from some of the other shit that goes on. I love that she's taking a shot. There are actually an awful lot of things where she can make a living without having to become a big star. Local theatre, local commercial work, local voice-over work. She's got the rest of her life to find a 9-5 existence. I admire those who dream big and then act on it.