1 in 50 Ain't Bad

Actors have a much better chance of succeeding in Hollywood than you may think!

The claim, “You have a 1 in 23* chance of becoming one of the Top 200 Actors in Hollywood,” was made at an inspiring marketing seminar hosted by Dallas Travers (http://www.dallastravers.com/). I decided to do my own research analysis**, and I think that the number is more like 1 in 50 (still awesome). Here’s how it works:

The National Endowment for the arts analyzed Census data and reports from the American Community Survey to create “Artists in the Workforce 1990-2005.” It shows that:

Nearly 175 million Americans are in the labor force.

Nearly 2 million Americans categorize themselves as Artists.

Nearly 40 thousand American Artists categorize themselves as Actors.

American Actors are nearly evenly split down gender lines. Therefore, you are competing with only 20 thousand Actors of your gender.

Half of American Actors move to California (20% to NY, and the rest in regional markets). Therefore, you are competing with only 10 thousand American Actors of your gender in California.

Of those 10 thousand American Actors in California who are your gender, 200 of them make up the Top 200 American Actors of your gender in Hollywood. That means American Actors of one gender in California have a 1 in 50 chance of really making it in Hollywood.

In other words: Simply by taking action to become an artist, your odds go from 1 in 875,000 to 1 in 10,000. Taking action to become an actor puts you at 1 in 200. You only have to compete with your own gender, so your odds are now 1 in 100. Moving to California cuts your direct competition in half, so you have a 1 in 50 chance of joining the ranks of the highest paid actors in Hollywood.

The average working American has a 1 in 875,000 chance of becoming a Hollywood Heavyweight. Actors who take tangible steps towards the top have a 1 in 50 chance of achieving their dream.

There is a big difference between WANTING to become one of the top 200 and TAKING ACTION to become of the 200. Blogger Aaron Stanton says it best, “if you actually get done reading this post, stand up, and become an actor - or whatever your dream is - then you really are on your way to success. But if you just nod after reading this, think it's interesting, and then close the browser and go make yourself lunch and that's it - then welcome to the millions. Your odds are entirely determined by your own next moves.”

* Blogger Aaron Stanton included a further restriction to competition by adding, “But now we look at you, and your skills. Let's say you're a good actor, and a good networker. In fact, at these two skills - which is what you need to get off the ground - let's say you're in the 80th percentile; you're better than 80% of the actors out there. So, really, in auditions, you're up against the other 20% who are as good or better than you, and the 10% who are worse, but have the right characteristics for the role. 30% of 15,000 is 4,500 people competing for those top 200 roles.”

**Sources for this research analysis include:

NEA “Artists in the Workforce 1990-2005” http://www.nea.gov/research/ArtistsInWorkforce.pdf

Aaron Stanton’s Blog “Can Google Hear Me” http://www.cangooglehearme.com/permalink.php?id=269

Sound Design

Steve Visocan has agreed to create an original score for Closer. In addition to his awesome music, I've also found necessary sound cues on soundrangers.com. What a great site! They have almost any sound you can think of. It's all going to create such a strong atmosphere.

Act II Run

Act II went smoother than we expected. We ran with costumes in the space. I can't wait to load in the set and figure out how to light it all.

The costumes look great. The stip club scene will be hot so long as Jerin and I can be confident in the tiny almost-outfit we're wearing. Jerin chose a pixie blonde wig, and I'm wearing a fushia bob. I think we need to get a little more practice in with those boots.

Act I Run

What a glorious mess. We ran act I with costumes, so there was a lot of laughter and many half-dressed moments. Jeremy can't decide on a look for Anna in the gallery scene, so she's back to the drawing board. Thank heavens that Jerin and I are the same size. We can share dresses, pants, shoes...everything but undies. We're actually going to wear different wigs for the strip club scene, but more on that in the next post.

We're trying to keep the changes simple, so scene transitions can be short. Several cast members will underdress for the next scene or simple change a shirt instead of a whole outfit. In scene 6, everyone is wearing what they wore in their first scene on stage. It creates a great picture.

Line Through

The final step before full act runs. We're in great shape. We got through all our lines with very few slip ups and a lot of encouragement to get to the end without stopping. I can't wait to get into the space on Wednesday!

Review 9, 11 and add 12

The tension is palpable in the museum scene. Kylie is getting her THE monologue to a place she's comfortable with. I sorta like the discomfort in the rest of the scene.

I got to sink my teeth into the hotel scene. Max and Ihave been running the lines, so it's great to be able to get the physical transitions to heighten the written ones.

The final scene is an alternate ending to the one repsented in the film. It may surprise you. Come see the show to find out what happens.

Review 6, 8, and 10

I always love rehearsing at Kylie's home. It's goregous and really lends itself to creativity. She also keeps it well stocked with PG Tips tea.

The timing for the break-up split scene is on target. All we need is to be in the space, so we can feel it out.

The double dinner scene works so well because it's so simple.

Max and Brandon are having entirely too much fun rehearsing their confrontation. A giggle fit broke out that wouldn't stop for almost twenty minutes. They had to take it outside. (Kylie's backyard is incredible).