Arts
Actors such as Laura Caswell may appear glamourous on stage but they put in long hours preparing for their roles. Evenings are spent home alone, working on the script, or running lines with other actors.
Behind the scenes at the STC
BY JUDI STRAUGHAN
Winter 2010 |
Just a moment. Where are the big cars? The drivers? The one-bedroom suites in a high-end hotel? Well, it’s not quite like that at all. The professional actor’s story is one of love and joy with very few dollars attached. Because the Sudbury Theatre Centre is a professional house, artistic director David Savoy hires, from a stack of hundreds of seasoned applicants, 30 to 40 professional “union” actors, commonly out of Toronto. From there, the few successful candidates—all highly-trained, card-carrying professionals—receive an offer to be in a play the following STC season- perhaps several months away. Many of these actors have worked in the major theatres in Canada including Stratford, and Shaw, as well as television series, movies or national commercials. “Why on Earth would they audition to come to Sudbury?” On one level, it’s work, and actors simply want to keep working in a field where on any given day in Canada, it is estimated there is over 90 percent unemployment. Imagine choosing to work in a field with statistics like that! They clearly love their job. It’s clearly about more than money. But far more importantly, the Sudbury Theatre Centre has an outstanding reputation for excellence in theatre and actors want to work here. STC is among the elite of regional theatres in this country. When the actors arrive, quite often by bus, they are whisked off to private homes in Sudbury, within walking distance to the theatre. A number of residents generously open their doors to these special guests. The actors have already done hours of work prior to arriving: the playwright, the period, the character, the lines. After all, two weeks and two days after arrival, they will be performing in front of an audience. The actors' workday is eight hours of engaged, focused, demanding work. There is no time to relax or socialize during the two weeks of grueling rehearsal. Three days before opening, the set is nearly complete and the actors step out of the rehearsal space and on to the stage for the first time. It is common to see them stumble around—opening and closing “real” doors and drawers, going up and down the “real” stairs, etc. Only three days left. Actors are now working 12-hour days, noon to midnight. There is so much technical work in the final three days and the actors must be involved every step of the way. As the first audience arrives, the tension is palpable backstage. Each actor has his or her own routine for warm-up and relaxation. Controlling nerves is vital since no one can perform through tension and fear. The actor must focus and relax, building confidence so that all will go well. Yes, actors do get nervous. And each night, they know something will go wrong. You can bet your bottom dollar that during each and every show, something unexpected happens: a line miscue, a costume malfunction, a prop problem, a technical misfire, an audience distraction, who knows? And when the glitch of the night occurs, the audience never knows. Actors appear to float effortlessly through the play, engaging the audience with convincing character allure. For those two brief hours, the actors do not worry about their real lives back in Toronto or whether they have snagged their next acting gig. They do not worry that their Toronto boss wants them back at work (yes, all actors have other jobs) or that someone in their families is experiencing a meltdown. For those two brief hours, the actors are living the dream, doing exactly what they have have wanted to do their entire lives, and what they hope to do until they can no longer learn the lines, remember the moves or land a job. Correction: it’s not a job—it’s a calling. For those who survive the call, there’s no life like it. Actors may not have much money, but they are never poor. Judi Straughan is education co-ordinator with the Sudbury Theatre Centre.
