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acting professionally

 

             At a very young age we are engendered with that glamour that is associated with the world of performance. Little girls dream of being ballerinas while little boys idolize the super heroes that they see on television. As we grow up and evolve as human beings our priorities change, and while some focus on medicine and law, the ideas that we hold about show business never fully goes away. "There's no business like show business like no business I know. Everything about it is appealing. . ."" This timeless cliché from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, is a very jovial and, in many ways, naive way to look at the business that is performing. Everything about it may seem appealing- money, recognition, admiration, but once the choice is made to become a professional performer, the clouds must dissipate from around your head and your feet become firmly planted in a business. A business that, while glamorous, can be very trying and demanding. Acting Professionally, by Robert Cohen, is a wonderful inside look at what a dedicated performer must expect, prepare for, and sacrifice to be a professional actor/actress. A staple for anyone involved in the industry, Cohen does a wonderful job illustrating the harsh but rewarding world that is the theatre. .
             The book opens with some brutal statistics about the industry. For the unprepared person, learning that "the number of self supporting career actors- those who can be said to make their living as actors for at least ten years in a row- is no more than 2,00 or 3,00 people,"" can be quite lurid (Cohen 3). While I couldn't have repeated the statistics verbatim, I have been told numerous times about the minimal amount of those who "make it."" My performing arts high school was no semblance to the "real industry,"" but it did provide me with an early glimpse of the politics and competition, and I was told of the fact that "at any given time, fewer than 10% to 15% of the country's professional actors are in fact employed- (3).


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