A Life in Acting: The Actor's Guide to Creative and Career Longevity

by Lisa Mulcahy

Overview

A Life in Acting is a practical guide for aspiring and established theater actors looking to make a consistent living doing meaningful, creative work on the stage. Author Lisa Mulcahy communicates her advice through a series of interviews and “war stories” that will have you taking notes and laughing until your sides hurt. The sage advice of veteran performers and an entertaining writing style make this a terrific tool to build career longevity. The veteran thespians who give advice are and sustain themselves as artists and professionals through the sage advice of veteran performers who have already done it and continue to do so. Each industry veteran who contributes to these pages is renowned for their talent, is vastly respected by their peers, and has worked consistently in the theater for decades. Actors will learn how some of the industry’s most successful and longest-surviving members have developed invaluable traits that have kept them in show business, including:

Recognizing personal strengths
Developing versatility
Marketing oneself effectively
Earning a paycheck
Pursuing the most valuable opportunities
Choosing the right kind of training
Finding a mentor
Making important connections
Dealing with success and failure
And much more

A Life in Acting is a must-read for career stage actors. It is a book that will serve as the ultimate guide that can be referenced again and again. Learn how the best actors in the business have made their built a life on the stage, and how you can too!

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621534518
Publisher:	Allworth
Publication date:	10/21/2014
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	725 KB

About the Author

Lisa Mulcahy is a theater teacher, director, performer, and multimedia writer. She was cowriter and stage director of the hit Off-Broadway musical, Renegade Sluts on Bikes and was directed by Edward Albee in her appearance in his play Malcom. Her articles have been published in such magazines as Stage Direction, Teaching Theatre, Marie Claire, Glamour, and Seventeen. She is the author of Building the Successful Theater Company and Theater Festivals, both published by Allworth Press.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: What Gives an Acting Veteran Staying Power? xiii

Part 1 Charting Your Course

Chapter 1 Your Identity as an Artist 3

Chapter 2 Gaining Training 21

Chapter 3 Making the Most of Your Mentors 37

Chapter 4 Building Your Brand 48

Part 2 Prime Time

Chapter 5 Navigating Those Early Jobs 63

Chapter 6 Financial Essentials 79

Chapter 7 Working with Your Team 90

Chapter 8 Rolling with the Punches 99

Chapter 9 Head Games 108

Part 3 Golden Years

Chapter 10 The Moment I "Made It" 123

Chapter 11 What I Wish I'd Known about Success 131

Chapter 12 Don't Fear Failure 141

Chapter 13 Next on My Bucket List 148

Chapter 14 What I'm Proudest Of 154

Appendix A National and Regional Associations 162

Appendix B Unions 163

Appendix C Publications and Web Resources 163

Index 164