My brother is an actor. Not a professional actor, but he works in amateur theatre. I too have been in theatre but I don't enjoy it as much. What bugs me are the people. Some of these people are self-absorbed, pretentious, self-indulgent people who love to be in the limelight during the show and after.
You see, these 'actors' love people coming up to them and paying them attention. All I say is, who are you anyway? Ok, you can act great, but to me you are nobody. But that is theatre. You have to be known and with that comes great "popularity" within the circles of theatre. But to me you become a prat who loves themselves and does not care about anyone.
An example of this was many years ago I was introduced to a well regarded actress and reviewer in Adelaide. My brother knew her so that was ok, but when I was introduced, it was a "hi" and then immediately into conversation with the other people around her. To her, I was a nobody, someone who wasn't in the theatre and recognizable (and not that good an actor anyway). That impression of her sticks with me today and when I hear her name (for legal reasons I cannot divulge the name) I think of her snobby attitude because I wasn't one of "them". I'm glad I'm not.
What annoys me is this barrier people create, this elitist attitude that because they are actors they get some sort of recognition. All you do is pretend to play someone and perhaps do it well. Wow, I can do that too, and not get paid for it either. I am yet to have performed in a theatre production where elitist actors were involved. If they were, I would probably let them know how I feel.
I wonder what these people are like outside of theatre, in the "real world". I wonder if they receive treatment from others in an elitist fashion and their only avenue to vent this power struggle is the theatre. Perhaps they should turn to Boal in his Theatre of the Oppressed.
