There has been a couple of things written in the press recently about the challenges of supporting yourself while trying to carve out a career in the Arts – whether it be as an Actor, Director, Stage Manager or, frankly, anything!
I can well remember working full time at The Globe as a young twenty-something – sadly behind the bar in the restaurant and not on the stage – and Saturdays at WHSmiths to earn just enough to pay for my rent, bills and some sort of life. As well as giving minimal remuneration it also gave precious little time to even go to the theatre let alone do very much Acting.
Nowadays, I am very lucky – thanks to my time away from the industry – to have developed the skills and contacts to build a moderately successful PR & Marketing consultancy which gives me the flexibility and income to pursue my Acting career. Obviously it involves some compromise on both sides but, personally, I find it allows me to continue doing the bits of PR & Marketing I enjoy as well as giving me a bit of grounding (it is a wonderful distraction after a casting).
It does, however, present some unique challenges and recently there have been a few occasions when I have been pulled from pillar to post trying to deal with PR issues on one side while trying to progress my career on the other. For now this juggling act seems to have abated slightly, however, as the Acting career builds (he says hopefully) there will no doubt be more occasions where the two collide.
Personally, I think this is an excellent and exciting quandary to be in!
William Baylis 