PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "Company vs. Solo"
Paden Fallis | August 29, 2012 
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Each week, Paden Fallis poses one question to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is not to demystify the work of the actor or explore their careers, but to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working process.
I overheard two actors talking about the benefits and drawbacks of an actor working with a company versus on their own. The company actor enjoys the assurance of roles given to them through the company season. Consequently, he or she does not have to worry about “hustling” just to land a job. The solo actor has no guarantees of employment, as they spend a lot of their time simply trying to procure work. The downside for the company actor might be that a degree of lethargy and “taking things for granted” might imbue their work with less urgency. The positives, though, mean that with less worry about unemployment, they might have more energy and focus with each role. However, the solo actor, scraping and clawing for each and every job, might have a more acute hunger, appreciate the work more, and deliver a stronger performance. At the same time, he might find himself fighting the negative energy that associates itself with constant unemployment. Assurance of work vs. lack of security. Which breeds better work? - Paden Fallis, Performing Arts Contributing Editor |
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I believe one of the major positives to working within a company is the sense of camaraderie and complicity that you gain from working with the same people. The work is often relaxed and fresh and will often lead to a sense of fun and indeed a cracking social life on top of it. The Globe is a great example of this—summers by the river in the sun with lots of free time makes for a great job. But starting a new job with new people and feeling the pressure of impressing or simply surviving can lead to sharper, leaner work. There is less of a sense of social banter and much more of “professionals hired to do a job.” I have always preferred the company, working with friends and having a life attached to the theatre, but then you have to keep moving to stay alive and that is never more true than in acting. |
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I recently did a production of August: Osage County with a company of actors who had worked with one another in several productions over the years. Casting the production was purposeful in this way in order to achieve that level of security and real “family” that the production demands. It worked beautifully in this case, and that might not have been achieved with a new cast. However, if you’re doing an Agatha Christie play it may be more beneficial to have a cast of people =who have never worked together to help create that world of mystery, secrets, and discovery. I think working with a company of actors really instills trust and the freedom to make choices you may not normally make when working with someone for the first time. There’s a level of support and connection that can work for you on stage. At the same time, if you have worked time and time again with the same actors, although the comfort level on stage may make for beautiful moments, it can also become stagnate and boring. A great acting teacher once told me you have to find something new about a person you enjoy every time you work with them, that way it will help keep the energy and discovery fresh. |
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As a musical theater performer, I’ve actually never been part of an actors’ company, but this question of steady work vs. lack of security has nevertheless come up in my career in a major way. Over the last 10 years, I have been cast in the first national touring productions of two hit musicals that have literally been touring non-stop ever since. In both cases, I chose to move on after being on the road for about a year. Meanwhile, I saw many of my fellow cast members continue on, making fantastic bank, buying real estate, building for their retirement, and basically riding the wave as long as they could. I remember leaving these shows and judging my cast mates who decided to stay, regarding them as somehow afraid of moving on and challenging themselves. Since then, as I have seen the brutal repercussions of leaving something so steady and lucrative, I have come to understand clearly why these cast members made the decisions they did. While there are clearly creative challenges in doing the same show 1000’s of times, the paycheck and stability inherent in these long-running shows can provide an actor with a quality of life that is fundamentally rare in showbiz. In terms of the effect of a lack of security on an actor’s work, I feel pretty strongly (and I know I’m not alone on this) that desperation comes through pretty clearly in auditions and can often be a deal-breaker. Ultimately I think this is the hardest role an actor has to play. Acting like you don’t need the job when you really do. This is all to say that, for me personally, I do better work when I am not worried about paying the rent late. While my younger self may have reveled in the instability of it all, my middle-aged self craves something more stable. |
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Having never been employed as a company actor, I can only speak of my experience in a long-running show. There is undoubtedly a sense of confidence and prowess that grows as you continue to work without any break in rhythm and without the fear and uncertainty of unemployment looming slightly ahead. However, that confidence can easily and quickly evolve into an ugly sense of entitlement and arrogance, which ultimately destroys your work. I remember there was a point in my show when I was upset at not being featured more often, and so whenever I did work, I phoned it in. It wasn’t a conscious decision. It just started to happen. On the other hand, there have been times during lengthy bouts of unemployment, that a much-needed job would present itself, and I would only scrutinize its worth, looking past it towards more fulfilling projects yet unseen. For me the lesson in either scenario is that the best work is done when you live in the present, focus on the now, and shut out all thoughts of the “could be’s” and “why not’s”. Whether we’re in the role of a lifetime or only auditioning for it for the 100th time, we need to constantly remind ourselves that this is what we love to do and whenever we get to do it, to remember how lucky we are to be doing it. |
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William Belchambers is an actor who trained at R.A.D.A and has spent most of his career in theatre, in England, Europe, and U.S.A. Currently performing at The National Theatre, London, he has also spent seasons at The Globe and The Royal Shakespeare Company. Manon Halliburton is a regional theater actress who has worked all over the country. She has also appeared in television shows such as Law and Order and The Sopranos, and recently shot her first film this past year and closed August Osage County at Kansas City Rep to rave reviews. She lives in Kansas City with actor Bob Elliott. Nathan Klau’s touring credits include Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Forever Plaid, and Anything Goes. Regionally, he has worked at Goodspeed Opera House, Arkansas Rep, and Theater-by-the-Sea. A native of West Simsbury, CT, Nathan graduated from Yale University in 1994 with a degree in History and Theater. He hopes to use it someday. Nelson Lee left his native Canada for New York to pursue training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since then, he has appeared in various television series, including Blade: The Series, Virtuality, Oz, Covert Affairs, Hawaii Five-O, and the Law & Order franchise. Recently, he took to the stage for the world premiere of Zayd Dorn’s play, Outside People, at the Vineyard Theater in New York, and the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) production of Maple and Vine in San Francisco. He currently resides in Los Angeles. |
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