BWW Blog: THE RESIDUALS Say 'Support Your Friends... Do It Now!'
By: The Residuals Sep. 12, 2014
Last month, BroadwayWorld announced its newest webseries partnership with the hysterical THE RESIDUALS. The series focuses on the up and downs (mostly downs) in the life of a commercial actor.
With one fantastic season already on the interwebs, the show's creators are asking for help from you, the BroadwayWorld public, and as we learned in last week's blog from creator/writer/director/star Michael Paul Smith, that isn't the easiest thing to do.
After funding the first season out of their own pockets, THE RESIDUALS creators, Michael and his wife/co-star Gillian, are in the first week of their ambitious Kickstarter campaign, so they can give you the star-studded Season Two you deserve. Earlier this week, THE RESIDUALS shared a few inside looks at what the characters have been up to since Season One concluded.
Michael has learned a few things during the process, and he would like to pull back the curtain and share his new found knowledge with you. So, take it away MPS...
I didn't get into this business to be the first actor, or the only actor. I'm pretty sure some Greek person locked that up a few thousand years ago. So why, after not a whole helluva lot of years out of college, did I greet news of my friends' and acquaintances' successes with little more than fear and self-consciousness? Furthermore, why did I even greet news of their failures and setbacks (real talk, now) with some sub-level of relief? Why don't we like each other's work more often? Why is it easier to watch a stranger's work than someone we know? Why, for that matter, do some of the greatest actors this world has to offer get crapped on via the anonymous internet every day? BWW---I submit to you now---that the response to those questions, and to your impulses to do the same, is that it shouldn't be that way, and it doesn't have to be.
I was guilty of some, if not all, of those above-mentioned issues at some point fairly recently. I also must admit that I've avoided people (in person, and on the interwebs) because of it. I've not visited places, not participated in things, stifled the impulse to mention things, and lived in certain fear of that dreaded question that actors get: "So what are you working on these days?" Something happened, though. I've made a different choice. Yes--part of it was that I kept working, and in fact made an entire show about people that struggle to answer that dreaded question. But I've also worked hard to surround myself with positive people. I've looked inward and been tough, but also compassionate with that part of me that is terrified. And here's what I've come up with:
1) Their success isn't a threat to you
Even if they do exactly what you do (which they probably don't) the exact same way as you (which they absolutely don't), no one is a threat to you. There is only one you! Here's another personal tidbit. I have a button that I carry in my pocket to every audition. It's a quote from Dr. Seuss. It says "Today you are you. That's truer than true. There's no one alive who is you-er than you!" Damn straight.
2) Your peer group getting elevated is only good for you!
Just on a practical level. You can lose touch with someone for years, and suddenly when the time is right, they will speak up for you like no one else can. Be excited that you know people whose lives have changed, because it puts them in a position where they may help change yours, too!
3) It's better for you as a person to be grateful for the opportunities that you have
As well as to be excited for those around you that have them. Do not underestimate what that level of personal shift will do for you. Your exuberance will shine off of you---in life. You will only find more opportunities as a result, not to mention the fact that it's just a lot more fun to live that way.
4) The arts are not a linear meritocracy!
There's no score card, there's no stat-sheet. Your level of quality, honest work may be as high as anyone's and you may just not have found an audience yet. It may be for countless reasons; too many to trouble yourself over. It's just like worrying about booking a job after an audition. Once your work is out there, it's out of your hands. As Hyman Roth said, "This is the business we've chosen." We all get that. Even your twice-a-year relatives who never really understood your choices get that much. This field isn't like working in a law firm where the minute you bill enough hours you make partner. But I have to believe that if your work comes from the right place (that would be the heart place), and you consistently put people that you work with in the position of wanting to work with you again, the numbers start to work in your favor. In their own time. So as David Mamet said, "Learn to serve the nature of your own opinion."
5) There really is room for everyone
Look at us: more mediums of self-expression than ever at our disposal, more artistic inspiration than ever to find, and more of us than ever to be each other's audience. Who's to say that the new Renaissance can't be right now!? Just keep that in mind the next time you feel the urge to amuse yourself and your like-minded friends with an eyeroll at the mention of someone's work, or a sarcastic (or worse: troll-ish) comment on social media. I challenge you all to remember these words: choose gratitude. The sooner the better, but it's never too late. Don't hold back. You never know what your words of encouragement or congratulations may inspire in others and yourself. This stuff really is contagious. And it really is a choice. AND! You really can choose it...now. So do it. That is all.
Do you have questions about the show, the production, the Kickstarter, us...? Send me a message on our Kickstarter page, and I'll be happy to answer as many of them as I can in a future blog.
Oh! And here's our Kickstarter...
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theresiduals/the-residuals-season-two
Michael Paul Smith is the writer/director of the webseries THE RESIDUALS and also plays the role of Pete Hamilton. The episodes, and more information, can be seen on www.theresiduals.tv. Follow the show on Twitter @TheResiduals, and like it on Facebook. And for heaven's sake, go to their Kickstarter page, and give what you can. I guarantee it will be the best entertainment investment you've made all day.
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