I have heard tell that somewhere in this strange land there are institutions known as art schools where aspiring performers receive things called BFAs. I imagine that these places are filled with instructors who teach craft with the notion that perhaps, one day, their students might use said craft in a professional setting. For an actor, say, they might even dole out helpful tips on how one might audition and get cast. Additionally, this actor might build up a list of friends and contacts so that when he entered the professional world he would not do so alone, but instead surrounded by knowledgeable associates ready to lend a hand at a moment’s notice.

I did not attend one of these institutions.

When I graduated high school, I had convinced myself that, although I enjoyed acting, I did not want to become a professional actor. A career in acting seemed simultaneously frivolous and unattainable, so instead I redirected my efforts towards more serious majors that I knew would lead to jobs right out of college, like history or English.

As a result of this decision, I ended up at a tiny liberal arts college in the middle of Iowa.

After one semester, I realized that, hey, I should probably double major just in case sometime in the distant future something went very wrong and I was forced to pursue acting after all. And so, after some consideration, I obtained bachelor’s degrees in both history and theatre, thus making me the perfect candidate for moving back in with my parents.

My liberal arts education was rarely focused on what one might call practical application. My acting courses were taught by a performance studies professor, a dramaturge, and an experimental performance artist, and I think it’s fair to say that they were more interested in encouraging creativity than imparting a craft. This led to highly enjoyable class sessions. It also led to me remaining decidedly uninformed on how one might become an actor in Chicago.

Since my chosen institution of higher learning did not pass on nearly as much professional acting information as I would have liked, I had to make some contacts in the theatre world outside of college who could tell me what the heck was going on. Now, as you know, I grew up in Chicago, so I knew I had a list of people who I knew knew someone that knew what there is to know about the Chicago theatre scene. And perhaps, if I was very lucky and stopped writing intentionally obtuse sentences, these individuals would impart some of this knowledge onto me.

And they did!

These persons, mostly former classmates and family friends, all happily shared information on everything I wanted know, like where to get headshots, where to find audition listings, how to audition, and how to get representation. They also shared all sorts of information I didn’t want to know, like what to file under business expenses on your tax forms when you’re a free agent, how to try to not get audited, how to file for unemployment, and are you sure you want to do this? They allowed me to draw up a plan for how to proceed while simultaneously giving me a whole new list of fears. Without my contacts, I would not have been able to continue down this terrifying path and I would probably sleep better at night.

But now perhaps you are saying, “But Joe, I’m not nearly as cool as you! I didn’t grow up in Chicago and get to know a bunch of rad actorly types who could guide me through this difficult process!”

To you poor folks, I say WELL I DIDN’T HAVE AN AWESOME BLOG TO GUIDE ME THROUGH EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, SO DEAL WITH IT BUDDY!

I might also tell you to ask around. You might be surprised who has connections to the theatre world. It might be a friend of a friend of a lover of a friend, but I bet you know somebody. However, if you do not, keep reading. For future posts, I am going to be stealing a significant amount of the information my contacts imparted onto me and passing it off as my own wisdom.

Or you could just go to an art school, I guess.

But I guarantee that reading my blog is cheaper.